boiling fury.
“Because it has to be that way,” he gives as an immature answer, his tone mirroring that of a petulant child.
I walk to him, getting directly in front of him, and hold my ground. My arms are crossed over my chest, and my stance is posed for the second battle of the night.
“The fuck it is. I’m going with you.”
He swallows down his anger, but his tone inside is dripping with rage. “No … You’re not. You will remain in this room until—”
“Until nothing!” I interrupt. “I am not standing on the sidelines while you finish the job without me. I didn’t come with you to be an observer. I’m here because I need to be here! I have just as big of a right to destroy him as you do!”
“Shut up!” Nikolai grabs my arms and swings me around, pushing me against the wall. Only, this time, it’s not fueled by lust; it’s laced with hate, the hate that seems to live alongside the lust. “You were almost abducted tonight!”
My world instantly stops, and all the growing anger evaporates from me. Did he say what I think he said?
To be sure, I ask, “What?”
“The second you stepped out of the train station, you were spotted by a scouter.” Nikolai takes a step back then sits on the edge of the bed.
In my bewildered state, I slowly follow suit and sit next to him.
“It was completely obvious that this is your first time in Moscow. The man saw you straightaway. When I was trailing you, I noticed he was following you. I pursued and intervened, but it wasn’t until I killed him that I discovered who he was.”
“Wait … You killed him?” I’m not sure why I’m surprised, but I guess I was thinking he was over that until we get in the lair of Stravinsky.
“Yes, Josslyn, I killed him. He was the son of a very powerful man in the human trafficking business.”
My gut drops to my feet and fear boils under the surface. I was almost kidnapped by traffickers? I can’t hide the terror on my face.
Nikolai’s features finally soften. He lifts his fingers and brushes them across my cheek. A small gesture, but it’s his way of comforting me.
I feel vulnerable and, for the second time since meeting Nikolai Petrov, scared. Only, this time, it’s not him I’m afraid of.
I slide closer to him, needing to feel the security of his skin. Then I lean my head down and rest it on his shoulder and ask, “Who was he?”
“His name was Zahir Mirza, and he’s affiliated with the largest underground trafficking organization in Asia.”
“What do you think he would have done with me?” I’m not sure why I ask. I just have to know.
“He was going to take you to Bangladesh and put you in the auction. From there, you would’ve been sold to the highest bidder. Beyond that, I have no idea what would have been in store for you. That would be left to the discretion of the buyer.”
“Is it true? The case files I studied in college about the women who are sold in the auction?”
“If you read that most of the girls are sex slaves for the remainder of their lives, however long that may be, or are forced into a life of hard labor, then yes, what you read was accurate.”
Chills overtake me as my skin bumps up on the surface. I can feel them prickle everywhere. I didn’t want to ask him, but I knew I’d never be able to move past this until I did. And what he said is exactly what I studied in college.
Nikolai picks up on this and wraps his arm around me, comforting me once again. All the anger over staying in the hotel room dissipates, and I understand fully his request. However, I don’t want to be trapped in Moscow near traffickers while he’s in Chechnya. If I’m going to be stowed away in a hotel, I want it to be near him. I want to know he will be near, and I will be close to him if he ever needs me.
“I will agree to stay at the hotel, but only when we go to Chechnya. I don’t want to stay anywhere near here alone, knowing what almost happened.” The moonlight captures my
“Because it has to be that way,” he gives as an immature answer, his tone mirroring that of a petulant child.
I walk to him, getting directly in front of him, and hold my ground. My arms are crossed over my chest, and my stance is posed for the second battle of the night.
“The fuck it is. I’m going with you.”
He swallows down his anger, but his tone inside is dripping with rage. “No … You’re not. You will remain in this room until—”
“Until nothing!” I interrupt. “I am not standing on the sidelines while you finish the job without me. I didn’t come with you to be an observer. I’m here because I need to be here! I have just as big of a right to destroy him as you do!”
“Shut up!” Nikolai grabs my arms and swings me around, pushing me against the wall. Only, this time, it’s not fueled by lust; it’s laced with hate, the hate that seems to live alongside the lust. “You were almost abducted tonight!”
My world instantly stops, and all the growing anger evaporates from me. Did he say what I think he said?
To be sure, I ask, “What?”
“The second you stepped out of the train station, you were spotted by a scouter.” Nikolai takes a step back then sits on the edge of the bed.
In my bewildered state, I slowly follow suit and sit next to him.
“It was completely obvious that this is your first time in Moscow. The man saw you straightaway. When I was trailing you, I noticed he was following you. I pursued and intervened, but it wasn’t until I killed him that I discovered who he was.”
“Wait … You killed him?” I’m not sure why I’m surprised, but I guess I was thinking he was over that until we get in the lair of Stravinsky.
“Yes, Josslyn, I killed him. He was the son of a very powerful man in the human trafficking business.”
My gut drops to my feet and fear boils under the surface. I was almost kidnapped by traffickers? I can’t hide the terror on my face.
Nikolai’s features finally soften. He lifts his fingers and brushes them across my cheek. A small gesture, but it’s his way of comforting me.
I feel vulnerable and, for the second time since meeting Nikolai Petrov, scared. Only, this time, it’s not him I’m afraid of.
I slide closer to him, needing to feel the security of his skin. Then I lean my head down and rest it on his shoulder and ask, “Who was he?”
“His name was Zahir Mirza, and he’s affiliated with the largest underground trafficking organization in Asia.”
“What do you think he would have done with me?” I’m not sure why I ask. I just have to know.
“He was going to take you to Bangladesh and put you in the auction. From there, you would’ve been sold to the highest bidder. Beyond that, I have no idea what would have been in store for you. That would be left to the discretion of the buyer.”
“Is it true? The case files I studied in college about the women who are sold in the auction?”
“If you read that most of the girls are sex slaves for the remainder of their lives, however long that may be, or are forced into a life of hard labor, then yes, what you read was accurate.”
Chills overtake me as my skin bumps up on the surface. I can feel them prickle everywhere. I didn’t want to ask him, but I knew I’d never be able to move past this until I did. And what he said is exactly what I studied in college.
Nikolai picks up on this and wraps his arm around me, comforting me once again. All the anger over staying in the hotel room dissipates, and I understand fully his request. However, I don’t want to be trapped in Moscow near traffickers while he’s in Chechnya. If I’m going to be stowed away in a hotel, I want it to be near him. I want to know he will be near, and I will be close to him if he ever needs me.
“I will agree to stay at the hotel, but only when we go to Chechnya. I don’t want to stay anywhere near here alone, knowing what almost happened.” The moonlight captures my
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