Page 69 of Beautiful Deception

I test the bars and see if I can bend any of them but it’s a sturdy cage.

I’m stuck.

With nothing to do but sit there, I try to conserve the warmth in my body. There’s no point in screaming for help. No one will hear me down here.

The only hope I have is that someone will save me. My father? No. He’s wasted back at the motel. He won’t notice I’m gone for at least a week and even then, he won’t be able to help me. He can barely help himself.

That leaves Viktor.

I know he would come save me if he knew where I was. But the question is: does he know where I am?

I don’t know who these men are and I’m running out of time to find out. I’ll freeze down here if I don’t get out soon.

I’m not sure how much time has passed before the men come back down the stairs. Time moves differently in complete darkness.

“Our boss wants you to hurt.” They open the cage door and drag me out. Before I can even try to stand up and run away, one of them kicks me right in the stomach.

The pain is excruciating. I cry out but that only makes the men laugh. The other one kicks me in the back.

Then the front. Then the back again.

“Slow down,” one of them growls. I can barely make out who in the darkness. “If we keep going like this, she’ll die. Our boss wants her to suffer for as long as possible before we kill her. She wants to be here to see it happen.”

She.

That confirms it for me. Natasha is behind this.

“Natasha Morozov?” I ask.

The two men go still.

That double confirms it.

“She’s behind this?” I gasp out, clutching my stomach. I’ve never known physical pain like this.

“Shut up.” A kick to my face makes me go quiet. Nothing feels broken but the pain in my body doesn’t care about that.

“If you kick her in the head, she might die. Don’t do that.”

“Then we should do other things.” I hear a zipper come undone and pants being pushed down.

Oh no. Not that. Anything but that.

I kick and scream and my foot manages to land a hit to one of the men’s faces. He grunts and stumbles back, falling onto his butt.

I manage to jump to my feet and run for the stairs but the other man grabs me around the waist and throws me to the floor. I smash onto it. All the air leaves my body, making it impossible for me to get up.

Footsteps on the stairs make all three of us turn to see who it is.

Natasha reaches the bottom stair and smiles down at me, victory written on her face. “You thought you could steal my man from me.”

“You’re really going to do this?” I gasp out.

“Yes. I’m going to watch these men beat you and rape you to your death. It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Please.” A single tear runs down my cheek. It stings. I must have a cut on my cheek from where I was kicked. “Please don’t do this.”

“Viktor should have fired you.”

---