Page 5 of Reaper
He looks like he’s in his mid-to-late sixties. His black hair, with a smattering of gray throughout, is slicked back from his hauntingly pale face. The most unnerving part is how he’s staring at me. Evil reflects in his crystal blue eyes, a cold, dark glint that chills me to the bone.
A familiar face meets my gaze, but before I can say anything to my brother, the chubby man behind the huge lavish oak desk puts out a cigarette, then stands to his feet.
“You were right, Kurt.” He looks at me from my head to my feet, and a shudder runs down my spine. “She’s more than beautiful. She’s exquisite.”
The predatory gleam in his eyes as he moves from around his desk and walks toward my brother, causes me to take a step back as I look at him. Kurt nods, but he says nothing and neither do I. I have no idea what’s going on or why I’m here.
“She stays with my son for three years and your debt is paid in full,” the man says. “Those are the terms.”
My brother smiles and sticks out his hand to the chubby man. They shake hands and my brother heads toward the door.
“What’s going on, Kurt?” I rush to my brother and grab his arm. “What did you do!”
He looks at me, his eyes vacant and unfocused. I don’t know if he’s high or drunk, but I don’t see my brother staring back at me. I know he’s had problems for a while, but I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten.
“Just do whatever they say, Paris. You’ll be alright. It’s only three years.”
He jerks his arm out of my grip.
“Have you lost your mind!” I scream but he just scoffs like it’s no big deal, and leaves. I’m screaming his name as I try to follow him, but the man who escorted me here grabs me before I can run after my brother.
“Don’t do that Ms. Johnson.” His voice is chillingly calm, each word a deadly warning, I don’t want to test. “It will only make things worse.”
What the hell can be worse than this?
Tears stream down my face as I look at the chubby man; the cruel glint in his eyes confirm my worst fears.
“Yuri, call Nikita,” the chubby man says, a greasy smirk splitting his face as he speaks. “Tell him I have him a gift for him.”
“Yes, Pakhan.”
I rush toward the door again, but the man in the suit steps in front of it, blocking my path.
“I’m not staying here!” I try my best to get past him, but even for his age, he’s too strong for me. “Let me go! Kurt! Kurt!”
Even though I know my screams for my brother are in vain, I still hold on to hope he won’t abandon me here. Wherever here is. But after a few moments when he doesn’t come back, my heart sinks into my gut.
He left me. He really left me here with these people.
The chubby man comes to stand in from of me. When he tries to run his finger down the side of my face, I turn my head away. He grabs my chin, then forces me to look at him. His fat fingers dig into my skin, and I wince from the pain.
“You are now my property.” He runs the tip of his nose up the side of my face, inhaling as he goes. I push down the bile rising in my throat. “No one will come and save you.”
“Please, let me go.”
He drops his hand from my face, taking a step back before walking back to his desk, then sitting down. “Your pleas don’t sway me, girl. I love to hear them. But I’ll make an agreement with you. If you can pay your brother’s debt, then by all means.” He motions to the door. “You are free to leave.”
“How much does he owe?”
I hate the wobble in my voice, showing the sheer panic clawing through me because I think this man feeds off of it. I don’t want to make him more interested in me than he already is.
“Three hundred thousand plus interest.”
“Oh my god, I can’t pay that!”
He shrugs because he already knew I couldn’t. “Then there’s nothing more to discuss. You now belong to my son. He’ll take excellent care of you, I’m sure.”
He looks me up and down, then I try to run to the door, but the man who escorted me grabs me.
