Chapter 5
Before returning to deliver the package, I needed to see it with my own eyes. Even though I wouldn’t have any further contact with whatever this cargo was—if it was even an object—something inside me urged me to investigate.
I stopped at a roadside motel I’d stayed at once during a previous mission. It had one major advantage: the rooms were separate from each other, and each came with a small garage.
My car fit snugly into the tight space, but it would serve my purpose.
I paid and requested the most secluded room they could give me, explaining that I needed to rest and didn’t want any interruptions or noise.
No one asked any further questions, and I was given the last room at the very back. Its parking spot was dark, with some bushes behind it providing enough cover.
I opened the trunk and noticed a small set of keys attached to the box's lock with a black nylon tie. I figured they would unlock it.
There were small holes all around the box... which could easily confirm my suspicion that there was a human being inside.
I unlocked it, though it took some effort to find the right key since they were all about the same size. The lid of the box stuck slightly as I tried to open it—the hinges were old and a bit rusty.
When I finally got it open, what I saw left me...
Damn, I didn’t even know what word could describe my reaction.
There was a girl inside the box. A very young girl, no older than eighteen.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering I’d entertained the idea that the “cargo” might be Pavel’s bride-to-be, the one no one knew anything about. But theorizing something absurd in your head is one thing; realizing it’s true is entirely different.
The problem wasn’t just that there was a girl inside the box. The worst part was that she was completely chained up. Her wrists were bound, and the chain extended upward to a metal gag—almost a mask—that covered her entire mouth, down to her chin, and ended at her neck, where a ring connected the restraints.
That explained why I hadn’t heard a single sound from her. That, and the fact that she was unconscious.
Normally, my mind worked fast. I could find solutions to problems in record time. It was probably this quick thinking that always made me a dangerous opponent—and what had saved me and Kolya when we were ambushed.
In that moment, though, I had no idea what to do.
I ran my hands over my head, through my hair, which had been tousled by the wind and was falling out of the loose ponytail I’d tied. I turned my eyes away from the box, unable to keep looking at the girl in that state.
But when I glanced back, her eyes were open now—wide, staring at me as if I were a monster.
And at that moment, I truly felt like one.
POV ALEJANDRA ZAVALA
I felt as if my heart had already stopped beating. Honestly, that wouldn’t have been such a bad idea, considering the future that awaited me.
Throughout the journey inside that box, panicked at being confined in what was essentially a coffin, chained on all sides and unable to scream, I could only think of ways to take my own life in that situation.
I even broke a few nails and hurt my fingers trying to tear off a piece of the wooden lid to use as a weapon against myself. If it was sharp enough, could I cut my throat?
The thought haunted me, but I gave up because it wasn’t a dignified way to die, and I was religious enough to believe that suicide wouldn’t get me to heaven.
Although, the truth was, hell might have been better than marrying that man. Léa had told me stories about him, thinking she was warning me and protecting me, but all she did was leave me even more terrified.
The thought of lying with him, being forced to give him heirs... It scared me so much that I considered doing something crazy. All kinds of things.
Killing and dying.
When I opened my eyes, terrified at the thought that I was already in the hands of Pavel Kiselev, I found myself staring at an unfamiliar face.
Blond, long hair barely held in a ponytail. A thick beard, very blue eyes, a furrowed brow. He looked as surprised to see me as I was scared.
The man started cursing in Russian and backed away, running a hand through his hair, completely disoriented.
The box was open, but I had no idea how I could get out and run with my wrists and ankles still chained.
The silence made my heart sound like a drum pounding in my ears. My back ached, my whole body complained about the position I had been in, and I felt my joints numb. Thirst, hunger, cold. These sensations felt heightened to the extreme because my anxiety amplified them.
Using my elbow, I started banging it against the wood on my right side, trying to make a protest.
"Der’mo!" From the way the word was spat out, I could swear it was a curse, and he approached me with his eyes blazing with fury.
With absurd ease, he pulled me out of the box and threw me over his shoulder. I struggled to kick, even more so when I realized we were behind a property that was nowhere near resembling the mansion of a mafia boss.
He opened the door and walked in, revealing a small but clean room.
I was tossed onto the bed and finally got a better look at him. I didn’t stand a chance against a man who could easily be two meters tall—a true giant. His arms were as thick as my thighs, and he had so much strength in them that he handled my body as if I were a doll.
More cursing, and he came toward me. Something shiny was in his hands, but I couldn’t make out what it was in the dimly lit room. I only realized it when he started unlocking the chains.
I knew my face, wrists, and ankles must have been marked because they burned and stung a little, but I decided that was the least of my problems.
I needed to escape as quickly as possible.
Using the only weapon I had available, I lifted one of my legs and tried to hit him square between the legs. The blond Russian managed to dodge—with reflexes that were more than impressive—but he lost his balance a little because of the overly soft mattress on the bed, and I managed to push him, feeling the wall of muscle that he was beneath my hands.
I ran for the door. I had no idea what my options were from there since I didn’t know how to drive, was barefoot, and had no idea where I was.