Page 11 of Slipping into the Dark Side

Who would come after her? And why?

Tatianna played with this thought in her head. She was not from a top-tier mafia family. Her family had no enemies. She wasn’t the heir or due for any inheritance. If whoever stole her was going after Fedor, they would have waited until they knew if he was the heir to the Utkins fortune before snatching her away.

This was ill-planned, whoever it was.

Her captors glanced at her, checked the time, and continued their conversation. “Where am I?” The man with a limp was in charge, and he ignored her. “Excuse me? I’m talking to you. Where am I? Hello!”

With annoyance, they left the room.

“Wait, I’m thirsty! I want some water.”

The door shut on her, and she was alone. She looked further around the room, recalling the checklist she had been given if she was ever kidnapped. She thought it had been such a funny day with the tutor as he spoke about how to cut through duck tape and zip ties. At ten, she giggled. At eleven and twelve, she listened to it intently. But at thirteen, the hope of being kidnapped to see what kind of badass woman she could be was deflated. No one was going to steal the daughter of a sad widower. She couldn’t recall all the times she put herself in harm’s way just to see what would happen.

Now, at nineteen, she knew what these men could do, and fear was plenty.

But fear wasn’t going to save her.

There was only one exit and no windows. It was a cellar, cold, damp, and from the rings on the floor, that moved out storage to keep her contained here. To escape, she would have to barrelthrough them, and she wasn’t sure she could contend with war veterans.

I’m pretty positive I can’t. Doesn’t mean I won’t try.

The door opened, and one man came through. He was smaller than the others, probably younger, too, with all his limbs intact. Which meant they didn’t see her as much as a threat and sent her the most feeble to give her a drink.

“Hi,” Tatianna whispered. “What’s your name?”

“Drink,” he held out a cup. His hand trembled just a little.

“You know-” She took the cup between her hands. “I think a man in a mask is very sexy.” She ran her eyes over him, a smirk developing on her lips. He said nothing, but she didn’t need him to. “I’ve got this terrible itch I’ve been dying to scratch. Could you help me?” She handed him the cup.

“You want me to scratch you?”

The adorable response made her giggle. He had to be no more sixteen. It wasn’t nice to play with his heart, but his innocence was bendable. Tatianna pulled at her dress, revealing her leg. Further and further, it climbed, and the boy watched with intensity. Past her knee, she pulled it. “It’s right under here.”

Tatianna snatched the knife strapped to her thigh and attacked, pressing it into his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. “Where am I?”

He groaned and shifted, crying out when it tore more muscle. “You’re under the church on Levick Street.”

“Who are you people?”

“We’re mercenaries.”

“Who hired you?”

“I don’t know.” Tatiana pushed harder, and he cried, “I don’t know!”

Based on his rank, she believed him. Tatianna pulled back, and his blood sprinkled the ground. She used the bloody knife to saw through the rope, watching the boy. He sat on the ground,holding his shoulder and focusing on breathing. He pulled his mask off to get more air, but she didn’t know his face. She was right to assume he was a teenager. Her captures believed her so incompetent to take care of herself, not only did they not frisk her to make sure she wasn’t carrying a weapon, but they thought a teenager would be able to keep her compliant.

Men.

Tatianna limped back. The pain in her calf had come alive when she stood. Blood dried down her leg and caked into her toes. She had somehow lost her other shoe in transit. “How do I get out of here?”

The kid scoffed. “I ain’t telling you shit.” A temper came with the pain, and he glared at her.

“Aw, are you embarrassed a woman beat you?” She taunted, pointing her knife down at him. They hadn’t even given him a gun. She should be embarrassed that they thought so little of her. Tatianna peeked out the door. The hallway was long, but it led to some stairs. She would have to bypass another room, and the door was wide open. The sound of the men was loud and boisterous. They had no worry that she wouldn’t stay where they left her.

“Get up,” she ordered.

The kid wiggled up the wall, panting as he did so.

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