3

Amber

The dirty mattress in the corner taunts me. It’s cheap and thin and without sheets, but it’s way better than having my bare ass on the hard floor. Even after all this time, the temptation to crawl over and lay down on it is strong. I’m just smart enough now to not act on it. I’ve never been able to see any hidden cameras in the rooms he keeps me in, but he somehow always knows when I’ve disobeyed, and his punishments are never worth disobeying him. Even if I crawl over and relieve my ass for no more than five minutes, he’ll know, and he’ll make me pay.

Instead of giving my ass a momentary break, I wrap my arms around my legs and let my mind drift to what happened yesterday. Seeing Vitorio had awakened something inside me. My mind keeps playing tricks on me, trying to convince me that I dreamed him, but I know I didn’t. He was here, and he’d seen me. I don’t know how in the hell he found me, but he did, and he’d made it clear that my family was coming to get me.

My thoughts start to wander to Mateo, to the way my heart had nearly shattered when I thought he’d gotten married. The thought of him with another woman makes me feel like I’m going to be sick. I can’tthink about that now. I can’t think about anything except staying alive long enough for them to get me the fuck out of here, for them to get me away fromhim.

As if I’ve conjured the devil himself, I hear the door start to open. My body instinctively starts to shake. He may not have completely killed my mind yet, but he’s ruined my body in every conceivable way.

Konstance walks into the room. He’s dressed in another expensive, black suit, looking deceivingly human, but he’s not fooling me. I know what he is. His blue eyes run over me, and I’m careful to not meet them—one of the many things that’s not allowed. I see his lips pull up in a smirk before he snaps his fingers, and just like that my body moves of its own accord. I get on all fours and crawl to him like the dog he’s forced me to become. His well-trained bitch, ready to heel at a moment’s notice.

I hate myself a little more with each step I take, and when I’m kneeling before him, I keep my head bowed until he roughly grabs my chin, forcing my face up to meet his. On the outside, Konstance Lebedev looks perfect—a man any woman would be thrilled to catch the attention of, but I no longer see his good looks. I just see a monster.

“Such a good pet,” he murmurs, digging his thumb into my jaw to the point of pain. I keep my face neutral and a vacant stare in my eyes. It pleases him, so he lets out a soft laugh and releases the pressure the tiniest bit. I’m not so stupid to think it’s because he cares. I learned long ago that he never does anything to be nice. I don’t think he’s capable of kindness, not even the tiniest bit.

“We’re going out tonight.” His thumb runs over my jaw. “I’m going to show you off, and you’re going to do me proud, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.” I force the words out, even though what I really want to do is spit in his goddamn face.

“But first we need to get you clean.” His fingers slide down my neck before he tightens them. “And then we’ll get you dirty again.”

I bite my tongue, stifling the scream that’s desperate to come out. He hasn’t touched me since Vitorio was here, and I’d been hoping thatmaybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t touch me again. I should’ve known better.

Fisting my hair, he drags me to the connecting bathroom and shoves me inside. Letting go, he leans a broad shoulder against the doorframe and says, “Get in the shower and clean yourself. I can’t have you embarrassing me tonight.”

I scurry to the tub, staying on my knees as I start the water. When my hand hits the hot water faucet, his voice stops me. “No hot water. I’m not so sure you deserve it.”

Keeping my face blank, I let my hand fall away and force myself under the freezing cold water. My body immediately starts to shake and by the time my body is clean and I reach for the shampoo, my teeth are chattering. Konstance watches me the whole time. Privacy is a luxury that I haven’t experienced in a very long time. As soon as I’ve rinsed out the conditioner, I shut off the water and stay in the tub, head bowed, waiting for orders.

I see his expensive leather shoes come into view and then the white, fluffy towel he’s holding. He waits several minutes, watching my body shake, waiting to see if I’ll disobey and reach for the towel.

I don’t.

“So well behaved,” he murmurs, dragging the towel along my skin. He dries me slowly, and soon I’m shivering in fear instead of just from the cold. His fingers graze my shoulder, making me feel like my skin is crawling with bugs, like I need to claw my skin to free it from tiny, invisible insects and from the stain of his touch. I know in my heart I will never be clean of him. He’s ruined me, and now I’m covered in his filth. No amount of showering will ever rid me of his touch.

When I’m dry, he says the words that I’m dreading. “Hands and knees, pet.”

I lower my shaking body to the hard, tiled floor while my mind starts to drift away. At first, I fought him. I fought like hell to keep my body away from him, but it never worked. This was a fight that I was never going to win. I wanted Mateo to be my first. He’s the only man I ever wanted to touch me, but my choice was taken from me, and I wasleft torn and bloody and wishing someone would just kill me and be done with it. No matter how hard I fought, though, he never threatened to kill me. What he threatened was far worse. I decided fighting back wasn’t worth being thrown into a shitty brothel where countless men would have their way with me every goddamn day. Surviving one monster is bad enough. I don’t think I could handle more than one.

He presses the side of my face into the cold, hard tile while I ignore the pain and the tears and the memory of a touch that was given in love and not a sadistic need to overpower and hurt me. If I think too much about Mateo, I won’t be able to endure this. Sometimes a beautiful memory can tear your heart out when you’re experiencing the worst kind of pain. It’s just too damn much—a bright light that has no place in this dark hell I’m living.

I bite my lip to keep from crying out, wishing he would just finish and be done with me, but he makes it last. He always does. When he finally lets go with a deep groan that almost makes me dry heave, I will myself to take a deep breath, swallowing the bile that’s threatening to crawl up my throat.

When he slides out of me, I feel the ache in every part of my body. He roughly squeezes my hips and gives a soft laugh before I hear his zipper being pulled back up.

Squatting next to me, he drags a finger along my spine before giving my ass a hard smack. “Get the fuck up and get ready. Wear the black dress. I’ll be back to get you in an hour.”

And with that he walks out of the bathroom, leaving me a crumpled mess on the floor. I feel his seed start to slide out of me, tracing a path along my inner thigh. I fight to keep what little food I have in my stomach from coming back up. Shortly after he took me, Konstance brought in a doctor to give me a birth control shot, and I’ve been getting a new one every three months like clockwork. It’s the one small mercy in all of this. The first time he raped me, he told me that a pathetic pet whore would never be worthy to carry his child. I’m more than okay with that. The thought of his baby growing inside me makes me feel like I’m seconds away from losing my mind. I would never survive it.He’s taken every goddamn part of me, but he’s not taking my fucking womb.

Forcing myself up, I make sure he’s really gone and then wet a cloth with warm water. Pressing it between my legs, I hiss out a breath and remind myself that it’s the last fucking time. Ithasto be. We’re leaving for the Red Viper, and Vitorio promised they would be there. They won’t leave me with him. I know they won’t.

I spend the next hour getting ready. Konstance likes me to dress up for him, so the bathroom drawers are stocked with makeup and lotions that he likes the smell of, and in the closet is a small selection of dresses. I grab the black one, the one that’s practically see-through and the matching thigh-highs. The heels are ridiculously tall and kill my feet, but what’s one more pain to add to the mix.

Looking in the mirror, I barely recognize myself. My ribs are visible through the lacy dress, and the deep shadows under my eyes still standout despite the makeup I applied. I look gaunt and vacant and so fucking miserable. Unable to face the truth of what I’ve become, I turn away and sit back down on the floor, waiting for Konstance to come back and get me.

My fingers scratch at the black viper ouroboros tattoo that circles my wrist. The viper is riddled with faint silver scars from when I’d scratched the hell out of it after Konstance held me down and forced it on me. For that disobedience, he’d spread me wide, tying my wrists and ankles to the posts of a bed and left me there until I’d had no choice but to piss myself, and then he’d beat me for ruining his fancy sheets and goose down mattress topper.

I hear the doorknob turn and release my wrist before Konstance opens the door. He’s dressed in another expensive, all-black suit with his dark hair slicked back and his face freshly shaved. He could easily be a model for the suits he loves so much, and I really hate that. I may only see him as the vile monster he is, but to the rest of the world he’s disarmingly handsome. His outside should match his inside, but it doesn’t. The most dangerous predators rarely ever look the part.

None of it matters, though. He can shove his perfect looks straightup his goddamn ass. I’d give anything for familiar scarred hands and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that are so dark they look black. Mateo is the only man who will ever have my heart. Konstance can destroy my body and think that he owns it, but he’ll never own every part of me. He’ll never get inside my heart, and my body will never respond to him except in fear.

He snaps his fingers at me, and I crawl over to him, hating myself a little more with each step.

“My pet cleans up so nicely.” He squats down and roughly fists my hair, holding my head still as he holds up the leather collar I wish I could burn. “You can’t go out without your collar on, pet. You know the rules.”

He grins and slides the thick leather around my neck before buckling it so tight I can barely swallow. When he hooks the matching leash to it, I feel the rebellious spark inside me start to die. Being led around like an animal kills my fight. It’s humiliating and dehumanizing, and the thought of Mateo seeing me like this makes me want to die. It’s that embarrassment that has me whispering a plea before I can stop it.

“Please.”

His eyes widen slightly, just as surprised by my whispered plea as I am.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly say, keeping my eyes on the floor.

Wrapping the leash around his hand, he tightens it and jerks me closer. “Please what?”

Too scared to speak, all I can do is let out a shaky exhale, and when he gives a sharp tug, a whimper escapes before my air is cut off.

“Please what?” he demands. “It’s been so long since you’ve spoken out of turn, pet. Tell me what’s so important that it was worth pissing me off.”

He releases enough pressure so I can take a breath and speak. “I’m sorry, sir” is the first thing I say, not that I’m holding out much hope that it’ll help, and then I add, “I just thought maybe we could skip the collar tonight.”

“Look at me.”

Those three words send a chill down my spine. He never wants me to look him in the eyes. He only asks when he’s particularly pissed off. I let out another shaky breath and lift my eyes to his. The blue eyes staring back at me are hard and devoid of any humanity.

“Afraid everyone is going to know you’re my whore?”

Too scared to speak, I stay silent.

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but everyone already knows. Maybe I’ll add you to the entertainment tonight.” He thinks about it and gives a soft laugh. “I think fucking you in public will be the perfect punishment. It’ll remind you who you belong to.” Leaning closer so I can feel the heat of his breath on my face, he says, “And, pet, when I take you in front of everyone, it’ll be in your ass. You always cry so damn sweetly when I do that.” The laugh he gives kills one of the small parts of myself that I have left. “I’m sure everyone will appreciate the show.”

And with that, he stands and tugs on the leash so hard that I can either scramble to my feet or have my air completely cut off. I stand on wobbly ankles, trying to get my body under control. Konstance won’t rape me again, I tell myself. No way in hell will my family allow that to happen. I hold onto that truth, repeating it over and over in my mind as Konstance pulls me from the room. I keep my head down while we walk past the two men who are always standing watch outside my door and when he pulls me down the stairs, I grip the railing and try like hell to make sure I don’t fall.

When we’re on the first floor, I see the other women, the ones who work for the Lebedev brothers, the ones I sometimes hear screaming at night. I recognize the sounds; it’s the same noises I used to make before he taught me with his fists to be silent. Now I don’t make a sound, not even when I wake up from the night terrors that have become an almost nightly occurrence.

The women briefly meet my eyes, a second-long glance of solidarity that comforts me more than they’ll ever know. I hope I’m able to do the same for them, but it’s impossible to tell. We’ve all become pros at hiding how we really feel. I lift my eyes just enough to scan the roomsas we walk through them. I don’t see their sister. I haven’t seen her for days. When Vitorio had seen me, he’d mentioned something about being married to her, but I don’t know how in the hell they would’ve ever met. Konstance and Onil keep her on as short of a leash as the one I’m currently attached to. Their sister’s always careful to ignore me when I do see her, but I never once thought she was cruel like her brothers. I don’t think they abuse her in the same way they abuse us, but there’s something broken inside her all the same.

Once we’re in the living room, Konstance walks in and stops by the couch. Onil is in one of the leather chairs with a drink in hand, and Oksana is resting on the couch. Konstance’s wife looks up at her husband and then at the leash he’s carrying, following it with her eyes until she hits the collar and then finally my face. I used to think Oksana was an uncaring bitch, but over the last two years, it’s become painfully obvious that she’s a drug addict who will do anything to escape the hell that is her marriage to Konstance. Our eyes briefly meet before guilt makes her look away. I can tell by the dazed look and sluggish movements that she’s on something, but Konstance doesn’t seem to care.

“We’re going out.” His voice is cold when he speaks to her.

She raises her eyes to his. “Me too?”

He lets out a harsh laugh. “Fuck no. You think I have any desire to show off my pathetic wife?”

Instead of being offended, Oksana looks relieved to be avoiding the excursion. She relaxes back against the couch while Konstance turns to Onil, no longer interested in his wife.

“We’re ready to go.”

Onil finishes his drink and stands. Running his eyes over me, he gives me a wink that makes my skin crawl. “Ready for the club, Nadia?” he asks, using the fake name I’d given them. I don’t answer because I don’t feel like getting smacked. I keep my eyes down as he steps closer.

Konstance hands him the leash. “Take her to the SUV.”

I don’t see the smile, but I know Onil’s grinning when he grabs the leash and gives it a sharp tug. Onil’s always hated the fact thatKonstance won’t share me with him, and he never misses an opportunity to take that anger out on me.

Biting back a wince when he pulls sharply on the leash, I follow him out of the room and down the hall. Even though it’s cold outside and he stops to put on a coat, he doesn’t offer me one. Instead I’m dragged outside in nothing but a flimsy scrap of lace. It’s started snowing, making it treacherous in heels, and I nearly slip and fall on the sidewalk. Onil gives an annoyed grunt and pulls harder, cutting off my air and nearly making me fall on my ass again.

Opening the back door, he waits for me to get in. I don’t want to bend over in front of him, but I also know I don’t have a choice. When I step my foot up, pushing this stupid excuse of a dress up even more, I’m not at all surprised when he slides his hand between my thighs. I knew it was coming, but I still flinch at his touch. He groans and roughly pushes my panties aside, sliding two fingers into me in a hard thrust that makes my eyes water. After Konstance’s assault in the bathroom, I’m so sore that I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out from the pain.

“Our little secret, right, Nadia?” he groans by my ear. “My brother refuses to share you with me, but that’s not going to stop me from feeling this tight pussy any goddamn time I want. He thinks he’s kept you from me, but I’m going to be walking around all night with the scent of your cunt on my fingers.”

A whimper escapes when he plunges his fingers in deeper. Bringing his lips to my ear, he growls, “One night very soon, I’m going to visit you in your room, and if you tell Konstance about any of this, I swear I’ll fucking skin you alive. I can make your death last for days, sweetheart.”

I nod my head, my body shaking so badly I can barely keep myself upright.

“Do you understand me, pet?”

“Yes, sir,” I whisper, letting out a relieved breath when the front door opens and Onil slides his fingers out ofme.

“Such a good little bitch,” he murmurs with a laugh, stepping back so I can get in.

He shuts the door and gets in the passenger side while Konstance gets in the driver’s seat. Fifteen of his top men file into two other black SUVs. They take the lead and rear on our drive to the Red Viper. I’ve never been to the club. I rarely get to leave the house at all. Usually my days are spent in whatever bedroom I’ve been locked in, in a constant state of worry and fear while I wait for the door to open and my own personal monster to walk in.

The city passes by outside my window, and the closer we get to downtown, the busier the traffic and sidewalks get. I watch a couple leaving a lit-up bar, and my heart aches at the sight of them. His arm is wrapped around her, and she’s laughing and looking up at him with a huge smile on her face. I envy them so fucking much, and I want to bang my fist against the window and scream at the entire fucking universe for the shit hand I’ve been dealt. That happy couple on the street should be me and Mateo. His arm should be around me as I look up and smile at him, both of us laughing and so goddamn happy. All of that was taken from us, and the hate and rage I feel threatens to overwhelm me. The only thing that keeps me in check is knowing that if I throw a fit right now, Konstance will just take me back to the mansion, and I can’t let that happen. The guys are saving my ass tonight, and I’m going to get my goddamn revenge.

I’m not sure what I’m expecting the Red Viper to be like, but the dingy, shithole they pull up to is not it. The expensive cars parked in the full lot are completely at odds with the rundown-looking dive bar. I search the outside of the building while Konstance parks, desperate for a glimpse of Mateo or one of the other guys, but I don’t see anyone.

Once we’re parked, five of Konstance’s men take up position outside while the other ten men trail us, keeping a lookout for any threats. The large man standing outside the club doesn’t inspire confidence. He looks nothing like the well-trained men surrounding us, and when he runs his eyes over all of us, I can see the fear start to creep in.Before he can shit his pants, a man in a suit appears with a huge smile on his face.

“Davey,” Konstance says by way of greeting, not even sparing a glance at the bouncer as he walks past, pulling me along behind him.

“Mr. Lebedev, we’re so happy to have you here tonight.”

Davey might as well get on his knees and beg for the privilege of kissing Konstance’s ass for all the groveling he’s doing. His eyes run over me and he gives a soft smirk before saying, “Your pet is beautiful, Mr. Lebedev, but if you’d like to sample what we have, you know you’re welcome to any of them.”

Konstance ignores him and steps into the dark, loud club. Music throbs from hidden speakers and everywhere I look there are naked or half-naked women in all different stages of servicing the men who crowd around and paw at them. I feel like I’ve stepped into a new level of hell that I hadn’t been aware existed. Every woman in here is wearing the same viper ouroboros tattoo that marks my wrist. Most are red and some are black, but we’ve all been marked by it.

I walk in between Konstance and Onil while my eyes keep darting around us, trying to take in everything while desperately searching the crowd. I keep looking for a man in a hoodie with a familiar profile, but the truth is I have no idea what Mateo looks like now or how he’s changed. That thought alone is enough to make me feel like I have a heavy weight on my chest. I used to know him as well as I know myself, but after two years I’m a completely different person, and I don’t want him to feel like a stranger.

We walk past a topless woman who’s standing near the VIP entrance, and when Konstance takes a seat at a table in the corner, I do what’s expected and kneel at his feet. He’s still pissed at me for talking out of turn, so he doesn’t rest his hand on my head like he would usually do. Instead, he smiles at the waitress who walks over and cups her bare ass, stroking her cheek with his thumb. If he’s trying to make me jealous, he’s in for a severe disappointment. I just feel relief and then guilt because if his hands aren’t on me, then it means he’s molesting some other poor woman.

Davey sits down next to the seat Onil takes, and when another man walks over and pulls a redhead into his lap, Davey laughs and says, “Go easy on her, Artemis. She’s one of the new girls.”

Artemis gives the woman a sleazy smile and pinches one of her nipples hard enough to make her wince. “I’m breaking her in, Davey. She can either handle it or she can’t. It’s best we find out early.”

Konstance looks over at him and says, “True enough, but I’d rather a paying customer break the product instead of you.”

Artemis’s face pales at Konstance’s tone at the same time as his hand falls from the poor woman’s breast. He forces a smile and pats the woman’s ass, letting her know she should get up and make the rounds.

“Of course,” Artemis says, taking the whiskey one of the waitresses brings over. He downs it in one gulp, clearly trying to swallow his anger along with the alcohol.

Konstance waves the woman he’d just been groping away and rests his hand on my head, petting me in deceivingly gentle strokes. Leaning closer so only I can hear, he points to the center of the room, the area that’s currently being used by a pole dancer.

“Later, that’s where I’m going to fuck your tight ass, pet. Everyone in the club will be able to see your humiliation. You shouldn’t have pissed me off, sweetheart.”

Even though I know Vitorio said they’d be here tonight, a shiver of fear still runs through me because there’s no guarantee they’ll get here in time or be able to stop it.

When he asks, “Do you regret speaking out of turn?,” my whispered answer of “Yes, sir” is an easy one. I’m terrified of the man next to me, and that fear isn’t about to just pack up and leave because I’m close to being free of him. The truth is I’ll never be free of him. He’s made damn sure of that.

“Good,” he whispers back, giving my cheek a soft kiss before he goes back to petting my head. He wants me to sit here and think about what’s to come. He wants every second of tonight to be pure torture for me.

Mission fucking accomplished, you sadistic fuck.

“Where are the Melnikov brothers?”

All my senses go on high alert at Konstance’s question. Onil digs his phone out and sends a quick text. The reply is quick, because in less than a minute, he turns to Konstance and says, “They’ll be here in thirty minutes.”

My heart races and my palms start to sweat. I have no idea what to expect. I just know that everything changes tonight. I know that whatever happens, I’m not going back to that fucking mansion with Konstance. I’ll either be rescued in this club tonight, or I’ll die trying to get away. No way in hell will I be able to look at my family and then allow myself to be parted from them again.

I was taken once. I’ll be damned if it happens again.