Page 89 of Illyria

Nothing mattered. I knew I wasn’t getting out of this place alive.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew who took me.

He was the worst of them all. I knew men could be violent. I just never imagined. I never thought. God, I was so fucking stupid. Everything I thought was wrong. So many tried to tell me, but I didn’t listen. Now I was going to learn a lesson I didn’t want to learn.

I could have told them I was a slow learner. Not that they would listen to me, anyway. They preferred to let their hands do the teaching.

The sheet behind my bed blew against the headboard as the wind drifted into the room. I could smell the sweet scent of rain.

Had it rained or was I imagining it?

I was so confused. I didn’t know if it was day or night, summer or fall. All I knew was that the longer I stayed here, the harder it was going to be for Maxim to find me.

Stumbling over to the window, I looked out into the darkness of the night. Not a star in the sky as clouds settled over the area. There was a definite chill in the air and if I listened carefully, I could almost hear the ocean off in the distance.

Was I on an island?

A beach maybe?

There was a noise outside the door.

I stood as still as I could, and listened, praying they weren’t coming to see me again. I barely survived their last visit.

My body couldn’t take much more of their abuse.

I heard a key being inserted into the lock.

I wanted to scream at them to leave me alone, but it would do no good.

I was their prisoner, and they reminded me of that every time I saw them.

The doorknob turned.

My heart raced as I panicked.

I slowly slid to the floor, cowering in the darkness. Tears ran down my face as he entered. I feared his men, but this vile fucker was the worst.

“Get her on the bed,” he ordered, as he took off his suit jacket, folding it neatly before laying it across the back of a wooden chair. I didn’t move when his men approached. I tried not to show any fear, but when his men grabbed for me, I whimpered and tried to scurry away.

Once on the bed, his men handcuffed me to the headboard. They did that, so I wouldn’t fight back. They tied my legs to the footposts tightly because the first time they showed me what they thought of women, I kicked out and I broke one of the men’s noses.

The bastard still sported two blackeyes from my effort.

“Mrs. Fedorov. I am losing my patience with you.”

“What do you want? I told you I don’t know what it is you want,” I said, my voice scratchy and in desperate need of water. “Please let me go. I’ll find whatever it is. I won’t stop until I do.”

I couldn’t remember the last time they brought me anything to eat or drink. Not that I would accept anything from these assholes. I just wanted them to leave me alone.

I was so fucking tired. I hurt everywhere, but they never gave me any rest. Only mere minutes before they returned and started their assault all over again.

“I have run out of patience with you. Where is themladenec?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, saying the same thing repeatedly. Not that I would tell him anything. Whatever he was looking for, he wasn’t going to get any help from me.

“I will ask you one more time. Where is themladenec?”

“Fuck you!” I screamed, tired of this shit.

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