The girl.Not his daughter, not evenSasha. Surely he must know my name, after sending men to hunt me down, and I know I shouldn’t care. It shouldn’t matter to me. But itdoes, an ache spreading through me suddenly that I didn’t know I possessed. I sit there numbly, hearing my actual father’s voice for the first time, and knowing to my bones that he doesn’t care about me beyond knowing that I’m gotten rid of–the way he’d wanted from the moment I began to exist.
“How do I know for certain this is Obelensky?” Edo asks sharply. “This is an irregular way of handling the matter.”
“You’ll just need to trust me.” There’s a wry note to the voice. “I don’t need to prove myself to Italiansobakas. If you’re not interested in making a deal, then I’ll simply make sure that the girl is retrieved in my own way, and you will be collateral damage.”
“I expect compensation for turning her over to you. It’ll have to be better than just you agreeing to leave my family alone. My daughter is dead because of this littlecagna; I have ideas of my own for her, if there’s no better incentive than that.”
“We can discuss money.” Obelensky’s voice is knife-sharp, cutting, and frigid as cold steel. “But the girl comes to me,alive.”
“I have a better deal for you.” Art sits up, leaning forward, as if Obelensky can see him–and maybe he can. I have no idea if the camera is on our side, and something in my gut twists at the thought that my father can see me, after all these years, but I can’t see him.
“Who is that?” There’s a hint of impatience in Obelensky’s voice.
“Arturo Agosti. Last heir to the Agosti family. I have my own bone to pick with this girl, and I’m willing to pay you handsomely to let me do what I want, and forget about her.” A cruel smile spreads over Art’s face. “Trust me, she won’t enjoy it.”
“Fuck you!” I try to shout from behind the gag, but it comes out as nothing but muffled sounds. I twist in the chair, and Art stands up suddenly, his hands hard on the back of my shoulders as he leans down.
“Think about it,” he murmurs against my ear. “You can say you want to die rather than go with me all you like, Sasha, but think about the reality of it. I’ll bargain with your father for your safety. I’ll even let you live–and live well–if you give in to me. Please me, and I can be good to you. Maybe in time, I’ll even let you go free.”
A second ticks by, and then another, and I fight to keep from starting to cry. I feel exhausted and overwhelmed, bombarded on all sides with fear and horrible choices, and I can feel myself starting to lose my resolve.
“I’m the only Agosti left,” Art says very quietly. “I have all the power now.”
I’d been so close to breaking. I’d almost considered agreeing, with the hope that in time I could escape him, that I might only have to endure him for a time. But that reminder that Max is dead, that Art is the reason why, strengthens my resolve to never give in to him all over again.
No matter what that means for me.
I twist my head around, biting at the hand on my shoulder. It’s ineffectual–I’m too tightly gagged to actually bite, but my teeth scrape over the back of Art’s hand, and he jerks back, slapping me hard.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” he hisses. “Good for nothingbitch.”
“I’ll consider the offer,” Obelensky says, his voice smooth and unruffled, as if this were an ordinary day for him–and maybe it is. What do I fucking know about any of this?
“I’ll have one of my men contact you tomorrow,” he continues. “To tell you if I want the girl myself, and what I’m willing to give you for it, or what I would take in payment in order to leave her with you.” He pauses. “If I leave her with you, I’ll want assurances that she’s dead, when you’re finished.”
The room goes silent, and I feel a hopelessness settle over me that I hadn’t expected. I thought I’d already resigned myself to dying one way or the other–even hoped for it–but the knowledge that there is no future for me anymore, just a question of how many hours or days remain between now and oblivion for me, and how painful they might be, makes me feel hollow.
“Take her back to her room.” Edo looks at Art. “Leave her cuffed, so that she doesn’t get any ideas. And–” he narrows his eyes. “Don’t violate her. Until her father is paid and she’s yours, you’re not to molest her in any way. He may want more compensation for any–enjoyment–of her if it’s discovered.”
It’s not much of a relief, but it’s something, especially considering the angry disappointment that I see on Art’s face as he yanks me up out of the chair by my wrists. He’s not gentle in the slightest as he manhandles me up the stairs, but I almost don’t care. Until the decision is made about what happens to me, he’s not allowed to hurt me, not in the way I fear most. Physical pain doesn’t matter, not compared to that.
He practically throws open the door to my room, shoving me towards the bed. I fall facedown, and Art grabs my wrists and my hair, flinging me onto the mattress and rolling me over onto my back.
For a terrifying moment, I think he’s going to ignore Edo’s orders, and force himself on me anyway. But he just grins down at me, leering, rubbing the front of his trousers with one hand where I can see the ridge of his hardened cock straining against the fabric.
“Don’t worry, Sasha,” he croons, his voice sickeningly sweet, in contrast to his behavior. “The waiting will just make it all the better when I finally have you. There’splentyof money in the Agosti coffers, and I’m going to spend as much of it as I have to in order to have the pleasure of ruining what my brother died to protect.”
He doesn’t bother taking off the gag, either. He leaves me there in the darkness, bound with the rubber strap chafing my lips, and stalks out of the room.
7
MAX
Letting myself heal before trying to find what’s happened to Sasha is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
I want to rush out after her, to tear the world apart trying to find her and make sure she’s safe. Giana and Tommas both assure me that they have the remaining security looking into it. Two days after I wake up, when I’m able to speak more clearly, I call Viktor immediately.
“You’re sure she’s alive?” Viktor asks when I explain to him what’s happened, careful to leave nothing out. There’s no point in hedging anything now, not with so much on the line.