Chapter 16 - Elena

I wait until he is fast asleep.

When we came in earlier, he slammed the back door to shut it but didn't lock it after we entered. Even though I was distracted by pleasure, that one little fact stayed in my mind while we had sex. I didn't think I would be able to handle his size, but we fit like two pieces of a puzzle.

Once he is fast asleep and turns over in bed, I creep out. Slowly and silently, I gather my clothes and underwear from around the house and dress in the kitchen.

I pick up a knife from the counter and sneak out the back door without anyone stopping me. It's the dead of night, and I'm afraid of running into wildlife, but I can't fear that now. I have a long journey ahead of me to find a town or city nearby so I can phone my father to come and collect me.

I know I need to move faster. The moment Arseny finds out that I've left, he'll probably start tracking me, but I don't want to get hurt in the dark or stumble across something that can hurt me, like a bear or a snake.

I try to keep moving in one constant direction. I find Arseny's car and follow the direction it is facing in the hopes I'll reach the road. It's the only sane plan I can come up with so quickly.

I stumble over some roots but carry on moving, not looking behind me to see if Arseny is following me. He's going to be so pissed that I escaped after he trusted me.

I feel a pang of guilt, though I don't know why. I should be happy I managed to get away from him.

The sun is up, and I'm dying of thirst by the time I finally hit a main road. I whoop for joy, and the accomplishment gives me renewed purpose to get out of this damned forest and back home where I belong.

I look left and right and decide to head left, further away from the cabin. As I walk, a car passes to my right. I'm tempted to flag them down, but I don't trust anyone right now. I just need to find a phone and call my father so that I can get out of whatever this place is. I do, however, follow the direction of the pickup, and after what feels like an hour, I see buildings.

A small town. Thank fuck.

There are people walking around who stare at me, probably because of the way I'm dressed and how dirty I look. A few cars are traveling up and down the main road. Most buildings are still closed, and people are just walking their dogs. I need to find a place that might have a phone; otherwise, I'm at the mercy of knocking on house doors and looking for one.

I see an open sign flashing down the road and realize it belongs to the bar. Maybe there's a pay phone in there that I can use. I walk in and look around. There's a group of five guys sitting at the bar nursing drinks, and that's it—just a bunch of barflies. I don't see a pay phone anywhere, so I walk up to the bar.

"If you're not buying, you're not welcome," the bartender says gruffly.

"I just need to use a phone, please. Can you direct me to one?" I ask.

"We don't have a pay phone in here, not in town. And I'm not letting you rack up charges on the bar phone for my boss to get pissed off about. Now you're either buying a drink or leaving." He looks at me pointedly.

"Aw, leave her alone, Gus." It's one of the men nursing a beer. He gets up and walks over to me, putting an arm around me. "She's just a little ol' thing. She can't hurt anyone."

I shrug him off. "I need to call someone to pick me up," I explain to the bartender. "They can pay you back for the call, I assure you."

"The answer's no." The bartender goes back down the bar.

The guy standing next to me strokes my back, causing me to shiver. "Why don't you come have a drink with us? Then you won't have to worry about going home straight away."

"Yeah, come have a drink with us. We'll even buy one for you." It's one of his friends at the end of the bar. "Gus here will pour you a beer, and you can sit down and tell us your story."

The guy next to me, a tall blond with a beer gut, grabs my arm tight enough to bruise it and tugs. "Come on. Come with us."

"Please, I need to go. I need to find a phone to use. It's an emergency." I try to tug my arm away. "Let go of me."

"Let her go," one of the men says. My phone's in my car. Come on with me. You can use it."

"Thank you," I say, relieved as I'm let go. "Thank you so much."

I follow the dark, tall stranger out of the bar and around the corner to where a few trucks are parked. He opens the one and picks up a cell phone.

"Now, how are you going to pay me back for using this?" he asks.

I should have known that no one does anything for free. "I'll gladly give you a hundred dollars for your trouble once they pick me up."

He pockets his phone and grabs my hips. "Maybe there's something else I want." He pulls me against him and grinds against me.

I can taste bile rising in my throat as I try to push him away. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but that's not going to happen."

"Oh, I'm going to make it happen. You can be sure of that," he growls, grabbing me by the neck and choking me. "You're going to suck my cock off, or I'll give you the beatdown of your life."

Suddenly, he's yanked off me and tossed against the truck parked next to his.

It's Arseny.

He found me.

And not a moment too soon.

Something flashes in his hand, and I realize he is holding a knife.

"Nobody touches what's mine," he threatens the man. He's so quick I barely see his arm move, but the man cries out as a cut appears on his face. Arseny swings again, this time cutting the back of the man"s hand. More blood gushes out. Arseny kicks him in the ribs, not once, not twice, but three times, and there's a definite crunch that last time as something snaps.

Arseny grabs him by the throat and holds him close. "Next time, I'll cut off your dick and shove it down your throat."

Then he head-butts him, and the man falls to the ground unconscious.

The knife quickly disappears, and he turns to me. He grabs my arm, drags me around the corner into an alley, and pushes me up against the wall. "You ran away."

"I'm sorry," I say quietly.

He holds my throat, but not like the other guy did. He's gentle as he leans down, staring into my eyes. "I told you not to run away."

"I didn't know it would come to this," I whisper. "I just wanted to go home."

"I will arrange a meeting with your father. You're just impatient." He leans down and kisses me deeply. I melt against him, sliding my arms around his neck.

That's when I hear a few men laughing, and I withdraw. "They're from the bar."

"I wonder where that little curvy babe went. The things I'd do to her…" one of them is saying. "I'd have her sit on my face and make her scream my name before I bent her over and fuck the shit out of her."

I feel Arseny tense up, and I put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Having those big titties bouncing up and down while she rides my dick will certainly cure the boredom of living around here," one of the other men says with a chuckle.

"I'd take her whether she wanted to or not," another one says.

Arseny shrugs me off, steps out, and walks toward them.

"Who are you?" someone asks.

I look around the corner to see Arseny punch one of the guys right in the nose. He drops to the ground, and the other three freeze for a moment before they all try to attack him at once.

Arseny takes out his knife and wields it expertly. He cuts open one man's arm, and he yells out before he pulls out a hunting knife, which is huge compared to what Arseny is carrying.

He lunges for Arseny, but the Russian steps out of the way, grabs hold of the man"s arm, and bends it backward, so he drops the knife. Then Arseny stabs the man repeatedly in the leg, near his groin.

The blond jumps him from behind and tries to lock him in a choke hold, but Arseny quickly slices his arm open.

Standing there, I suddenly realize a dark-haired man has broken from the group and spotted me. He smirks and starts toward me. Arseny notices and kicks the man"s knees from behind before going back to the blond.

I come out and kick the man who"s down on the ground, sending him reeling backward.

I then hurry to the first man still lying by his truck. I search his pockets and find his car keys.

I climb into the truck and fumble to get it started as the fight continues in front of me.

Arseny is bleeding from his nose, and there's a cut on the side of his face. He practically roars as he picks up one of the men and slams him into the ground.

There is just one last one left, and he looks hesitant to fight Arseny, but at the same time, pride seems to hold him in place. I could go. I could drive off and go home and leave Arseny here with the chaos he's created.

In my name.

He did this because those men were talking about hurting me. He's protective of me, and as much as I want to deny my feelings toward him, I can't help but feel safe when he's around. Knowing he will go to extreme lengths against anyone who so much as threatens me.

I see the two men lock, and Arseny battles a little bit as this guy is bulkier even than him, but there's a look in Arseny's eyes. It's pure rage.

The man knees Arseny in the stomach and tries to punch him in the face, but Arseny misses the punch and brings his own hand up to connect with the guy"s jaw.

He spits something out, and I'm a hundred percent positive it was a tooth.

Arseny flicks his knife in his hand, and as the man rushes him, Arseny ducks down and stabs the guy in the foot. He howls in pain.

Arseny then flips the guy over his body, and the man lands with an oomph on his back, winded.

Arseny climbs on top of him and starts pummeling the shit out of the guy, breaking his nose and possibly his jaw. Blood splays all over Arseny, and his knuckles are cut open from the connected hits.

I watch in horror and a little pride as Arseny punches the guy one last time and stands up.

I turn the vehicle on and roll down the window. "Get in before they start waking up."

"Move up," he says as he comes to the driver"s side.

I shift up, and he climbs in, reversing the truck and pulling off.

"Where are we going? Back to the cabin?" I ask quietly

"No."