Page 123 of His Tesoro

I used the wall to stand so I could test my legs. My hips were hurting and my ankles felt unstable, but this was life or death, so I would deal with the consequences to my body later. I gently rotated my shoulder and massaged my arm, willing everything to stay in place.

I stood on my tiptoes to peer out the window. All I could see was a sliver of gray sky. The minutes ticked by and I finally sat down again. I needed to conserve energy.

A crash outside the room jolted me from a haze of sleep. I pushed myself up to a standing position just in time for the door to swing open. The light from the hallway stung my eyes, but when they adjusted, I saw the Pakhan standing in the doorway. It was the first time in my life I’d been glad to see my father. Relief washed through me as I realized Matteo must have called him for backup against the Albanians.

But then he turned to me with the same dark, twisted expression I’d seen on his face too many times.

My heart sank. He wasn’t here to rescue me. Of fucking course he wasn’t.

“Sofiya.”

“You’re working with the Albanians?”

He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing the smoke in my direction. “At least you’re not a complete idiot, unlike your husband.”

“Why?”

“Like I would explain my decisions to a girl like you,” he spit out, derision heavy in his voice like I was scum on the bottom of his shoe.

“Please let me go.” It killed me to beg him, but I was out of options.

His expression twisted into a sneer. “Don’t worry. I have plans for you.” And with that, he shut the door, locking me back in.

I let out a scream. How was this my life? What had I done to deserve such a shitty father? I slumped back down to the floor. There was a lump in my throat, but I was too angry to cry.

I jolted when the door opened again, but this time, three men stood in the doorway. One of them looked vaguely familiar—he was one of the Pakhan’s soldiers—but the other two were strangers.

My heart raced. The look in their eyes could only be described as sinister, but I forced down my terror. I needed to stay sharp—this could be my only chance to escape.

I stayed on the floor, trying to figure out a plan.

“She’s prettier than I imagined,” the first man said. He was bald and wearing a black military-style uniform.

The Bratva soldier smiled a disgusting, yellow smile. “It’s her legs that don’t work. Her face, tits, and ass aren’t affected. Besides, I kind of like when they just lie there while you fuck them.”

“What about her cunt?” the third man said. He was blond and only looked a few years older than me.

“I guess we’ll just have to sample it and see,” the bald man said.

The Bratva soldier looked nervous for the first time. “The Pakhan said she wasn’t to be touched. She’s to be married.”

“She’s already married,” the blond man said.

The bald soldier took another step towards me, and my eyes flitted to the gun at his waist. I tensed my muscles to stop myself from moving. I needed to time everything carefully. “That won’t matter once her husband is dead. Widows can get re-married.”

Oh God. No matter how tangled my feelings were about Matteo, I didn’t want him dead.

And I would rather die than be sold to another man of my father’s choosing.

The Bratva soldier shut the cell door behind him, leaving us all in darkness. The putrid scent of sweat soaked the room. “What does it matter if we fuck her? She’s already used up, anyway. And it’s not like Arben is buying her for her cunt.”

Bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down. This alliance had been a sham from the beginning. The Pakhan had played us all, using me as a chess piece in his twisted game.

The men moved closer, discussing who was going to “take my cunt first.” I blinked, willing my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

One of them crouched over me, and I moved. With my right hand, I grabbed his crotch and squeezed hard. The man’s shocked scream filled the room and he shoved me aside, but I’d already managed to grab his gun.

“You fucking bitch!” he screamed.

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