Saving Them Read online

  “Oh, so you can speak English. Good for you.” He smirked at me. “Oh, and yes I fuck like a champ.”

  “The fuck you learn to fuck at. You’re a kid.”

  “I’m guessing where I learned to fuck, and my age is irrelevant as long as I am a good liar, correct? This is a business. I'm not a fucking idiot.”

  My gaze never left the green eyed Russian. He intrigued me. If only because I knew I intrigued him. I liked the attention, even if it was negative.

  “Am I missing something?” Pytor growled out, sounding pissed for the first time since I met him.

  The guard went back to position and I laughed to myself.

  “So, you want me to be a hooker?” I said turning my attention back to Pytor.

  “We are a little more rigid and it’s more of a business than the typical ‘hooker’ as you say, but for all intents and purposes, yes.”

  I watched all three of them. This would be selling myself, selling my body. That was lower than I really ever planned on going. I had fucked a lot random guys before, most not by choice, some for money, but his would be different. I’d get paid and fed. I had no other choice if I wanted to stay alive. If I wanted to away from my dad and keep Rex and Mia safe.

  “I can fuck some dudes. I have a few conditions though.”

  All three of the men laughed.

  “You’re in no positions to be asking for conditions girl,” the silent guard said.

  I glared at them, narrowing my eyes. I pulled out my inner business woman.

  “I’m guessing many girls are scared shitless of you all. You pick on runaways. If they aren’t scared, they are a drug addict, if by some chance they are neither they have been doing this for so long they probably have all sorts of STDs. I’m young, hot and have a unique attitude. I’m good for business, and a certain brand of clientele. You want me. I know you do Pytor. You’re guards seem like idiots,” I added that just to get back at the green-eyed guard and based on the look in his eye, he knew it, “but you aren’t Pyotr. You know I’m right.”

  “Not lacking confidence, are we?”

  “Shhh…” Pytor held up a hand and eyed me cautiously. “What are these conditions?”

  I remained cool and confident on the outside, but inside I was freaking out that Pytor was actually going to hear me out. I couldn’t take this ‘job’ without some sort of limitations. I was going to at least sell my soul for a price.

  “First, if I know the person I can say no. I won’t fucking abuse that, but I am not fucking someone I know.”

  “I don’t trust you to tell the truth. You’ll just say what you have to get away from the freaks.”

  I laughed and waved my hand flippantly. “You have my word.”

  He laughed. “Your word is shit and we both know it. Your soul is too far gone for that. Give us names and if they come, you won’t have to fuck them. My only deal.”

  His voice was firm, and I was starting to understand the power he held more and more. The silent guard was watching me with narrow, focused eyes. Fuck, though, I did not want to tell them names. My past.

  “Look babe, we all know you have daddy issues. So, what’s his name? You don’t have to fuck him.”

  I hated their arrogance.

  “Erik. Ray fucking obviously. I’m not fucking my dad.”

  “Done. What are your other conditions?”

  “Until I get a gig and some cash I want as much food as I need, a shower, a place to stay… and a haircut,” I added.

  “Would you like maid service as well?”

  I was one second from losing it and probably getting myself killed. I dug my nails in further.

  “I’m filthy, starving and cold. I'm not seducing anyone like this. Be real.” I rolled my eyes at them.

  Pyor seemed lost in thought. Then looked up at me.

  “Anatoli,” he snapped.

  “Yes sir,” the green-eyed Russian responded.

  “You deal with those conditions,” then he turned back to me and narrowed his eyes. “Done. That’s the end of your conditions. Are you in or out?”

  I didn’t hesitate. Food. Housing. Shower. Fuck me, “I’m in.”

  Pytor smiled. “To lots of money, my dear.”

  Then he walked off with his silent guard and I was left looking into Anatoli’s cold green eyes.

  “” You coming?” he snapped.

  Fuck, what did I just do?

  Chapter 7:

  I followed Anatoli into his car. Safety was clearly no longer a priority. He led me inside a green Cadillac.

  “Where’s Pytor?” I asked once I was seated. I hated it just being me and Anatoli. That was terrifying. Pytor wanted me in his business so he wouldn’t hurt me. Anatoli, on the other hand, I had no idea what his play was.

  “Don’t worry little girl,” he said with disgust. “I’m not going to hurt you. I'm under strict orders on what to do here.”

  I laughed. “You sure are big on order taking.”

  He whipped around and gave me a look that sent chills down my spine.

  “You sure have quite a mouth on you for someone who hasn’t even had their first drink yet.”

  “Fuck! Anatoli, you are driving! Fucking watch the road you psycho.”

  He laughed and turned back to the road.

  “And you don’t know how old I am or if I’ve had a drink before. So, suck that.”

  He turned around slightly and smirked. Then nodded his head.

  “I have no doubt you’ve drank маленький.”

  I had no idea what that word meant but it sounded less violent, so I relaxed a bit. Twenty or so minutes later we pulled up to a large house with lots of archways. It is the most prominent thing I remember about the place. It was white with lots of archways.

  “What is this place?”

  “Hooker house,” he shrugged.

  “Fuck. No. Put me back on the street,” I yelled, jerking the door handle. “I’m not living with a bunch of female hookers. I will kill them all. Let me out!”

  Anatoli busted out laughing. He laughed so hard it almost looked painful.

  “Relax маленький, this is not a hooker house.”

  “What the fuck does that word mean? What is this place?”

  “It means little one. This is my place, as instructed by Pytor.”

  Then the door unlocked, and I jumped out.

  “I need to go.”

  I was panicked now. Something that rarely happened to me, but everything hit me all at once; fucking strangers, being with random Russians, no Rex, no family. I just flipped my shit.

  “Where’s the gate. I'm leaving. Fuck this shit!”

  I stormed over to the gate. I only made it a few steps before a large hand hooked onto my upper arm with such force I flew backwards onto the ground. I was lying all the way down. Anatoli leaned over so his face was hovering right over mine.

  “You are in. You committed to Pytor. Now, you will follow me inside. Calmly.”

  I slowly pushed myself up. The wind was definitely knocked out of me, but I was used to fighting the uncomfortable. Once I was safely on my feet again, I was being yanked inside by Anatoli. The second he got me through the door, into a wide-open kitchen, he slammed the door behind me, locked it and set an alarm.

  “I’ll know if you go,” he said, tapping a finger on the alarm.

  “NO!”

  Full on panic consumed me. I grabbed a plate off the pristine granite countertop and sent it crashing to the floor.

  “I didn’t trade one hell for another. Let me out of here. I will make your life miserable!”

  I reached for a vase, but Anatoli rolled his eyes and snatched it from me. I went to reach for something else when his calloused hand wrapped around my upper arm, effectively immobilizing me.

  “Listen to me,” he said firmly. “You are in this now. You aren’t getting out. You have no idea who Pytor is. You sold your soul to the devil маленький. You need to learn to live with it.”

&
nbsp; He shrugged and released my hand.

  “I thought you were stronger than this,” he waved his hand around, gesturing to my body. “I thought you were a fighter. Now. You wanted food, housing and a shower. You have housing. You can use the shower in your room. I’ll show you. Eat anything you want.”

  I immediately perked up. Food. He saw my shift in demeanor too and laughed.

  “Yeah you can eat what you want.”

  All out, life consuming hunger overcame me. I sprinted to the pantry and opened a bunch of packages, cramming the food in my mouth. I hadn’t eaten, other than the burger, in two days and before that my dad wasn’t big on feeding me. Free reign of food was a miracle I had only ever dreamed of.

  “Jesus Alex,” Anatoli gasped. He came over and pulled me away from the food. “You are going to make yourself sick.”

  “Let me go!” I kicked around. “Let me eat. I’m so hungry!”

  I kept kicking and Anatoli dropped me to the ground with a slightly shocked look on his face.

  “What the fuck did you run away from маленький?”

  I looked down at the ground, feeling so small.

  “Where’s my room?” I whispered.

  Anatoli paused for a second and then nodded to himself.

  “Get off the floor and I’ll show you.”

  I looked up at him and then slowly peeled myself off the floor. Anatoli grabbed two of the seven bags I’d opened and started walking down the hallway. I grabbed a third bag of food and sprinted after him. We made our way down a hallway, then up a flight of stairs. Eventually he stopped in a doorway.

  “You are here. Restroom to the left.” He set the food he bought on the dresser and then looked at the bag in my hand. “Couldn’t resist bringing another one, could you?”

  “No,” I whispered. Suddenly feeling exhausted.

  Anatoli sighed. “Well, you know where the toilet is when you puke.”

  “Yep. To the left by the shower.”

  Time ticked on while Anatoli watched me, running through things in his mind. Eventually he shook his head and there was a slight drop of his shoulders.

  “Welcome to hell маленький.”

  Then he left.

  I didn’t let his words phase me. He was delusional if he didn’t think I wasn’t already in hell. I’d just traded on for another. That’s it. I slept soundly that night. After being raped, abused, beaten, burned most of my life, it really astounded me I slept so soundly most nights, but I think that was part of my issues. What is it called… disconnected? Dissociated? Who the hell knows? I had it and needed it.

  “Are you ever going to get up?” a gruff voice said. I shot up and raised a fist.

  “Who’s there?”

  Anatoli came into view and I relaxed my arm.

  “Do you always come up swinging?”

  I frowned. “How old are you all?”

  “I’m 26. Pytor’s 34. Tobias is 22. How old are you маленький?”

  “Eighteen,” I lied.

  Anatoli laughed. “Pytor, Tobias nor I are under the impression you are legal.” Then his voice dropped to a threatening tone. “How old are you?”

  “Eighteen.”

  Anatoli was in front of me in an instant with his hand around my throat. “Two can do this Alex. How old are you?”

  He was crushing my windpipe, but I’d been choked by my dad’s friends before.

  “Eighteen,” I croaked out.

  “Alex…” he growled. Then he rolled his eyes and squeezed so hard I saw stars. I clawed at his hand. I needed to live. “Sixteen,” I said, panicked and barely audible. “Just turned sixteen.”

  Anatoli released my throat, throwing me back.

  “Fuck.”

  “You fucker! You choked me,” I yelled, jumping out of the bed.

  Anatoli turned around and laughed. “I should have known you wouldn’t have let that slip.”

  “For real though! You can’t choke me.”

  He turned to me once we were in the kitchen.

  “I’m guessing you’ve been choked quite a bit in your life.”

  “You know fuck all about my life,” I grumbled, as I grabbed three cold hot dogs from the fridge, “and you still owe me a haircut. I won’t do shit until I get a haircut.”

  He smirked and looked me up and down. “You don’t seem like the ‘I need a haircut’ type. That’s a weird request from a group of Russian businessmen wanting to sell you for sex.”

  “First, you aren’t businessmen. I don’t know what the fuck you are yet, but you sure as shit aren’t ‘businessmen’. Second,” my voice got a bit lower as I relaxed. I was oddly comfortable with Anatoli at his house. I took a seat and stuffed half a hot dog in my mouth. “I always cut my hair when I need a change. It’s just my thing.”

  He studied me.

  “Book a place and let me know where. Pytor did tell me to honor all the conditions you guys laid out.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Quit acting like you are just doing everything because Pytor asked it of you. You think I'm alright. I can tell. Quit being a pussy.”

  With that I stuffed the last bit of hot dog in my mouth and Anatoli raised an eyebrow at me.

  “You can really put it down there can’t you маленький?” When I didn’t respond he continued. “Pytor’s on his way over with Tobias. You need to audition.”

  “Audition,” I just about squeaked out. I quickly corrected it, realizing how weak I sounded. Anatoli’s eyes narrowed at me. Not threatening. If I was correct there was a bit of concern, there. I cleared my throat.

  “What do you mean audition?”

  “You’re in this now. We need to know where to place you. You need to audition.”

  “You mean fuck one of you?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Obviously. Did you think Pytor was going to send you out blind without even knowing if you could fuck? It’s a business Alex.”

  I didn’t respond. I thought I could handle this. I couldn’t. I simply turned on my heel and headed towards the front door. I was out. I don’t fuck people I know or have lived with. Never again. Strangers I could handle. Fucking one of these three assholes. No. I couldn’t do that. I reached for the door and then… whoosh! I was airborne. I was hauled over Anatoli’s shoulder.

  “Let me go! Anatol,” I shrieked. “I can’t fuck one of you guys. I know you. Let me go.”

  I punched and kicked and screamed, but the wall of muscle was unphased. He stomped over to my room, threw me on the bed, shut the door and stood in front of it with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Let’s deal with this before Pytor fucking kills you,” he snapped. He looked furious and intimidating. I felt sixteen in that moment.

  “You don’t care if he kills me… but he wouldn’t kill me.”

  “Oh маленький, your attitude betrays you. You are so naive.”

  “I… I… “I stuttered for a moment and then clamped my mouth shut. Based on the look on his face I knew he wasn’t lying. Pytor would kill me.

  “Do what he says, and he will give you food, money, protection, all that. He takes care of his girls. You just have to be willing to sell your soul.”

  “I can’t fuck one of you,” I said weakly. “My soul's been sold a long time ago, but I… I can’t fuck one of you.”

  “Oh маленький, you haven’t sold your soul. Not yet.”

  I shook my head against my chest.

  “I can’t fuck one of you.”

  “You can, and you will, or you will die. I'm not a fan of killing children.”

  “Oh, but fucking them is fine!”

  His jaw ticked. “I don’t fuck kids.”

  “Fuck you and your tricky little Russian friends!”

  “Tobias isn’t Russian. He’s Greek.”

  I hopped off the bed.

  “Pytor can kill me. Whatever. Honestly. What the fuck ever. Who actually gives a shit anymore.”

  Images of my mom’s dead bo
dy came into my head. Sitting in my own piss and vomit. My dad’s cold eyes as he said he’d lay his disgusting hands on me. The last time I went shopping with Mia. Rex’s compassionate eyes, knowing I’d never see him again.

  “You are sixteen маленький. You don’t want to die yet.”

  “Don’t pretend to care Anatoli!” I snapped, voice cracking.

  I hated pity. I hated that he was at all sad for me when he was the one trapping me here.

  He sighed heavily, his shoulders falling to his chest. Without saying another word, he left and locked the door from the outside. A lock I didn’t even know was there. As tough as I thought I was, I was no match for these men. They had outsmarted me in every way. It was kill or be killed. Except in this instance both choices were me. I either kill my soul, the last bit of my morality I have, or my body dies. It was as simple as that.

  Chapter 8:

  I paced around the room for hours like a lion in a cage. Two hours in, pity started to fade, and I realized I needed a plan. I needed to do something. I only had one thing in my room that could be considered a weapon. A razor. I snapped the handle and stuffed it underneath my mattress in case things went south during the “audition”.

  My body felt like a million tiny spiders were crawling all over it. I couldn’t shake the feeling. I felt contaminated and gross. I washed my hands like a hundred times. I just kept going. The water was starting to turn cold, but I didn’t care. I needed it off. I needed the feeling gone. When I’d been washing for what felt like an eternity I glanced down at my hands. I realized my hands were flaming red and bleeding. Shit. Shit!

  It was right as I was staring at my hands that the door swung open and in walked Pytor, Anatoli and Tobias.

  “Hello Alex,” Pytor said calmly, hands clasped in front of him. I looked him up and down. There wasn’t so much as a wrinkle on his blue dress shirt or black dress pants. His gold necklace hung perfectly straight on the front of his shirt, reminding me who he was and who I was dealing with.

  “Oh hello. Glad you took time out of your day to visit the girl locked in a room.”

  “Anatoli wouldn’t have put you in here if it wasn’t necessary.”