KATYA

 

I EXPECT TO see Jackson again when the door opens the next morning, but I'm surprised when the Giant walks in my door.

He's carrying a delicious-looking breakfast — complete with three crispy pieces of bacon, which must be Jackson's doing — that makes my mouth water and my stomach grumble in protest.  He sets it down next to my tray of uneaten food from last night, and it makes me physically ill to see all that food go to waste.

It feels like it's been so long since I've eaten, but I don't want to accept anything from my captor…or be drugged or poisoned.

So, instead of running toward the food, I turn my head away in silent protest.

"You must eat," the man says softly, but I can hear the stern undertone to his voice.

Slowly, I turn my head and glance up at the giant.  "How do I know it's not drugged?  How do I know he's not waiting for me to pass out so he can have his way with me?" I snap.

I expect him to disagree with me or perhaps even tell me the truth.  What I don't expect is the hearty, loud laughter that spills out of his mouth and bounces off the walls in the room, echoing with mockery.  When he finally calms down from his laughing fit, he sneers at me with, "Trust me, Princess, Jax is not the bad guy here."

"How can you even say that?"  I spit the question at him.  "He kidnapped me and is holding me hostage!"

"Oh, you mean after you killed your husband in front of his very own eyes?" he barks.

Of course Jackson told him that part of our little story.  So much for using my innocent act with this guy.  He knows now that I'm a killer and probably thinks the worst of me.  He'll definitely never help me escape now.

"Are you being held here too?" I inquire, desperate to know the answer and hoping that he is and that he will help me even though he knows of my crimes now.

"Of course not," he huffs with indignation.  "I'm employed by Lucien."  He pauses before he says, "Well, I guess Jackson now since Lucien is currently…incapacitated."

He appears to be upset when talking about Lucien, just the same as Jackson was when speaking about his cousin's condition.  But I can't let their pain become my weakness.  I have one goal in mind, and that is to escape.  "Well, I can't stay here.  If you won't help me, I'll find another way," I confess to him, no longer willing to keep my objective quiet.

"There is much going on that you do not know about," he tells me.  "I wouldn't be so quick to get out of here, if I were you."

Before I can ask him to explain, he's reaching into his back pocket to retrieve a cell phone.  He hits a few keys before turning the screen towards me.  Hesitantly, I take a few steps forward to get a clearer image of what exactly he's trying to show me.

I gasp when I see my photo.  My eyes widen at the steep amount of Rubles above my face.  "But who would pay that much bounty?" I exclaim.  "Who could?"

"The Bratva," he states.  "That's who."

The Russian mafia.  Of course.  Pavel has been immersed in the organization ever since I can remember.  I thought maybe I would have Pavel's family after me if they discovered what I'd done…but now I have the whole goddamn mob.

Sinking to the bed when my knees give out on me, I shake my head in disbelief.

The man puts his phone away, leaving me in shock.  "They put the price on your head last night, and it's been circulating like wildfire.  Your face is everywhere, and everyone wants a piece of that pie."

Yes, of course they did, because my plan didn't go exactly how I wanted it to.  I was going to return to my family, explaining to them how my husband was murdered in cold blood right before my very eyes and how I barely escaped alive. My family would've protected me.

And then eventually, I could have run away from my worthless parents after I had enough money and everything I needed.  I would have taken my sister with me, provided for her, given her a better life than I had, a life I could only ever dream of before.

I had spun the intricate web of lies in my head a countless number of times over the past several months, and I made myself believe my plan would work.

It would have to.

However, the more I've been thinking about my plan since I've been stuck in this room…the more doubt that's been creeping up in my mind.  Would my mother have protected me from my father?  It's not like he would have welcomed me home with open arms.  Papa had already betrayed me once in the past that cost me my childhood.  What's not to say he wouldn't do it again even behind my mother's back?

And especially with that kind of bounty out on my head…my father would have never kept me safe.  He would have turned on me the first chance he could.  Maybe I would have returned home to Russia only to be hand-delivered to the mafia to be beaten…tortured…and killed.

My original plan, however fickle it truly was, quickly unraveled after Jackson kidnapped me, and now I'm really in deep trouble.

"Shit," I hiss.

"So you see, Princess, you're not in the best of positions right now."  He clasps his hands together and says, "Besides, there's no way off this island unless you know how to fly a plane."

My head snaps up at his words.  Jackson brought me to an island?!

Oh, of course he did, I grumble mentally.

The man turns towards the door and throws over his shoulder, "I suggest you stop trying to escape and realize that this place is your safest bet.  And if I were you, I would make sure I kept Jackson real happy.  Otherwise, you'll be out on your ass, and I doubt if you have the resources to last more than a day on your own."

Looking up at the giant as he punches in the code to the door, I ask him quickly, "How do I keep him happy?"

I see the side of his mouth curl up in a smirk.  "You're a smart girl.  I'm sure you'll figure it out," he says before disappearing out the door.

I have to keep my captor happy?  Oh, how the tables have turned.

Grumbling, I shake my head, but then slowly begin to nod.  Against all of my very being, I realize exactly what I must do now.  My survival now completely depends on Jackson and his actions.

My objective of leaving this place has quickly turned on its head.  I need to stay here for as long as I can.  Because if I leave here…I'm as good as dead.