Page 7 of Beautiful Agony

"Bring those two to me, Grisha." Sayanaa points at me and Serena. "They're my special guests."

A mountain of a man with a nasty scar across his face steps forward at Sayanaa's command. One of his eyes is opaque and blind, giving him a wild cruel appearance. My instinct is to pull away, but Serena's trembling hand in mine keeps me rooted. I won't abandon her.

Sayanaa's eyes drift to where Serena's fingers are intertwined with mine. A cruel smile plays across her lips.

"So precious. The little thief protecting the little kitty." She traces a manicured nail down my cheek. "But holding hands won't save either of you from what's coming."

Movement catches my eye. I turn and my blood runs cold. Men are herding the other women toward a concrete building like cattle, rough hands shoving anyone who moves too slowly. One woman stumbles and is yanked up by her hair, her cry of pain echoing across the yard.

"What are you doing to them?" The words slip out before I can stop them.

Sayanaa's smile widens. "I'm preparing the merchandise for market." She leans in close, her breath hot against my ear. "Weneed to teach them their new reality. Break their spirits. Crush any lingering hope they might have of rescue or escape."

Her words hit me like a physical blow. I want to scream at her. They're not merchandise! They're people! Daughters, sisters, mothers. Each one with dreams and hopes and lives that are being systematically destroyed.

"Some fight it at first," Sayanaa continues, clearly relishing my horror. "But they all break eventually. They all learn their place." She turns to the big man who dragged us out. "Go and join your friends, Grisha, and have fun. God knows you've earned it."

Grisha's heavy footsteps fade as he lumbers, grinning, towards the building. My stomach churns at what is happening inside. Sayanaa's predatory gaze rakes over me, lingering on the bruises Vadim left on my neck.

"Follow me," she purrs. "And don't make me ask twice."

Serena's hand trembles in mine. I squeeze back, trying to project a strength I don't feel. But we have no choice as Sayanaa directs the two of us toward a cellar door set into the concrete building's foundation.

The door groans open on rusted hinges.

"Come along, little thief." She gestures down the dark stairs. "And keep that scared kitty by your side. Wouldn't want her getting lost, would we?"

I draw Serena closer as we descend into hell. Each step takes us deeper into darkness, the wailing echoes all around us above. The dank air reeks of fear and despair.

The heavy cellar door clangs shut behind us, sealing us in darkness until fluorescent lights flicker to life. My heart poundsas I take in our surroundings—it's jarringly mundane. Like any warehouse office a single desk, a few old filing cabinets, and a water cooler in the corner that has seen better days.

Only the muffled screams of women above us remind me this is anything but normal.

"Sit." Sayanaa gestures to two chairs in front of what I assume is her desk.

I help Serena to one of the chairs, keeping my grip on her hand. She's trembling now, and her palm is cold and clammy against mine.

She's just a child. She shouldn't be here. None of us should.

"Vadim will come for us," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. "He'll tear this place apart to find us."

Sayanaa's laugh is like breaking glass. "Oh, I'm counting on it, little thief." She perches on the edge of her desk, crossing her legs deliberately. "Why do you think I let him trace my location?"

My blood runs cold. "What?"

"Please." She examines her manicured nails. "Don't you think I knoweverythingthere is to know about my Vadyusha? About what makes him tick? About what makes him lose control? Iwantedhim to come here." Her predatory gaze fixes on me. "What better way to draw him out than dangle the two of you as bait?"

The screams from above grow louder, punctuated by a man's rough laughter. Serena flinches beside me. I squeeze her hand tighter, fighting back nausea as I realize we're not just prisoners—we're pawns in Sayanaa's twisted game.

"Daddy wants his book back." Her smile widens as she leans forward, her voice dropping to a low hiss. "But I want what's mine."

"Vadim will never give you what you want," I spit out. "You're delusional if you think he'll?—"

Sayanaa's hand shoots out, and slaps me across the face hard enough to send my ears ringing. "I'm talking now, little thief."

I gasp, tasting blood in my mouth.

"You know," she continues, "I had an epiphany in that cathedral, watching you stand where I should've been standing. I realized this whole time that I was chasing the wrong prize all along."

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