Page 90 of Exacting Vengeance

Tears flowed freely as the extent of her mistakes and all the ramifications settled deep within her soul. She massaged her temples, attempting to lessen the throbbing pain. The rattling of the chain didn’t help her headache. The combination of an empty stomach and the after effects of chloroform, or whatever Yuri had drugged her with, made the inside of her mouth feel like a cotton ball. She craved water.

It had probably been at least a day since Yuri had taken her, although with the windows boarded up, she had no real perception of time. Again, she listened for any noise outside. Nothing. Not even a bird chirping.

Sweat from her wasted effort at moving the bed beaded on her forehead, and she swiped it away. A shudder ran through her, and she tugged a blanket around her body. The sound of a key turning had her jerking her head to the door.

Yuri sauntered in, sporting an unpleasant smile that immediately put her on edge.

“Ah, Vika. You are awake. I brought you something to eat. You must be starved.” He dropped a pre-made sandwich in a clear plastic wrapper on the bed and handed her a bottle of water.

She accepted the water, twisted off the cap, but didn’t drink. The sandwich wrapper appeared to be unopened, so that was probably safe to eat. The water bottle she couldn’t be sure of, but hunger pains and thirst overrode her concerns. Besides, what was the point of dosing her food or water when all he had to do was place another chloroform-doused cloth over her face? The baby’s needs came first. She drank greedily from the bottle, then tore open the sandwich wrapper and dove into it with gusto.

“Aren’t you going to thank me for the food?”

She ignored him, swallowing a mouthful of the sandwich and washing it down with more water.

He lashed out and sent the bottle flying from her hand. It smacked against the wall, splattering water everywhere. “Pizda!” He seized her bound wrists and held them in the air with one hand. With his other hand, he smacked her across the face.

She cried out, more from shock than pain. The side of her face stung and throbbed. He was using the same old tactics he’d used on her years ago. Fear threatened to overwhelm her, like it always did when he resorted to physical violence. Just as quickly, it was replaced with subdued anger. She’d needed that water to re-hydrate.

Victoria glared up at Yuri, preparing a nasty retort, when sanity returned. Angering him would do nothing to help her situation. He held all the cards. The last thing she needed was for him to hit her again. Pounding on her face was one thing, but what if he switched tactics and kicked or punched her in the stomach? For the sake of the baby, pacifying him was still necessary, even if it meant donning a sickly veneer of subjugation. The thought disgusted her.

She squeezed her eyes together hard, trying to produce tears. At first, they wouldn’t come.

Think of what makes you sad.

Kyle. Losing him and never again seeing him gaze into her eyes with love.

Tears welled in her lids, spilling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” she whimpered, shaking her head. “Please, don’t hurt me. I was so hungry and thirsty, I didn’t think.” She couldn’t be positive but thought for an instant he loosened his grip. “Don’t hit me again. Please.” Her cries seemed to have the desired effect, and he released her.

“That’s better. That’s my little Vika.”

She gave herself a mental fist pump. Score one for Little Vika.

“You are still pathetic,” Yuri said confidently, nodding his head in confirmation.

The wall of strength that years of counseling and healing had erected was firmly in place, and she held onto her truths, blotting out his demeaning words. There was nothing wrong with her, and she had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Good,” he smiled. “Now that we’ve straightened things out, you will tell me what I want to know.”

She pushed back against the headboard, straining to get as far away from him as possible and hoping he didn’t hit her again. He seemed content to watch her dissolve emotionally, yet his eyes frightened her more than his words. The loud, crazed predictability she was accustomed to had been replaced by something even more alarming––a cold, calculated evil. She breathed a sigh of relief when he left the room but tensed when he returned a few seconds later with a chair.

He sat down and propped his legs on the mattress. “I miss you, Vika. You have to know that. I can teach you how to be a proper wife again. It is like riding a bicycle.” He smiled grotesquely, clearly pleased with himself. “It will all come back to you.”

Go back to the way things were? Never! He must be out of his mind. He probably always had been.

What kind of life would her baby have at the hands of this madman? And what would he do when he discovered she was pregnant? He would rightly assume the baby was Kyle’s, which would put him or her in even more danger. If Yuri didn’t kill them outright, she and her baby would be relegated to a life of misery.

Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed. She would never go back to the way things were. Not in this lifetime.

The floor creaked as he pulled the chair closer to the bed. “Your affair with Kyle Gates is over,” he spat.

“I swear to you, I wasn’t having an affair with anyone when you and I were married, and I’m not having one now.” She could actually say the words with sincerity in her eyes, since she truly believed things between her and Kyle were permanently null and void.

“Don’t lie to me!” He stood so quickly the chair fell backward. Pure malevolence burned in his eyes. The calm restraint she’d glimpsed moments ago was quickly dissolving before her eyes.

For a full minute, he towered over her, his chest heaving as he sucked in deep breaths. “Things will go back to the way they should be. You and me, together. The way we used to be. We will go back to Chicago and collect my money, then we’ll move somewhere no one will ever find us.”

Inwardly, she cringed. Leading him to believe she was still the same old, scarred Vika he once knew might be the only way to get out of this. If it meant keeping her baby safe, she’d do it. But what would happen when he discovered the money was gone? He might kill her on the spot.