Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Marlowe Sage Kunetsov 

My eyes felt crusty and heavy when I jerked awake. I had been plagued with nightmares after I had cried myself to sleep. I had been miserable after my encounter with Mikhail. 

The Mikhail I knew was gone. The kind, quiet boy that stole my heart was gone. And it was devastating. Almost more devastating than the things he had said and asked of me the night before. 

Tears welled in my eyes again but I blinked them away. I needed to be strong. I needed to get myself together and find my way out of here. I was a stranger here, a slave, as Mikhail had said. 

I pulled myself into a sitting position. Maybe if I acted right, maybe if I learnt my way around here, I would be able to escape. 

I'd use whatever money mom and I had left in the bank to take us to Russia. That way we would escape from all of this. I would be free of all this slavery. 

For the first time in days, I allowed myself to think of my mother. After dad has been murdered, she pretty much gave up on life. It had been devastating to lose my father and watch my mother fall apart very quickly because of it. 

Dad's money was gone. He had left nothing for us. I had to drop all plans of college and focus on taking care of my mother. I had worked several jobs, and I had been kidnapped on my way back from one after my shift ended by twelve in the morning. 

Tears stung my eyes again. There had been one question sitting at the back of my mind since I had been kidnapped. Who was taking care of my mother? How had she been faring?

We were all each other had. A part of my mind harbored the thought that something bad had happened to her, but the rest of me refused to believe it. 

Determination filled me and I wiped my eyes and got off the bed. I waddled towards the bathroom, still getting used to this new environment. 

I wanted to lock the bathroom door because I didn't have any guarantee that Mikhail would not waltz in after what had ordered the previous night. 

There was no lock on the door. 

I took a deep breath and shut it behind me. The bathroom was spacious. There was enough space for a hamper, a mini closet, a clawfoot tub, a sink, a toilet, and a shower cubicle. There were towels hung inside the closet and hygiene products at the places they were to be used.

I grabbed a towel and dropped it on the marble countertop, beside the sink, since it was closest to the shower cubicle. 

I tentatively stepped into the shower cubicle. I set the water to warm and consciously watched the door. When no one burst in after ten minutes, I allowed myself to relax, lathering my body and washing my hair. 

It felt nice to have access to things like this again. The most basic of amenities and resources. 

Once I was done, I dried myself and grabbed the hairdryer from it's place in the closet. I was almost done when I heard a knock on the door. I almost jumped out of my skin. My heart rose to my throat and I wrapped myself in a robe just before the bathroom door opened. 

It was a lady. 

“Hello,” her voice was monotone. “My boss asked me to get you for breakfast.”

“Oh…” I trailed off and swallowed. “I'm almost done with my hair. I need a minute to get ready. 

“You have five more minutes. He wants you to be there by eight thirty,” she responded and I nodded. 

I walked out of the bathroom with my hair mostly dry. I pulled on a jean romper that I found in the giant walk-in closet. There were a variety of clothes there. My groomer had shown me where to find each one, depending on the occasion. 

“Hey…” my voice came out rough. I cleared my throat and looked at the lady with an unreadable expression on her face. 

“Have you seen the lady that was with me yesterday? Black hair, brown eyes…” I trailed off. 

“I'm here as a replacement for the time being. Another maid will be with you by evening. I work for Master Maxim,” her response was cold, her eyes accusatory. 

I assumed the worst and guilt choked me savagely. “Is she okay?” I asked quietly. 

“I wouldn't know that. But if she isn't, know it's your fault,” she responded and headed towards the door. 

I took a deep breath and rolled my hair into a bun. I followed her, allowing the distance between us to stay that way. It was obvious she held some animosity towards me, probably because her colleague was let off. 

A dark thought filtered into my mind. What if she wasn't just let off? What if Mikhail or Maxim had done something to her? If Mikhail had been at an auction where human beings were being sold, that meant there was little that they couldn't do. 

That also meant here was little that Mikhail couldn't do to me. He could… kill me if I frustrated him or stressed him out. 

My index finger picked at my thumb as we headed into the hallway that had led me to Maxim's party two nights ago. 

Dread grew in my chest till it was hard to breathe. As we stepped into the large living area where the party had been, tension seeped so deep into my hones that I almost found it difficult to walk. 

There was a huge television on the side with couches relatively close to it. A racing show was playing on the screen but the volume was low. 

We walked further in and found a dining table adjacent to a state of the art kitchen. Every piece of furniture and equipment was in monochrome color. 

Maxim walked out of a hallway that was across the living space from the one I had come from. I immediately figured that it was his own wing of the house… mansion. 

I had never known that Mikhail was this rich. Then again, I didn't know a lot about him. Not until now. 

Mikhail followed shortly after, dragging a limp man behind him by the collar. My lips parted as they approached the living room. 

“Please,” the man whispered faintly. I swallowed, watching both of them anxiously. 

“Miss, you need to be at the dining table before they get there,” the maid in front of me said with a sense of urgency and gritted teeth. 

I shakily inhaled, forcing my feet forward. Mikhail barely spared me a glance while Maxim smirked at me. 

“Hello there, Spice.” He nodded at me. 

I cleared my throat, unsure of what to say. 

“Please believe me, I did not give out any information,” the man's voice rose a notch as Maxim aggressively tugged him to his feet. 

“Who did you tell?” Mikhail asked coldly as he dipped his hand in his back pocket. My heart sank when he pulled out a gun. I paused, terrified and conflicted between intervening and staying out of it. 

The man's eyes widened. He sighed and shut his eyes. The sadness and defeat in them was imprinted cruelly on my memory. “This is for

my family.” He whispered and Mikhail shook his head, pulling the trigger.