Page 17 of Corrupted Guilt

“Shut up.” He said it flat and cold, and stood looking at me with totally blank eyes. All the mean comedy was gone from his face now. He said, “I take very bad to frustration. I break my toys. You ought to be warned.”

He looked at me and his expression suddenly became mean, though he still smiled. He said, “Don’t flutter those big eyes at me. You want me to poke them out? I don’t need you to be able to see, you know. Just so you can hear and talk, that’s all I need from you.”

I had no doubt he would and could make good on that threat.I must move, I thought,I must do what he says.I took one step forward, and the second was easier, and I walked with him.

“I’m sorry you have me a little frightened –”

“Nothing to be frightened of,” he said, but he used a voice full of laughter and meanness again. “Unless you fight me, then you’ll see my bad side. My worst side.”

I looked at his hand clasping my wrist as we walked, it was stubby-fingered and thick, the backs of the fingers covered with burns and scratches as though he’d been doing carpentry work without gloves. The nails were wide, stubby, and dirty. The hand looked strong, humorless, and mean.

I can’t go with him. I know what happens if we go somewhere private. He’ll take what I owe him. He’ll play with his new toy, roughly. Was he going to kill me? No, he needs me. But it could beworsethan death. I can’t think about his worst side right now. I can’t think about anything. I dig in my heels, but he’s stronger than me.

Petya’s hands grind the bones of my wrist together.

Now or never, I say to myself, wrenching my hand from his grip and turning to run. But the curb is in my way, I trip over it again, the strap of my backpack is caught in Petya’s vice grip hand, I stumble back Petya catches me in his arms.

He wastes no time, dragging me into a nearby alley by my backpack. I thrash around a little, trying to wiggle free of the shoulder strap, and when I do, he grabs me by my hair instead. I scream from the pain and add a “Let go of me!” and a “You can’t do this!”

He yanks me up by the hair to face him, “Fucking watch me,” he screams back in my face, his putrid breath closing my eyes and mouth.

Then he tosses me.

I don’t hit the ground, not before I hit the dumpster, its sharp edge in the center of my back, knocking the wind out of my lungs and probably breaking a rib.

I don’t even have time to cry in pain before Petya is standing above me, his eyes black gobs without mercy or any shed of humanity.

I just lie there, accepting my fate. This man will kill me now— or worse.

Suddenly, there’s a crash behind us, I can’t turn my head to see, I can only hope …

“Don’t you fucking touch her,” His voice is low with rage, I can’t see him, but I know it’s Yuri and I’m so happy to hear his voice.

“Who the hell are you?” Petya demands. A moment later, I hear the shocking crack of a fist making impact with bone. Petya’s body goes flying to the ground.

Yuri comes straight to me. “It’s OK,” he says. I tried to turn, to see him, but I can’t move. All I can hear is his voice, low and soothing. The kind of voice you can trust. “I’ve got you now.”

His touch is gentle as he shrugs off his jacket and wraps it around me.

There’s a groan from the ground as Petya is crawling to his knees, “Do you have any idea who I am?”

Yuri doesn’t even look over. All his focus is directed at me. His eyes are dark and filled with compassion. “We’re leaving now,” he tells me softly. “You’re safe.”

I give a shaky nod, as Yuri lifts me effortlessly in his arms, and strides away from the alley and the street without looking back. I bury my face against his chest.

I hear Petya chuckle, then yell at us, “You won’t always have friends with you, little Kat. See you soon.”

“I’ll shut him up in a minute, first we’ll make sure you’re okay.”

Okay? I am so far from okay; I don’t know where to begin.

My body finally understands the threat has passed, and I start shaking and can’t seem to stop. That was close. Too close.Not even one of these strangers on the street cared that I was being abducted in broad daylight. They took out their phones and pretended to read a text.

He won’t stop. He will keep coming for me. Until he collects what he’s owed.

Yuri pulls me into a hug before he sets me in the backseat of his SUV. Part of me wants to fight him, but he’s big and strong and smells really good. For a moment, I can almost fool myself into thinking I’m safe.

I’m not, though. I’ll never be safe again.

---