05- Katya is kidnapped

KATYA

Cold fear crashed into me so fast as my eyes locked on the gun pointed directly at my face.

“What are you talking about?”

“When were you going to tell me that you are Viktor Orlov’s daughter?” he asked quietly.

I blinked at him.

Viktor Orlov…My father.

My eyes widened in confusion.

“How do you know my father?”

The click of the gun being cocked echoed through the room.

I flinched violently.

“Do not play games with me,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “Did he send you to distract me?”

“What?”

“Is that what this is?” he snapped. “Was your little boyfriend part of the plan too? Speak!” he barked.

I jerked backward instinctively, panic flooding me fully now.

“What plan?” I shot back, my heart pounding wildly against my ribs. “I do not even know what you are talking about!”

“You almost sound convincing, Kotyonok”

“I wake up to a gun pointed at my face and you are asking me insane questions about my father!” I yelled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

His jaw clenched hard.

The gun never moved.

“Answer me.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say” I stared at him in disbelief.

Great! I was in the bed of a fucking psychopath.

“I have not seen my father in years,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the terror clawing through me. “Since I was a child.”

“Liar.”

“I am not lying!” I snapped.

He stepped closer.

The movement was enough to make my pulse spike harder.

God, this version of him was terrifying.

“How convenient,” he said coldly. “The daughter of Viktor Orlov suddenly appears in my club the same night my father is murdered.”

Murdered?

“I am so sorry for your…”

“Cut the crap, Katya. I know you know that your father had him killed”

My stomach dropped.

“Oh my God… I swear to you that I do not…”

“So what you expect me to believe is that this is a coincidence?”

“I do not even know my father!” I shouted desperately. “I told you, I have not seen him since I was little!”

He laughed then.

“Bullshit. You are saying Viktor Orlov abandoned his daughter?”

“Yes!” I yelled. “All I know is that he thought it was better we move to the states and we did and I haven’t seen him ever since”

I could see the fury radiating off Nikolai as he stared at me but underneath it I could feel his pain.

His father was dead and somehow, my own father was responsible.

“Stand up.” 

“Nikolai…”

“I said Stand up. We are leaving”

Fear slid down my spine.

“Leaving to where?” I asked even though I knew what he was about to say, I hoped I was wrong.

“Where else? Russia.”

“You have lost your fucking mind.”

“Do not make me repeat myself, Katya.”

The way he said my name this time made my skin prickle.

“I am not going anywhere with you.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You do not have a choice.”

“Yes, I do.”

I shoved the blanket off me and scrambled backward across the bed.

“I am leaving,” I snapped. “And if you come near me again, I swear to God I will call the police.”

There was a beat of silence before he moved.

One second he was across the room and the next he was right in front of me, grabbing my arm and hauling me off the bed.

I gasped.

“Let go of me!”

I shoved against his chest hard, trying to break free, but it was like trying to move a wall.

“You cannot kidnap me!”

“I can.”

“This is insane!” I cried. “I do not know anything about my father!”

“Then perhaps he will tell me himself when he sees what I have.”

He was serious….He was actually serious.

“Nikolai, please,” I whispered, panic finally breaking through fully. “Please listen to me…”

“Stop talking… walk!”

“Okay,” I whispered quickly. “Okay…”

My heart hammered violently as I walked toward the door with him directly behind me.

I could feel the gun aimed at my back.

Every nerve in my body was screaming for me to run, to fight… to do something but what could I do against a man like him?

He opened the door and motioned sharply with his head.

“Out.”

We walked toward the stairs and my breathing became shallower with every step.

Think, Katya.

Think.

There had to be someone.

Somebody willing to help.

But when we reached the main floor of the club, my hope died instantly.

A few workers were cleaning up from the night before. Some men stood near the walls dressed in black.

Every single one of them looked at us then looked away like they had not seen anything.

No one was going to help me, I realized.

Fear clawed harder into my chest as I kept walking.

The huge doors of the club opened and cool morning air hit my skin.

I inhaled sharply.

The street was not empty. People were on the sidewalk, surely someone could help me.

Nikolai stepped closer behind me and lowered his mouth near my ear.

“I can see the wheels turning in your head. Do not think of doing anything stupid.” he whispered coldly. “The black car,”

I saw it instantly. A sleek black SUV parked near the curb.

My pulse exploded.

This was it.

If I got into that car, my life was over.

I shoved him hard.

Hard enough that he took half a step back in surprise.

And then I ran.

My heels slammed against the pavement as I sprinted across the road.

“Katya!”

I ignored him.

My lungs burned instantly but adrenaline pushed me harder.

I heard car horns blaring as I crossed through traffic recklessly.I saw a man making the bend, he was jogging and he had headphones in.

Relief nearly made me sob.

“Help!” I tried to scream but I never got the chance.

Something grabbed me from behind.

An arm wrapped around my waist violently and yanked me backward.

“No!”

A large hand clamped over my mouth.

I kicked wildly, tears springing to my eyes as panic consumed me.

I bit the hand and heard Nikolai cursing in Russian before something hard struck the side of my head and the world tilted.

…

A low humming sound dragged me awake.

I groaned softly, pain exploding through my head.

For a second, I imagined that the past hour had been a dream and I was in my hotel room with Daniel whom I had dreamed cheated on me.

My eyes fluttered open slowly, focusing on the leather seats in front of me.

It had not been a dream.

My body jerked upright instantly. A sharp cry muffled in my throat.

My wrists were tied.

Panic surged through me violently as I tried to move.

My ankles were bound too.

I tried to scream but the sound came out garbled.

Something was over my mouth.

I thrashed against the restraints desperately, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs.

Nikolai watched me struggle. He was sitting directly across me in a black chair, cutting into an apple like it was a normal fucking morning.

I glared at him, mumbling under my breath.

He reached for me, slipping the gag from my mouth while I worked my jaw, trying to get rid of the stiffness.

“You are a fucking monster” I spat at him.

“So I have been told. Now keep your mouth shut or I will be forced to gag you again all the way to Russia”

I kept glaring at him until my eyes watered.

“Hungry?” he asked, minutes later.

“Go to hell”

He cast me a winning smile right before popping the apple he had been cutting into his mouth with a flourish.