Page 19 of Taking Me

Marklov sneers and returns his focus back to the man, clearly enjoying the misunderstanding.

“Who are you looking for, amigo?” he asks, feigning ignorance.

The man’s jaw tightens.

“We were told you had someone important to us. But it looks like we might have the wrong place. My apologies.”

Marklov laughs, a harsh, grating sound.

“Seems like your boss gave you the wrong intel, amigos. There’s no one here for you.”

The leader curses under his breath, clearly irritated by the mistake. He turns to his group, signaling them to back off.

“Let’s go,” he says, his tone resigned. “We’ve wasted enough time here.”

As they leave, the tension in the room doesn’t dissipate immediately. Marklovs eyes flicker with amusement as he turns back to me.

“Looks like you’re not as important as you thought,” he taunts, his voice dripping with malice.

I can feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me, the brief glimmer of hope snuffed out by the cruel twist of fate.

No one, not a single damn person in this world, knows that I am being held against my will, other than Ghost. And even that is a mystery, as I don’t know if he is alive or not. The silence is deafening, broken only by my frantic thoughts, wondering if anyone will ever come to my rescue. The uncertainty gnaws at me, making each passing second feel like a lifetime.

Despite the overwhelming fear, I refuse to give in. I will find a way out of this, with or without help. My determination burns like a fire, pushing me to stay vigilant and alert. I know I can’t rely on anyone else, so I must rely on myself.

Marklov faces the crowd, aware of the eyes on him since the uninvited guests arrived. He forces a smile and clears his throat.

“Ai, my apologies, everyone. It was just a little misunderstanding.” He looks over at me, wrapping his arm tightly around my waist. “Now, shall we go on with tonight’s show?”

Everyone is applauding, cheering, hollering, and acting like wild animals. Am I the only one that doesn’t know what the fuck is going on?

Marklov motions to his men. “Bring our guest out, please,” he said in a smug voice that causes a concerned expression to shoot across my face.

My eyes look over to meet his

“Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” I said in a low whisper.

“I thought I’d surprise you tonight. Don’t worry, Little Sinister, you’ll love it. We all will.”

What the fuck does that even mean?

As I stand in the dimly lit room, my heart races. My mind fills with a whirlwind of emotions, all of them dark and unsettling. I feel the tightness in my chest the pain in my ribs, and all I want to do is go home.

I glance over at the cage rolled into the center of the room, and my stomach turns. A person is curled up inside, their head covered with a black cloth. I can hear muffled words coming from within, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I can only assume they’re begging to be let free.

“Who is that?” I demand, my voice trembling.

“Who it is… is not important. Just do as I say, and everything else will fall into place.” He let out in a confident voice.

This doesn’t make sense. None of this does. It’s like Marklov is speaking in riddles, and I’ll be honest, but that is not my language of expertise.

I can’t help but compare this situation to a fucked up ritual or a group initiation of some sort.

“The show must go on, Little Sinister.” He let out and took my arm, walking me towards the person who was just as helpless here as I was.

“Tonight, you will prove yourself to me, to us. You will kill this woman in cold blood like you’ve done to many others countless times before.” Marklov let out on our walk up to where she is.

“And what if I don’t? This person means nothing to me.” I reply.

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