Past Comes crashing

Fear gripped me almost immediately, so he was still looking for me, after all these years.

"P-please let go", I pleaded instead through shaky breaths but his grip only got tighter and his other free hand held my chin in place as he peered into my eyes.

For a brief moment, my eyes flickered to the spot where he struggled with the other man a while ago. The man was lying on the ground, still and possibly lifeless.

"You look just like your... ", his husky voice began saying, drawing my attention back to him, but he stopped abruptly and I saw a muscle in his jaw tick.

I wanted to ask him why he paused but I stopped myself and tried to pry my wrist free instead but to no avail. Fear and desperation started to set in so I decided to put my self defence skills into practice.

I twisted his hand over my head to free my wrist and hit his gut with my elbow to weaken him. To my relief that did the trick but I knew it wouldn't for long.

Taking a hold of the opportunity, I ran as fast as I could, jumped over the body and tried to locate the main road. I could hear him call my name behind me, and he seemed to be trying to chase me as well.

When I finally got to the main road, I looked around for a bus, taxi, anything that could take me away from here. I then spotted a bus coming around, I tried flagging it down but it kept going.

Then I spotted Stephan coming out of the alley and I ran after the bus petrified. Fortunately for me, it came to a stop and I hurried to get in.

As soon as I got in, I made my way to the back seat, thankfully, a seat wasn't occupied. I turned to look behind me and saw him leaning on a wall, watching the bus as it moved away. He was talking to someone over the phone and I knew at that point– He was coming for me.

You may all be asking who that man is and why his sudden appearance made me full of anxiety. Well, it all started twelve years ago when I was thirteen years old, back home in Russia.

My parents had an out of state engagement and they left me with a neighbor of ours, the Elizavetas. They were an elderly couple and they loved having me around.

On this fated day, the lights went out, then we heard a knock on the door and when Mrs Elizaveta opened it up, three men rushed in and raided the living room looking for something. They seemed to have found whatever it was when their eyes settled on me. Then I was drugged, abducted and taken to a certain destination.

I woke up after God knows how long, tied to a chair and met the face of a deranged, elderly looking man sitting right in front of me. He went on to tell me how my family took everything away from him and how he vowed to wipe out every member of my family, but that somehow I had escaped.

That was one point in my life when I felt confusion was going to eat me alive. He definitely wasn't talking about the same family I knew. After saying everything he had on his mind, he held me to a gunpoint. I knew I would have died that day hadn't it been for Stephan who stepped in.

He helped me escape and before we separated, I asked him for his name and he told me. When I got home, I told my parents all that happened and they told me I was adopted, that my parents passed away after I was born but before they did, they entrusted me into their care.

We relocated to another state in the country and I didn't hear from the man who kidnapped me, or from Riev again. Nothing happened for a while after that incident, but I was greatly traumatized and had to go into therapy. That's when my phobia of being alone in the dark came in and what spurred me to learn the art of self defence.

One day, weeks later, my friend, who is now late, invited me to a teens party out of town to get me out of my depressed state. Stephan showed up at the venue and murdered her right in front of me.

He then told me to leave the country within seventy two hours and even threatened to kill me if I disobey him.

I couldn't comprehend what caused his sudden change of attitude towards me but I did as he said and came to live with my aunt and her daughter here in America.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, bringing my thoughts back to the present. It was a text from Berle.

'Where the heck are you? You didn't even get back to me.'

'I'm sorry, was a bit occupied, but I'm on my way to work now," I texted back.

After a while, she responded, "Hurry up. It's almost time."

Just then, the bus came to a stop three streets from the club so I decided to head to work straight away, despite the impending air of danger looming over me. I couldn't risk missing a day at work, it resulted in an extension of the contract I have with Madame Caryn.

The club is situated in a large building in the city's capital. It is of high class and only people of stature got in. Ryan's dad owns one of the biggest enterprises in the city so I don't have to ask how he got in.

When I arrived, the ladies were already getting themselves ready so I silently joined in. Berle was standing at the front, but she kept on looking backwards. I waved at her and as soon as she spotted me, she exhaled a sigh of relief before facing ahead.

I smiled at her reaction. She is the only one I talk to here, the rest of the ladies were too hostile.

We all got in line, the sound of the men roaring for us to come out reverberating through the small dressing room, and it was obvious they're drunk.

Soon enough, I found myself strutting unto a brightly illuminated stage to entertain a group of disgusting men.

The sickening feeling that formed in my bowels each time I performed returned. It hasn't diminished as I thought it would over the past few months since I began this job, it only got stronger.

My body swayed to the music out of brute will. I felt repulsed, disgusted each muscle I moved, but no one noticed because I smiled through it. Abruptly, I spotted a familiar face in the audience that caused my whole body to go in shutdown.

Stephan sat regally at the back of the room, his eyes trains on me. The moment we made eye contact, he winked at me, a mischievous smile blooming in place.