Page 114 of For a Price

My kitty cat is bruised all over.

Up and down the sides of her ribs and another giant bruise near her breasts. She has bruises on her thighs and hips.

Black. Blue. Purple.

All blending together on her normally smooth golden-brown skin.

My nostrils flare and my eyes flash with anger. She reverts back to trying to cover up.

“Any time I spoke up…” she murmurs.

It’s a rarity that I’m at a loss for words.

I find myself speechless in this moment, so fucking pissed that I can only reach out and gently brush my fingers on one of the bruises on her ribs.

It confuses me how someone could look at Katerina and her bright personality and want to hurt her. Then I think about the atrocities that happen to people sold into these systems andI remember how they’re not viewed as human beings. They’re viewed as merchandise to profit from.

Katerina was almost buried in a system that would have destroyed her in time. They would have thought nothing of it and moved on to the next person to do the same.

The bastards behind this will pay. It will not be enough for me to kill pieces of shit like JC, who kidnapped her and gave her to the Midnight Society.

JC is a small guppy in an ocean of stronger, larger, more dominant fish.

Big fish like the sovietnik.

Even bigger fish like the pakhan.

I won’t stop until I know the truth about what the fuck’s going on and then exact the most bloodthirsty and barbaric revenge humanly possible.

They will regret the day they ever decided to come not only for me but my kitty cat.

I run the bath ’til it’s full and frothing with soapy water. Katerina accepts my hand as I help her inside the tub where she sinks into the hot water and closes her eyes.

“Better?” I ask.

“Much better… this feels… so good…”

“This will be over soon, devochka,” I say, voicing my thoughts aloud. “Blood will be spilled over this. It already has been in your honor.”

She remains quiet as little clouds of steam float above the hot water. She seems relieved just to be able to soak in the tub.

I gently gather her stiff, dried curls and pull them back into a puff. The corners of her lips spread in silent gratitude.

Kissing the tip of her shoulder, I grip both of them in a firm massage. She’s so tense still that I can feel the nerves bundled up inside her.

For a long while we sit in silence. Katerina soaks in the tub. I use my powerful hands to give her the massage she deserves, working out the knots of tension in her back, neck, and shoulders.

Once the water begins losing its heat and Katerina’s skin is pruning, the bath comes to an end. I help her out and towel her off.

A pair of pajamas is waiting for her on the bed. A request I made with my employees that they quickly followed up on.

She slides into the button-up top and pajama bottoms and then mouthsthank you.

“I want you to be checked out by a physician,” I say.

Her gaze lowers to the floor. “They had me checked out too. To prepare for being sold…”

“Did they…” I have to pause to battle through another flame of anger. “What else did they do to you? Tell me, kitty cat.”

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