Chapter 28 Caged
❦ Rosalind ❦
“Calm down, boy… sshh.” I was shaking, zaps of terror stabbing my chest. “Please don’t hurt me.”
The massive bulldog in front of me did not speak English, but I hoped my tone would convey to him that I was no threat, and I really didn’t want to be eaten.
Primo had refused to listen to my pleas, threats, and propositions. He’d instead thrown me into a large dog pen. A metal cage as wide as two cars parked side by side. It wasn’t enough space for me and seven dogs.
“Please…” my voice broke. His growls rumbled from deep within his chest, rheumy eyes locked on me with a promise of death.
In the hour I’d been locked in with them, the dogs had growled at me but left me alone as long as I cowered at one edge and didn’t move a muscle. Whenever I so much as stretched my legs or tried to change position for comfort, they’d growl.
The alpha dog, the one about to mangle me, had turned on me after one of Primo’s men threw me a piece of meat from outside.
The bulldog had immediately run up to me, and I’d thrown the meat at his feet to the amusement of the man who tossed it. But he ignored it, advancing on me with slow steps and snapping his jaws, drool hanging down his muzzle in thick strings.
“Please, help me… please.”
I was full-on bawling now, but the men gathered around the cage only laughed, pointing at me and making bets in Spanish on how long I would survive.
I’d never regretted anything in my life as much as I did escaping Viktor’s hold. This was it. I was going to die.
Mud and liquids I didn’t want to think about squelched underneath me as I pressed myself against the metal wall of the cage, the steaming, fanged muzzle in my face.
I squeezed my eyes shut, tears streaming down my cheeks, my teeth biting down hard on my lip. My heart raced in an uneven beat as the smell of its breath hit me.
I’m sorry, Papa. I should have listened. I should’ve married, or sold, and left this city of death. I was way over my head, thinking I could handle this.
I was about to be sorely proven wrong when a voice boomed.
“What the fuck?” The voice carried shock and sounded familiar, but I didn’t dare open my eyes. It was too late. Growling filled my ears. Drool dropped on my thighs.
Bang!
I flinched, wincing as dead weight dropped on my legs. My eyes snapped open, and I saw the dog, blood pouring out of its skull, lying dead on my thighs.
It was unbelievably heavy, its cold eyes staring right at me with vengeance even in death.
I screamed, frantically trying to pull my legs out from underneath it.
Amidst my crying, the ringing in my ears from the gunshot, and the angry voices of the men outside, I heard the metal door screech open.
The other dogs barked viciously as I was half-dragged and half-carried out of the cage.
Strong arms pulled me up to my feet, turning me to face the person.
I froze.
Orlov stood before me, his brows drawn together in surprise.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
I couldn’t answer. I shivered, shaking in his arms.
I kept my eyes downward as he walked me away from the area. Curiously, I checked our surroundings and saw we were still in the compound, and he led me to an open door.
“How did you get here?” he asked impatiently.
“H-how did you know I was here?”
He ran an impatient hand through his hair.
“I came for something else. You were lucky the noise drew me to the cage.”
For the first time, I looked around the room.
It was scant, with peeling walls but otherwise kept clean. An old sofa riddled with brown patches of what looked like old liquid stood in the center. That, and an old box television on a wooden table, were the only things in the room. An old action movie played on the screen, sounds of gunshots and the voices of the actors filling the room.
Orlov went to the door and barked orders at someone. He came back to stand in front of me, his nose wrinkled. I didn’t blame him. I could smell myself, and it wasn’t pretty.
“What are you wearing?”
The question threw me off. “Clothes…” I answered tentatively. His expression told me that wasn’t what he meant.
“Take them off,” he ordered.
“Excuse me?” I sneered.
The fear was gone. Now I was angry.
“You’re working with Primo, aren’t you?”
“That’s none of your business, Rosalind.” His tone was sharp, but almost immediately, his face softened. He took my hand.
“You need to clean up and get out of here. It’s not safe.”
“Yes. I can see that. I almost got mauled,” I retorted, my tone scathing.
I looked him over. He was wearing a black designer shirt tucked into black pants. Gold earrings decorated one ear, matching the chain around his neck and the gold wristwatch and rings on his wrists.
“Get undressed, Rosa. I’ll give you privacy,” he snapped before leaving the room.
Before I could shed the filthy clothes, a soft knock sounded at the door. I froze, not answering, but it opened and a small hand pushed a bucket of water into the room.
“Dress? Miss?” came a shaky voice. He couldn’t have been more than ten.
I walked over and took the dress from the hand dangling past the door.
“Thank you.”
The boy disappeared. I hadn’t even seen his face.
As I washed myself in the moldy bathroom, my mind raced with thoughts.
Orlov knew Primo and was most likely working with him, how else could he had saved me in the presence of the men. He was dressed as though coming for a meeting. He saved my life.
It was purely coincidental, and my skin pricked with the knowledge that something bigger was at play here. My hotel and I weren’t the main characters in this fight. Or were we?
Shrugging the questions off, I decided I would ask Viktor. Marcus. Even Giancarlo himself, if I had to. It could be tied to my father’s murder. And that was the only mystery that mattered to me.
After I cleaned up, I waited for Orlov to return. I wasn’t stupid enough to venture outside. Those rotten men could be loitering. And worse, Primo himself.
I smoothed the dress over my thighs. It was a short red sundress with bows on the arms. I wondered who it had belonged to. On the TV, two men grunted and bled, trying to kill each other over a woman. A gunshot rang out. I flinched, but didn’t move to turn it off. I didn’t want to touch anything in the room.
I didn’t have to wait long. Orlov returned.
“Take me home, please,” I said immediately after he closed the door.
“It’s not safe. You should come back with me.”
“What do you mean it’s not safe?” My heart slammed in my throat. What if my home had been attacked just as Viktor’s had? Claudia…
“I’m done here. You can rest at my place, put a few calls through to your people to let them know you’re safe…”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I hissed. I suddenly realized what he was doing. He thought saving my life had put him in my good graces. It hadn’t.
“If home isn’t safe, take me to the hotel then.”
An irritated look flitted across his face before disappearing again.
“Look, I know our history is tainted. I’m not demanding your forgiveness. I know it’ll be hard, but please…” He drew closer. “Just give me a chance to show you how much I care…”
He trailed off, swallowed, and went quiet.
My blank stare communicated everything I refused to say. I loathed him. And I knew what he was up to.
He wasn’t sorry. Not in the least. The first time he’d seen me at my father’s memorial, he’d taunted and disrespected me. Viktor had thought Orlov was my boyfriend. That meant Orlov had been telling everyone we were together, or worse. I glared.
“You’re only being nice to me because of my heritage, my hotel, my status. Don’t deny it.” My whisper was a poisonous hiss.
Hate rolled behind my throat like black smoke.
To his credit, he schooled his expression, betraying nothing.
“We could form an empire. I’m taking over from my father soon. You need the protection. The only reason you’re still alive is because everyone else is distracted with each other to give a fuck about the orphaned heiress. But trust me, Rosa,” his hand rose to graze my chin, “once the fighting’s over, they’ll turn on you. And if you couldn’t survive me, just imagine what would happen.” He smirked.
“Oh, but you’re wrong. I survived you.” It was my turn to smirk. “Did Daddy put you up to this? Did he tell you to try to win me back? Tell him you failed. You and I will never happen again. And if you try to force me, I’ll kill you.”
Annoyance flashed in his eyes, but he knew he couldn’t harm me. Not yet anyway. He said it himself, there were bigger problems than me for now.
“You’ve always been stubborn, Rosa mia.”
“Don’t fucking call me that.”
He chuckled, setting his palm in the small of my back as he gently pushed me to the door.
“I’ll give you the ride you so desperately want,” he murmured into my ear as he opened the door.
I opened my mouth to retort, my lips pulled back into a mocking smirk, but words failed me.
Standing in the compound, the moon casting a silvery light on his skin,
Was Viktor.
Time slowed as he turned.
Our eyes locked.
He took in Orlov’s hand on my back. The mouth grazing my ear.
His eyes bled black.