Chapter 16 - Natalie

You were a good fuck.

Days later, the sarcastic voice still echoes in my head and makes my blood boil as I pace around my room.

This house is beautiful, with vibrant furniture and warm woods, accented with white touches and mixed metals here and there, but it feels like a gilded cage.

Even though he told me the property was fenced, Leon still wouldn't let me into the garden. He had locked the doors and windows, and the key hung on a chain around his maid"s neck.

Rosalie doesn't seem happy that I"m here, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I'm trapped here than anything else. She's friendly, but she says no every time I ask her to let me go.

Scowling, I leave my room and look out the window at the top of the stairs. For the first time, the driveway is empty. A few security guards typically stand there, walking up and down the cement with their rifles.

No one is here tonight, and Leon has returned to the city.

This may be the only chance I have to escape. It's late evening, and the last thing I want to do is walk in the dark in a place I don't know. I"d rather face what's out there than Leon.

After taking a deep breath, I walk down the stairs, looking as casual as possible as I pass Rosalie and head toward the study at the back of the house. It is the room she goes into the least, at least in the days I've watched her clean. And since she only cleaned it yesterday, she won't be there today either.

I slip through the half-open door to the study, carefully turn the knob and close it behind me so that it makes no noise. I turn the lock, hoping to stall Rosalie longer in case she comes looking for me. My heart skips a beat when I see that one of the windows is ajar. Rosalie must have forgotten to close and lock it after airing out the room.

I look outside at the side of the windows, searching for more security guards. None are there, even though I wait a few minutes to ensure I'm safe.

When I open the window, it groans in the frame.

I pause and listen for footsteps inside as I watch for the guards outside. No one is here. Not a single person in this damned estate has any idea what I'm doing.

I push the window the rest of the way up and wait another minute before climbing out. The ground is no more than three feet below me. I sit down on the edge of the windowsill and hold on to the frame before dropping to the ground.

There's a slight jolt in my ankle, but I"m good to go after stretching it out for a second.

I keep to the side of the house, my heart racing as I tilt my head. As I creep up to the driveway, no one can be seen.

This is too good to be true. There have been almost a dozen men on duty as security guards over the last few days, but today, they all seem off duty. Maybe they"re somewhere else on the property, but I'm not about to find out.

As soon as I reach the driveway, I start running, keeping close to the bushes that line the edge so I can hide in them if anyone comes my way.

My breathing is frantic, but that's more due to excitement than my lack of stamina, so I keep pushing myself. I must do this for me and my baby.

When I arrive at the foot of the driveway, there is a high fence and a gate. But just to the right of the gate, there is a small gap, and I slip through sideways.

Holy shit.

Adrenaline flows through my veins and fuels my body as I run down the street as fast as possible. There are no other driveways nearby. Not that I can see them as I sprint. There are no cars on the winding road, and there are trees on either side. It must be some country road.

At least there are places to hide in case one of Leon's employees notices I'm missing and comes after me.

At a crossroads, I clasp my hands behind my head and walk slowly to catch my breath.

A car comes flying down the street from the opposite direction. I raise my arms above my head, hoping it"s not Leon's men. I jump up and wave my arms to attract the driver's attention, and the red sedan slows down and pulls over to the side of the road.

I try not to let my hopes get any higher, but this is it. Once I get to the police, Leon won"t be able to get to me.

A man rolls down the window and leans over the seat to look at me. "You're pretty far from town, and I saw you waving. Do you need help?"

"Yes. Would you please drive me to the nearest police station?" I give him a small smile. "My boyfriend and I got into a fight, and he hit me. I ran away, but he's going to come after me and I need to get to the police. Please!"

The man unlocks the door and opens it from the inside. "Get in. I'll drop you off."

He says nothing as he drives, and his knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. His jaw clenches and relaxes again as he speeds up, and the signs for the city appear. We must be close.

When he stops in front of the police station, he turns to me. "If you ask me, life is getting better. My sister used to have an abusive husband. She said getting out was the hardest thing, but it was also the best."

I give him a tight smile as I get out of the car. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

He nods and idles by the sidewalk until I'm inside the police station. I take a deep breath as I walk toward the reception desk; the officer behind it looks up at me.

He gives me a friendly smile, and the corners of his eyes crinkle. "Hello, do you need help?"

"I want to press kidnapping charges. Or file a report, make a statement. I really don't know what you"d call it."

One of the officers in the office area behind the main desk looks up, her eyes widening, concern glinting in them.

The other officers in the room are either on their phones or asleep at their desks, none doing anything productive on their night shift.

The officer clears his throat. "Who"s been kidnapped?"

"I was. By Leonid Orlov." I hold onto the edge of the counter and lean over it slightly to see what he's scribbling on a piece of paper. "Please. I need to file a report. I don't know where I am or what I"m supposed to do."

He nods and stands up. "You must go to the chief, who will take this report. Come with me."

The officer signals me to follow him around the desk. He leads me down a long, beige hallway and stops in front of a door with a frosted glass window that reads ‘Chief Morrison.'

After knocking on the door, the man opens it and enters for a moment. I can't quite make out what they're saying, their voices are low. Then the officer comes out again and looks at me, stunned.

"He's ready to talk to you." The officer holds the door open for me as I step inside.

Chief Morrison looks up, the crumbs from the sandwich in front of him caught in his white mustache. His bushy eyebrows draw together, and his eyes light up in confusion as he looks at me.

I nod and close the door behind me. "One of your officers told me to talk to you about my abduction."

Chief Morrison rummages for some papers. I sit on one of the hard metal chairs, and he picks up his pen. "Let's start with your name."

"Natalie Popov." I swallow hard, claw my nails into my palms, and hold back the tears. I haven"t cried in days, and I won't start now.

"Alright, Natalie. You"ve been kidnapped. How did you get here? Tell me everything from the beginning."

I nod and breathe shakily as I try to keep a clear head and remember everything that has happened in the last few days. How I went to the office to meet with Boris, and how I met Leon there. How he told me that he killed my family, but I still don't know the names of my family or why he killed them, how I fainted and woke up in Leon's house, which is somewhere around here.

Every now and then, Chief Morrison gives me a sympathetic smile and continues to scribble his notes.

Chief Morrison finishes writing the rest of his notes. "I need to make a copy of this, but when I get back, we'll talk about the next steps in the investigation and how to get you back where you belong."

"Thank you."

He leaves the room, and I sink into the chair. This is going to be one of the longest nights of my life. I smile to myself and shake my head. I can't believe what I've just done. If Leon finds me now, he'll kill me. But I must take the risk for the baby.

I hope the police will lock Leon up so that he never hurts me or anyone else again.

Yawning, I run my hands over my face. As soon as I'm done here and back in the city, I'll spend the next week sleeping.

The door opens, and my mouth goes dry, heat creeps from my toes to my head.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm dead. I'm so fucking dead.

Speechless, I stare into his brooding eyes. His dark hair is disheveled, and his jaw ticks wildly with irritation. Leon closes the door behind him, and with a long stride, he rushes toward me, his hand around my throat as he leans over me.

Goddammit, why does he look so hot when he's angry?

"Did you really think it would be so easy to get away from me?" He pulls me to my feet, the hand on my throat tightening as he pushes me back against the wall.

My heart skips a beat. "The chief works for you?"

Amusement dances in his eyes as his thumb strokes my racing pulse. "They were expecting you. You should know that by now. I wasn't going to just let you get away, Natalie."

"But how?" I reach for his hand and try to pull his fingers away from my throat. For a moment, I consider ramming my knee right into his balls, but his body presses closer to mine.

My body hums as the hard outline of his cock presses against me. I hate that he has such power over me and commands every nerve in my body. I hate that my body is so receptive to him, even at this moment.

"How do you think the mafia works, Natalie?" He grabs my wrists with his other hand and forces them over my head. "The Bratva funds the police around here."

"Let me go. You're hurting me." I wriggle, but his grip on my throat and wrists only tightens.

He grins and shakes his head. "Since the day I met you, you"ve been mine. I own you. In every sense of the fucking word, solnyshko."

"What do you want from me?"

"You owe me fifteen years for keeping you alive. I'm the one who decides how you will repay me." He sneers through clenched teeth.

I force down the lump in my throat, trying to remain calm even though I want to scream right now.

But the fire in his gaze and his anger is brewing like an inferno threatening to engulf us both. The lines around his eyes deepen, and his breathing is harsh against my ear. "You'll be smarter from now on, Natalie. I've already killed your family, and I won't hesitate to kill Marina or your friend Pearl if you continue to piss me off."

I stand frozen and lower my voice. "Please. Don't hurt them, okay? They have nothing to do with this."

"Who do you belong to, Natalie?" He hisses, his angry blue eyes fixating on me.

"Y … You."

"Then why the fuck do you keep running away from me, huh?" His thumb presses harder on my pulse, making me a little dizzy. "You knew you shouldn't leave the house, but you did anyway. I wanted to trust you to be a good girl, but you keep disappointing me."

His last words are like a stab in my heart. All my life, I've worked hard not to disappoint anyone. And hearing him say that hurts me more than it should. Why do I care what he thinks of me?

"It won't happen again. Just don't kill Marina or Pearl. They have nothing to do with this. This is between me and you." I whisper, feeling somehow defeated.

His hand falls from my throat, and he puts it in his pocket. "I'm glad you're starting to see things my way, Natalie. Your life will be a lot easier if you keep doing that."

"I understand." Tears blur at the edges of my vision, but I hold them back.

Leon already knows he has the power between the two of us. I don't need to start crying to make him feel even more smug.

If I want to survive and keep the people I care about alive, I must learn to play by his rules, at least until I find a better solution for me and my baby.

Leon's gaze rakes up and down my body. "You look terrible, solnyshko. Let's take you home, clean you up, and settle you in the beautiful room Rosalie has worked so hard to prepare for you."

"You're not going to punish her for this, are you?"

He grins and says nothing as he puts his hand on the back of my neck and leads me out of the office.

Chief Morrison stands at the door and watches me as I walk past with Leon. "Did you want to file your complaint, ma'am?"

Inwardly, I want to pounce on him, tear him to pieces, and scream in his face. I want to make him pay for handing me over to Leon instead of protecting me from him.

Instead, I hold my head high and do my best to look disgruntled. "No. It was just a stupid prank. There is no complaint."

"Good girl," Leon whispers in my ear as he leads me out of the station. "If you keep this up, you and I will get along just fine."

The drive back to the mansion passes in silence, his smug grin illuminated by the dashboard lights, radiating a calm confidence and control. And menace.

I don't know what to expect when he turns into the driveway. What will he do to me?

Leon parks the car and leads the way into the house. "Follow me." ‘

"Ugh. I'm tired; I want to go to bed. Haven't you already put me through enough today?" I say categorically.

He sneers and pushes me against a wall, the outline of his cock digging into me. "Are you fucking kidding me? I put you through enough? I wasn't the one who ran two and a half miles down a country road in the dark and hitchhiked to the nearest police station. That could have ended very badly for you. There are a lot of crazy people out there."

Feeling his firm body pressed against mine makes my brain all fuzzy, and any rational thought evaporates. But my sassy mouth can't help itself.

"Aren't you one of those crazy people? Or were you worried about me?"

Leon takes a step back, but before I know it, his big hand is at my throat again. "Don't tempt me, solnyshko. You are enjoying this chase more than the feeling of my cock aching for you."

My heart beats wildly against my chest, and we share a steamy eye contact. His words send a warm wave of pleasure straight to my core and make my pussy wet. His thumb runs up and down the front of my throat. It's ridiculously seductive. Why does this man see into my soul as no other ever has?

"I just want to forget this day ever happened."

All I wish is that his strong arms would wrap around me, pull me to his firm chest, and I would lose myself in him. Maybe I"ve unleased a softer side of him that he"s long kept locked away, but I don't think he"s thinking about cuddling right now.

The corner of his mouth twitches into a smile. "I'll make you forget. You love it when I take control of your body, but I won"t give you what you want until you beg for it. I'll tease you until you feel like you can't take any more, and then I'll tease you some more."

"I will never beg for you." I raise my chin.

The arousal soaking through my panties says otherwise.

Leon seems to think so, too and chuckles as his hand slides down the side of my body and his thumb strokes my already hard nipple. "I think you'll beg for me before the night ends. Now follow me."

And like a horny moth to the only flame willing to fuck her, I follow, even though I know I"ll only end up getting burned.