Chapter 5 - Tia

Early on Saturday morning I hear heavy banging on my apartment door.

I roll over in bed, feeling groggy from the sudden awakening.

It's still really dark.

It can't be my door. It must be one of the neighbors'.

I roll back onto my side, snuggling my face into the pillow. I'm so tired. Tired enough to close my eyes and sleep for a week.

Another loud, rude knock against my door.

That is my door.

It sounds like someone is trying to bash it down with their fists.

Shit.

They'll wake everyone in the building.

I get up quickly, my heart hammering loudly.

I run to the door and pull it open.

"Miss Lawrence," the debt collector says, his arms folded across his broad chest. "Why did you make me get up so early and come over here? Why don't you just pay on time and save us all the worry and hassle?"

I stare at him with wide, terrified eyes. He looks enormous and threatening. His eyes trail over my body, and I realize I'm wearing nothing but an oversized white tee shirt, which is practically transparent.

Self-consciously, I hold my arm over my breasts. "I—I will have the money on Wednesday. Please. I just made a payment a few days ago."

"You made a payment a few days ago that was three weeks late by the time you came up with the money. Now the next payment is due, and we won't tolerate you being late again."

"But it's not due until Wednesday," I complain anxiously.

"That is true. But I'm here to make sure you understand that we better have it then, or they are going to start finding your body parts lying around the city."

I gasp in horror. "I'll pay it."

He eyes me one more time, not even trying to hide the fact that he is perving on me. I shrink back a little, wanting nothing more than to slam the door in his face but not daring to do that.

"I'll see you on Wednesday, you little minx," he snarls, grinning.

As soon as he starts turning away, I close the door, leaning my back against it and fighting tears. If they decide I'm an annoyance or they don't want to wait for the money anymore there's no telling what they might do to me. I know the rumors, I know they kidnap people, sell them to cover debts, or sell their body parts on the black market. They get away with it.

I glance at my ornate rose gold watch and see that it's just past five in the morning.

There is no way I will be able to get back to sleep now.

After double-checking that the door is locked, I wander through to the kitchen.

I need coffee. I need to get online and start looking for some extra work, because the three jobs I have now aren't going to be enough to get me out of this debt. I don't know how the hell I'll find the time, but I have to.

Even if it's temporary.

It's that, or who knows—maybe death. Maybe I'll go missing. Maybe they will start finding my body parts around the city, as the collector said.

I stare blankly at the steam rising from the kettle as it boils angrily.

I'm fighting panic. I'm fighting tears. I'm too tired to actually cry, though.

I feel like I'm up against someone I'll never win against. Like as soon as I pay the debt, they'll tell me there's interest or something. I feel like they can just keep adding to it, and there would be nothing I could do to stop them.

I lean my head in my hands as I stand there resting my elbows on the kitchen counter.

I can't just give up, though. I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself. What I need to do is find a way to get enough money to pay them off and hope like hell it's the end of it when I do.

If it's not—well, I'll deal with that when the time comes.

The kettle flicks off and I jump.

Shit.

I'm really on edge.

Who wouldn't be, after a giant monster of a man nearly broke down their front door?

I carry my coffee over to my little round dining room table, opening my laptop as I sit down. Exhausted, with burning eyes, I start browsing the job options. It has to be time-flexible so that I can fit it in around what I'm already doing.

I find a few options and jot down the details.

I'm so desperate that I'll take anything at this point.

A cleaner, working on weekends for a few hours; a delivery service driver—no, can't do that because I don't have a car; a companion for an elderly lady, reading to her twice a week. Mm. That once sounds easy enough. I can stop in there on my way home from work and spend a little time with her.

I message the number provided with my details they requested.

It's actually good pay for the time required. I hope it is what they say it is and not some kind of code for another type of companionship.

I sigh and push the laptop away from me.

The sun is starting to filter soft light into my apartment, and I have to head out to walk the dogs soon.

Then I have to study. Then I have a shit load of editing to do. I feel like I'm behind on everything. Because I am.

I don't know how long I can keep this up for. I have to figure out a better solution for all of this. This isn't sustainable in the long run. It's just so impossible, the amount they want me to pay.

My phone buzzes and I pick it up excitedly, hoping it's a reply for the job I just applied for. I open the message.

Unknown: Where is the payment, Tia? You owe double at the end of next week, and we ' ll make it triple if it doesn't come in on time. Interest is rising.

I stare at the message from another of the debt collectors. The fact that this one didn't show up at my door in the dark hours of the morning doesn't make it any less scary.

I place my phone screen-down on the table, unable to face any more threats. My anxiety level is through the roof, and I don't know what to do with myself.

Throughout the weekend it gets worse and worse.

Messages pour in from the debt collectors—I don't reply, I can't block the numbers, I don't know what to do about any of it because they are all threatening to increase the interest and demanding immediate payment.

I'm fucked.

In my exhausted and stressed-out state I know I'm only delivering half the quality of work that is expected of me, and I'm not sleeping because I'm lying awake at night worrying about everything.

It feels like my entire world is falling apart.

On Monday, when I drag myself into work, I'm late.

I'm late because the only time the people could interview me for the new job, reading to the old lady, was this morning.

I couldn't say no because I so desperately need the job, but I took a huge risk, because I cannot, I fucking cannot mess up my record here at the internship.

I run to my desk, looking around in a dazed, tired panic.

Everyone is already working. They've all had their morning coffee and are fully focused on their projects—as I should be.

Fuck.

I look up at Yefim's office window. He's not there. It's a bit of a relief, because maybe that means he didn't notice that I was late today.

"Tia, what happened this morning?" Samantha's voice comes from behind me as I pull my office chair out from beneath the desk.

I spin around, pulling my mouth tight. "I'm so sorry, Samantha, I had a little issue, and I missed my train." I hate lying, but I can't tell her I was at an interview for an extra job and I'm spreading myself so thin I feel like I'm dying.

"This can't happen again, Tia. Please take this as a warning—I won't put it on the books this time, but next time, I will have no choice."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Samantha. I promise you it won't happen again."

"The only reason I can let it slide now is because you've been turning in some great work. Don't stop doing that, okay? You're on time for today's project deadline, right?"

I nod, trying to search my brain for which deadline is due today.

"I'll have it to you today." I nod again, still unsure but not willing to risk telling her that.

"Great. Get to work."

***

The entire day, I don't leave my desk.

The project that I am supposed to hand in tomorrow—somehow, I completely overlooked it, and I hadn't even started. Thank goodness it's not a massive project, and if I stay late tonight, I can get it done, but just the fact that I missed it has freaked me out to my core. What else have I overlooked or not made a note of? What else is going to jump out at me, late, delayed, causing issues?

I'm getting more and more freaked out as the day goes on.

I'm emotional, drained and stressed.

I keep my head down, though, and I work. I work like my life depends on it, because at this point, I think I it does.

I have five debt collectors chasing me, three jobs and a possible fourth that I need to do well at, my studies, which I am not doing well in right now, and I'm only one person.

I stop working, put my pen down and rub my eyes.

"Pull it together, Tia. You've got this. You've always got your own back and you can do this." I give myself a stern pep talk, then pick up the pen again.

I do have this.

I've fucking got this.

I nod, determined to ignore the anxiety and stress weighing heavily on my shoulders.

***

At the end of the work day, the office empties and I am still fighting to finish this project. I need a few more hours. That's all.

I keep pushing on.

Yefim's warning is floating somewhere in the back of my mind. I'm supposed to find him and work in his office, but I haven't seen him all day. His office has been empty.

No one else is around, though, so I'm just going to keep working.

Around eight o'clock, I hear Yefim's voice coming from somewhere in the back of the office near the storerooms.

I blink a few times. Goodness, I can't believe how focused I was.

But if he's here now, I should go find him and let him know I'm here, too.

I push away from my desk, and my body aches a little, stiff and tense.

I sigh heavily. You'll be okay, Tia. You're doing okay. This is temporary. Soon your debts will be paid, and you can focus on the more important things.

I walk towards Yefim's voice, but just before rounding the corner, I pause. There's more than one voice, and none of them are Yefim. Shit. He warned me not to get caught here by anyone else.

The voices are coming towards me.

I panic and press my body against the back of the door, trying to hide.

Two of his brothers walk out of the storeroom area, talking about a shipment. I recognize Leon and Oleg.

"The boat was searched. Yefim's right, we would have lost millions if we'd had the weapons on there. Thank fuck our guy managed to warn us in time."

"The German contact isn't happy, though. There was the weapon shipment, but also that new product that he wanted to launch next weekend. How are we going to get it there in time?"

"Yefim has a new ship ready to leave Monday. We just need to get the shit out of the storeroom and to the harbor on Sunday night."

Shit.

Fuck.

They are not talking about our normal products.

Weapons? Drugs?

Is this entire company just a front for what the Dubrovs really do?

It is.

They are smugglers.

Illegal drugs and weapons and what else?

I can't breathe.

I have to get out of here.

No wonder Yefim never wanted me working late. No wonder he was always telling me not to. They didn't want me to see this.

I look around me. The brothers are walking away from me, turning a corner in the office, out of sight. I can sneak around the edge of the office, grab my things and leave. Right now. I have to leave right now.

I take a step and my high heel clicks against the floor. I freeze again and hold my breath.

I don't hear them coming back.

I can still get out of here.

"Tia?"

From behind me, I hear Yefim's voice, and my heart sinks to the pit of my stomach.

I decide I have to run. It's too dangerous. I just need to run.

I kick my shoes off, and I'm about to bolt towards the exit, but Yefim moves faster and grabs my arm, pulling me against his body and locking me in place.

My body is screaming with fear.

They're going to kill me because I know too much.

Tears are pouring freely down my face as I try and fight free from his grip.

"Stop that," he snarls in a harsh whisper.

The two brothers aren't around; it's just Yefim and me.

He drags me up the stairs to his office and closes the door.

"I fucking told you not to work late without me."

I can barely breathe as I sit in the chair he's pushed me into, waiting for the consequences of knowing too much.

"Please, I'll leave. I won't say anything."

Yefim is thinking, leaning against his desk with his head low.

When he does look up at me, his eyes are dark.

"You won't leave. You will marry me."

What?

I glare at him in absolute shock.

Did he just say marry ?