30. Bianca

30

BIANCA

My head is pounding, and every muscle in my body aches as I try to stretch out my legs.

The ground is cold and damp beneath me, and my body can’t stop shaking from the chill in the air.

What the hell happened?

I peel my eyes open, wincing at the stabbing pain in my head, to find the room cast in darkness.

My heartbeat quickens as I glance around and see nothing but the outline of a door to my right.

“Oh god.” A sob tears through me as my right hand moves to my abdomen.

I need to stand up. I need to get the hell out of here.

But as I try to climb to my feet, my teeth gritted with the effort, pain seers through my arm.

I cry out, my legs buckling beneath me.

“No.”

I pull against the heavy metal cuff locked around my wrist.

The chain rattling echoes around the dark room .

But as the cuff grazes the wound on my wrist, I almost black out from the pain.

Panting, I gently feel along my arm and fight back a sob as my fingers come away bloody.

The wound must be a few inches long, and it’s still bleeding. It needs to be cleaned and stitched up before I risk getting an infection.

Not that it matters. I don’t think I’m going to leave this place alive.

The odds are stacked against me, but I’m going to do everything I can to get the hell out of here. “Think, Bianca.”

I need to stop this bleeding, but all I have on me is my sweater, and I’m not sure if it will make the best tourniquet.

I have to at least try.

I shrug my right arm out of my sweater and lift it up over my head, leaving me in nothing but a tank top.

Whimpering as the metal cuff grazes the wound on my arm, I try my best to wrap the arm of my sweater above the wound and tie it in a knot, praying it will be enough to stop the bleeding.

A thin sheen of sweat breaks out over my skin as I take the material in my teeth and pull it tight, doing my best to muffle my sobs as pain shoots up my arm.

I don’t want to risk drawing the attention of whoever is keeping me here by crying out in pain, so I grit my teeth as tears stream down my face as I continue to pull the material tighter.

Once I’m certain I can’t tie my makeshift tourniquet any tighter, I slump back against the cold brick wall and let my eyes flutter closed for a moment, exhausted from the effort.

My head is foggy, and I can barely make sense of my thoughts as I try to think back to what happened after the car crash.

I remember pulling Zara out of the car…

Oh, my god.

“Zara?” I whisper. There’s no answer, and my heart is threatening to come out of my throat as I realize we could have been separated, or worse... “Zara!”

A soft moan sounds to my left.

I almost sob at the sound. “Are you ok?”

“I-I think so.”

“Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m not sure. Everything fucking aches.”

“Me too.”

The pain in my left arm has reduced to a dull throbbing, and I pray it doesn’t become infected.

“Where are we?” Zara groans. “What happened?”

I open my mouth to reply, but heavy footsteps echo from the other side of the door, and my breath catches in my throat. “Stay quiet.”

I wince as light pours into the room, my head screaming at me as the door crashes against the wall—the sound ringing in my ears.

I peel my eyes open and look up at the looming figure standing in the doorway.

He’s easily as tall as Alexei, and just as broad. As he walks in and light hits him right, I notice his short dark hair and a heavily lined face. His thin mouth is pulled up into a smirk as he looks down at me, and I cower under his gaze.

“Glad to see you’re still alive. I would have hated to have gone to all that effort for you to die before we could have some fun.”

I take a second to glance around .

It looks like he’s brought us to a basement. There are no windows, and the only exit is the door he came through.

I take a peek at my arm, and I’m hit with a wave of nausea as I notice the pool of blood that has stained the concrete beneath me.

I look to my left and fight back a sob at the sight of Zara slumped against the wall.

Blood is caked down her face and neck, and it seems as if she’s barely breathing.

“You put up quite a fight.”

I glare up at the stranger.

“Who are you?” I’m surprised by the strength in my voice, but it’s not only my life at stake here. It’s Zara’s and my baby’s too.

I need to keep him talking for as long as possible. For as long as it takes for Alexei to find me.

“I’m surprised you don’t already know the answer to that question, Bianca .”

Mario Gilanto .

He must be able to read the realization in my eyes.

“I knew you’d work it out.”

“What do you want with me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re the perfect payback, sweetheart.”

“I’ve done nothing to you.”

Gilanto only shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets as he peers down at me with nothing but disgust in his eyes.

“Perhaps not, but your father is the reason my brother is dead. He sold the information to the highest bidder, who turned out to be Alexei Koslov. So no, you may not have hurt me directly, Bianca, but you will be paying for their crimes with your life.”

“Killing me won’t bring your brother back. ”

“No, but it does kill two birds with one stone. Not only does your waste-of-space father suffer from your death, but so does your husband .”

He spits the last word, and I flinch as he stalks closer to me.

I try to scrabble away, but there’s nowhere for me to go as the chain attached to my wrist locks out.

My wrist screams as the cuff cuts into the skin, but that only seems to please Gilanto more.

“Alexei will kill you.”

“He can try.” Gilanto chuckles. “If anything, I’m looking forward to the fight. It’s been a long time coming. You see, Alexei Koslov took many things from me, Bianca, and it’s about time he paid the price.”

“You’re no match for him.”

“I admire your faith in him. Tell me, Bianca, have you actually come to care for your husband?”

I say nothing, not wanting to give anything away.

“Oh, I know all about your little love affair with the Koslov Pahkan.” Gilanto sighs as he crouches down in front of me. “Tell me, are you having a boy or a girl?”

The breath leaves my lungs, and I double over as my stomach heaves.

Gilanto’s laughter rings in the air around us as I swallow down the bile rising in my throat.

“You really thought I wouldn’t find out?” He reaches out to grab me by the hair before yanking my head back.

I cry out as pain shoots across my scalp, but Gilanto only tightens his grip, getting so close I can smell the stale alcohol on his breath.

“It’s about time fuckers like your father stop underestimating me. He really thought he could marry you off and be done with it? Well, it doesn’t fucking work like that. Trust me, I don’t take your father’s betrayal lightly, and he’s about to learn that the hard way.”

He throws me to the side.

I collapse against the concrete, landing on my injured arm which makes me cry out.

I can’t stop the tears that start to stream down my cheeks at the mention of my father.

Has something happened? Is that why he hasn’t been returning my calls?

“W-what have you done to him?” My voice is barely above a whisper, and I’m no longer shaking from the cold chill in the air, but from fear.

My father can’t be dead.

Alexei promised he would keep him safe. He promised?—

“I’ll spare you the details.” Gilanto chuckles. “It seems you’ve got quite a weak stomach as it is, what with the pregnancy and all. Speaking of which, how did Alexei take the news?”

I grit my teeth as I glare at Gilanto.

He’s only taunting you.

“I hope he was delighted by the idea of becoming a father, to have an heir.”

“Fuck you.”

“I can’t wait for him to find you here after I’m done with you. He’ll blame himself for your death, of course, and the death of your child. The guilt will eat him alive, and that makes me so… happy .” He clutches a hand to his heart.

“You’re a monster…”

“No more of a monster than your precious Alexei. You’d do well to remember that.”

He reaches out to brush the hair from my face .

I cringe at the feeling of his calloused fingers against my skin.

“Oh, we’re going to have so much fun together,” he purrs.

“W-what are you going to do to me?” Sweat has broken out over my top lip, and I feel dizzy and nauseous from the blood loss.

I need to see a doctor, I need to make sure my baby is okay.

“It’s a surprise.” He grins. “But don’t worry, I’ll let your little friend over there live only so she can tell everyone how horrific your death was.”

I glance over at Zara.

“Don’t worry. I’ll still have a little fun with her too.”

“Please.” I shake my head. “Leave her alone. Please!”

“No, I don’t think I will. I’m a sucker for blondes.”

“You won’t get away with this.” I pant, every breath making my chest ache with effort.

Gilanto only smirks at me, his eyes filled with feral delight as they roam over my shivering body.

“I already have, sweetheart, because everyone thinks you’re dead,” He chuckles as he gets to his feet.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I swallow back the bile in my throat.

“Try not to die before I get to have my fun.” He stalks from the room, leaving the door wide open as if to taunt us.

My stomach sinks as I think about Alexei.

Does he know we’re missing yet?

My chest feels as if it’s being cracked open at the thought of him getting to us too late, at what he might find when he does…

I look over at Zara, and my eyes sting as I watch her chest barely rise with each labored breath .

“You have to stay alive for me, Zara.”

I try to fumble closer to her, but the chain attached to my wrist has no give, so I can’t even hold my best friend’s hand.

Her lips are bloodless, and her skin has turned almost gray.

She’s in a bad way, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Stay alive. You hear me, Zara? Stay alive.”

“It’ll be okay…” Zara mumbles. “Dimitri…”

“Dimitri? What about Dimitri?”

“Dimitri…help.”

“How would he even know we’re missing? Zara? Zara !”

I scream as Zara slumps further down the wall, her head lolling to the side.