CHAPTER 2

Tori opened her eyes and bolted upright, ready to fight.

But she was now alone. Gone was the bar, the brawl, her friends, Laila—she was just in an empty, dimly lit room by herself.

It was a fairly nice bedroom with very basic, somber décor. The bed clothes were an odd design, a bunch of dark maroons, browns, and blacks in an odd repetitive pattern she did not recognize. The curtains were a dark maroon over top of black shades that blocked out any chance of light.

The only light came from a few plugins in the room.

She did not recognize this place; where the hell was she?

Tori threw the comforter off and swung her legs out of the bed. She was still wearing the same clothes, minus her boots which were standing neatly beside the wall. As she stepped out of the bed she felt a pain in the back of her head that gave way to a series of nausea and vertigo. She felt like she might be falling and had the sensation of needing to throw her hands in front of her to steady herself.

She grabbed her boots and pulled them on before trying the door. To her shock it opened up to a long, wide hallway. She came to realize that she was on the upper floor of a large house. It looked fairly ritzy and elegant; it was almost as nice as her father’s house, but she liked the décor a bit better.

As she approached the top of the staircase she could hear piano music drifting up from downstairs. It was familiar… Fur Elise, by Beethoven. She loved classical music; it always had such an exhilarating effect on her, which probably would have surprised most people given her tough edge. She was not sure why, but she had always gravitated towards the discipline of it, the exact nature, and the pure human emotion behind it.

She started down the winding staircase slowly, the music getting louder as she neared the bottom. Finally, she rounded the corner into a huge living room. A flat screen television hung on the wall. There was a large sectional couch that looked irresistibly comfortable, adorned with black pillows. A fully stocked bar stood in the corner complete with several bar stools.

And in the other corner a grand piano with a man playing it. He had his back to her and it took a few seconds before Tori realized who it was. Mikhail Maximoff.

“What the hell is going on?” Tori asked.

Mikhail stopped playing and turned around on the stool with a big grin on his face.

“Oh, you’re awake,” he said with a smirk.

“What happened? What am I doing here?” Tori asked.

“I brought you here,” Mikhail said rising to his full height, tall and majestic as he walked over to the bar and poured himself bourbon, neat. “Care for a drink?”

“What? No I don’t want a drink. How did I end up here? What do you mean you brought me here?”

Mikhail continued to smile. “Listen, sit down and I’ll explain everything.”

He gestured towards the couch as he sat down on the adjacent love seat; it looked like a throne beneath his large frame.

Tori felt like pulling her hair out, but she wanted answers so she sat down.

“Well, I’m waiting,” Tori said.

“I have a deal for you,” Mikhail said.

“Deal? I’m not interested in any deals with you.”

“Oh, I think you will accept this deal. Trust me; it’s a matter of life and death.”

Tori was definitely listening now. “What? Are you threatening me? I’m not someone you want to threaten. Now let me out of here or I will make you sorry.”

“The door is right there; it’s not locked.”

Tori started walking towards the door. “So, what kind of funeral will Laila have?” Mikhail asked.

Tori stopped mid step. She turned to look at him slowly.

“What did you say?”

“I was just wondering what type of funeral your best friend will have. You see, if you walk out that door then she dies.”

Tori walked back into the room. “What the hell kind of game are you playing? This is low, even for you.”

“It’s very simple; I have always had a thing for you. There is something about you that I find irresistible. So I’ve decided that you will be mine. In time I’m sure you will grow to enjoy my company as much as I’m sure I will enjoy yours.”

“This has gone on long enough; where is my friend?” Tori asked.

“I have her somewhere safe. Well, safe for now. You see if something happens to me then I have instructed her to be killed. If you leave my home then Laila will be killed. If you try to contact anybody about this then she will be killed. It really is that simple. In time if you do what I say then I will let her go—when I decide.”

“So, you hit me in the head and brought me here? Did you stage that little stunt with the gun fight too?”

“No, that was a happy accident. But I am a man of opportunity. I love chaos; it allows you to take advantage of so many things.”

“So, what are you going to tie me up? Force me to be your sex slave or something?”

Mikhail laughed. “Well, that is for me to decide, isn’t it? You don’t get to negotiate the terms of your stay or your release. But I promise that if you do what I say then Laila will never be harmed and she will be let go at some point.”

Tori stared at Mikhail. She wanted to rip his head off with her bare hands more than she had ever wanted to hurt anyone in her entire life. How dare this bastard treat her like she was some kind of property of his?

But what choice did she have? He had taken her gun and her phone; and he had Laila somewhere. If he had taken her then surely he’d figured out a way to get Laila, too. She could not afford to gamble with her best friend’s life.

She now belonged to Mikhail Maximoff.