Page 34 of The Perfect Wife
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As we boarded a private jet, much smaller than Davian’s, I wondered where we were going. Before we got to what appeared an abandoned airstrip, Rui and said something to his driver in Russian that I couldn’t understand. Now that I was sitting in a leather seat, I knew it had to do with our destination.
The engines hadn’t roared, and already I could feel the tension in my body build. I had flown two times in the past week and a half, and I thought for sure my fear of flying would get better. It might have been the company, but my nerves were on edge more than ever.
Breathing in large breaths of air, I tried calming my nerves. Nothing helped. Either I would pass out or vomit if I didn’t get off this plane. Pushing from the seat, the airplane door was still open, and I could see that I was alone. Rui must have been taking to captain. The outside air had begun to clear my head as I stood inches away from the airplane door.Would it be that easy to escape?The tarmac came into view, and so did the burly man who grabbed me at the college.
Without touching me, he pushed me back inside the plane by walking towards me. The smile on his face was all I needed to turn around and go back to the seat I moments ago vacated. Taking a seat across from me, he looked up and said, “Buckle up,” in a strong Russian accent.
Before I could ask him where we were going, Rui stepped out from behind the door separating the cockpit and the main cabin. Taking a seat next to me, he fastened his seatbelt. His eyes met mine, and I was sure he noticed how uneasy I felt and the pale tint of my skin. When he rattled off something in Russian to the man across from us, the man quickly unbuckled his seat belt and walked over to a cabinet against the wall. My eyes were on him as he pulled open a door and pulled out a decanter filled with an amber liquid. Setting in on the top of the cabinet, he reached inside and sat two crystal glasses next to the decanter. After filling both glasses, he put the decanter back inside the cabinet and headed toward us. He handed a glass to Rui and then to me.
I didn’t care what it was, I held the glass to my lips and drank the liquid, feeling it burn my throat as it went down. Rui placed his hand over my hand that was still gripping the armrest. Turning his way, for once, I saw concern in his otherwise cold eyes. “You have always been afraid of flying.”
It wasn’t a question, but an affirmation. He knew, but yet here we were. Downing what remained of my whiskey, already I could feel my body relax. I wasn’t drunk but wished I was. Instead of admitting it, I asked, “Where are you taking me?”
“On our honeymoon. Canada is so nice this time of year.”
“Wait, I can’t go to Canada. I don’t even have a passport.” Having a passport was the least of my concerns, but I threw it out there.
“Ahh… but you do, my sweet Reyna.” His grin grew as he slipped his hand beneath his suit jacket and pulled out two passports.
My eyes widened with confusion as he opened one and then the other before handing one o me. As I opened the small blue book, I looked down at the picture. It looked like me, but it wasn’t. The name that went along with the photo wasn’t mine. It read Anya Salko. Just like our marriage, it was fake.
Leaning my head back against the headrest, the tears I tried so desperately to hold back fell. I wished I never went to GSU. As angry as I was at Davian for lying, I wanted to be back in his arms. But more than anything, I wished I wasn’t Reyna McCall or Anya Salko.
~25~
Reyna
As we landed in an airstrip just outside of Toronto, Ontario, the life that I knew disappeared. Rui Salko was a powerful man, and he would make sure I would never see my parents, Kenzi, or Davian. I would spend what life I had left as his wife. It made my skin crawl. It wasn’t the fact that he was older and still had his looks. That I could deal with. But the fact that he and my mom shared a relationship made me sick to my stomach. There was no way I could ever bring myself to sleep with this man.
A car was waiting for us when we stepped from the plane. Two rather large gentlemen got out of the front of the car and headed toward the plane. From what I could see, they were unloading the luggage from the cargo hold in the belly of the aircraft. By the time my feet hit the ground, the men were rolling two large suitcases each towards the car.
We headed toward the car with Rui’s hand against my back. The wind, although warm, blew my hair against my face, making it difficult to see. Pulling it back with my hands, I held in place by pulling it over my shoulder and pressing the unruly waves to my chest. With nothing obstructing my vision, I entered the car and slid to the farthest end. I wished I could have drawn on the seat marking a ‘do not cross’ zone so that Rui would keep his distance. It didn’t matter that I buddied up to the door, he was at my side, even though two-thirds of the seat was available for him.
Placing his hand on my knee, just as he did in the limo, he applied pressure with his fingers. “Reyna, there is a lot you will learn about me. One of them is that I like keeping my prized possessions close. Sooner or later, you will accept the fact that you belong to me.”
I could have screamed. I would never belong to him. He might have the power to hurt me, but he would never break me into admitting I was his. Releasing his hand from my knee, he shifted his body, moved slightly away from me, allowing me some breathing room. It wasn’t for long, as his hand went to my arm and pulled me away from the window. I was so close to him I might as well have been sitting on his lap. Holding me in place, he lowered his head, and his mouth came to mine.Oh… no. I refuse to let this happen.
As he tried to snake his tongue between my lips, my only reaction was to bite down before he had the chance. When I tasted a tinge of his blood, he released his grip only to bring his hand across my cheek. “It’s best you learn to accept that you can’t fight me. One way or another, I will get want I want. Continue putting up a fight, Reyna, and see what happens.”
My cheek burned like crazy, and I was sure his assault would leave a mark. Rui kept his distance for the rest of the ride. It was only after we stopped in front of a large stone mansion that he revealed his colors. When I didn’t accept his hand to assist me out of the car, he grabbed my arm and pulled me out. Feeling helpless, I had no other choice but to give into him. If I hadn’t, I was sure that I would have ended up on the graveled ground and dragged to the front door by my hair like a cavewoman.
Rui had a hold of my arm as we made our way to the front door. My eyes were on the large wooden door. Like something out of a scary movie, a knocker with a lion’s head had been positioned in the middle of the door. It was rusted and probably as old as the door.
The two men who came here with us walked up behind us with the four pieces of luggage from the plane. Waiting until Rui opened the door, they remained behind us as we entered. As I walked past the threshold, I had an eerie feeling about this house. It was dark and unnerving. The icy air didn’t help, and it made me feel like I had stepped into hell. There was a musty smell about the place like it had been closed up for a long time.
I remained where I was as the two men walked from behind me and up the long staircase. I wasn’t sure how they could see; it was that dark. Rui tugged on my arm, pulling me to another room in the house. Releasing his grip, he went over to the window and pulled open the curtains to the outside. As though someone had switched a light on, the room came into view. I could see
almost everything covered in sheets, and I couldn’t see what hid beneath them.
After all the curtains were open, Rui began ripping the sheets off the furniture. I found it funny that a man in a three-piece suit would do such a dirty job. Dust was flying everywhere. Looking at me in disgust, he dropped the sheet to the floor. “Your first duty as my wife is to get this place clean. The staff will be here tomorrow to assist you.”
Was he serious?
“Are you crazy? There is no way I’m going to clean this house, with or without the help of your staff.”
His eyes changed to a darker shade of gray as he walked my way. I tried to back away from him but ran into a wall. The minute he reached me, his hand slid across my cheek, and I knew he would slap just as he did in the car. Instead, he brought his lips close to mine and breathed in my scent. His hand lingered on my cheek for a moment until he moved it down my body. His face was so close to mine, and I knew his lips would soon collide with to mine.
