Page 5 of Cruel Russian Pakhan
I crossed the street and made my way to the corner when I caught sight of a van behind me. I didn’t think much of it, until I crossed again, turned the corner, and there it was again.
Wait…is that van following me?
I cut across the street, turned onto another block, and saw it there, too. My heart skipped a beat, and the first thought that flashed through my mind?It had to be the police.
“Katya, it’s been at least nine years since you’ve done anything for the police to come searching for you. Just breathe,” I murmured to myself.
Living in foster care meant fending for myself. While some kids got sent to amazing foster parents, mine only did it for the paycheck, and for the free help around the house. I was the youngest of the eight children they had, and I was frequently physically bullied until I finally started carrying a pen knife. Thebullying didn't totally stop, but the fear of getting slashed was as good a deterrent as any to think twice.
When they realized that it was harder to bully me physically, they decided to torture me in a new way: they locked all the cupboards, even the refrigerator, leaving me hungry. Complaining to my foster parents was like talking to a brick wall. So, I did what I had to do to survive…steal.
I learned how to pick locks and sneak into places undetected. Some of those places had alarms, though, and that’s how I got caught. I spent a few nights in a holding cell because my foster parents refused to pick me up when the police called, and I had to wait until morning.
But now, at twenty-two, I was in a better place. And I hadn’t done anything wrong. Still, my nerves were on edge, and my pulse raced. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like a warning signal. I hastened my footsteps, and I spotted an alley up ahead and decided to cut through.
If I moved quickly, I could make it to the other side before the van circled the block. But I was still watching the van when I stepped into the alley, and I slammed into something.
“Ouufff…”
I stumbled backward, helpless to stop myself from falling.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me upright. Another wrapped around my waist, steadying me, and I got a whiff of his cologne.
And just like that, I was face-to-face with the handsomest man I’d ever seen, wearing a suit.
His tanned skin glowed in the sunlight, and his black hair looked like a lion’s mane—one that he probably ran his fingers through a thousand times a day. His jaw was strong and smooth,the kind that made a girl want to run her fingers along the edge. I clutched the front of his shirt, my breasts pressed against a firm, muscular chest. I was almost certain he could feel how fast my heart was racing.
But it was his eyes that truly caught me; not blue, not green. They were black. Dark, endless vortexes that dragged me into their depths.
I felt a vibration beneath my fingers. That’s when I realized he was speaking.
“Huh?” The word barely escaped my lips.
“Are you okay?”
Oh. My. God. That voice. It rumbled from his chest like thunder, deep and mesmerizing. It was the kind of voice that belonged on a paranormal thriller audiobook. My knees nearly buckled beneath me.
I forced myself to look away, scanning the street. The van was gone. I exhaled in relief.
“I’m okay,” I said, shakily.
Maybe you should tell him someone’s following you…or ask him to walk with you the rest of the way. You’re only a block away.
I was just about to open my mouth and ask when his eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line.
That couldn't be good.
I tried to step out of his grasp, but his arm tightened around me, and a low growl escaped his lips.
Before I could panic, the van appeared out of nowhere and skidded to a stop in front of us. By the time I realized what was happening, I was being tossed into the van like I weighednothing more than a damn helium balloon, and he climbed in after me.
I stumbled and landed hard on the floor between two bench seats bolted to the walls of the van. My heart pounded so loudly it echoed in my ears as the van lurched forward.
For a split second, all I could do was stare in disbelief.
This couldn’t be happening. Not today. Not when I was finally so close.
Suddenly, an inferno of rage surged through me. That job interview was my shot at the life I’d dreamed of: security, stability, a real home and a family someday.
