I followed Anatoli into his car. Safety was clearly no longer a priority. He led me inside a green Cadillac.

“Where’s Pytor?” I asked once I was seated. I hated it just being me and Anatoli. That was terrifying. Pytor wanted me in his business so he wouldn’t hurt me. Anatoli, on the other hand, I had no idea what his play was.

“Don’t worry little girl,” he said with disgust. “I’m not going to hurt you. I'm under strict orders on what to do here.”

I laughed. “You sure are big on order taking.”

He whipped around and gave me a look that sent chills down my spine.

“You sure have quite a mouth on you for someone who hasn’t even had their first drink yet.”

“Fuck! Anatoli, you are driving! Fucking watch the road you psycho.”

He laughed and turned back to the road.

“And you don’t know how old I am or if I’ve had a drink before. So, suck that.”

He turned around slightly and smirked. Then nodded his head.

“I have no doubt you’ve drank маленький.”

I had no idea what that word meant but it sounded less violent, so I relaxed a bit. Twenty or so minutes later we pulled up to a large house with lots of archways. It is the most prominent thing I remember about the place. It was white with lots of archways.

“What is this place?”

“Hooker house,” he shrugged.

“Fuck. No. Put me back on the street,” I yelled, jerking the door handle. “I’m not living with a bunch of female hookers. I will kill them all. Let me out!”

Anatoli busted out laughing. He laughed so hard it almost looked painful.

“Relax маленький, this is not a hooker house.”

“What the fuck does that word mean? What is this place?”

“It means little one. This is my place, as instructed by Pytor.”

Then the door unlocked, and I jumped out.

“I need to go.”

I was panicked now. Something that rarely happened to me, but everything hit me all at once; fucking strangers, being with random Russians, no Rex, no family. I just flipped my shit.

“Where’s the gate. I'm leaving. Fuck this shit!”

I stormed over to the gate. I only made it a few steps before a large hand hooked onto my upper arm with such force I flew backwards onto the ground. I was lying all the way down. Anatoli leaned over so his face was hovering right over mine.

“You are in. You committed to Pytor. Now, you will follow me inside. Calmly.”

I slowly pushed myself up. The wind was definitely knocked out of me, but I was used to fighting the uncomfortable. Once I was safely on my feet again, I was being yanked inside by Anatoli. The second he got me through the door, into a wide-open kitchen, he slammed the door behind me, locked it and set an alarm.

“I’ll know if you go,” he said, tapping a finger on the alarm.

“NO!”

Full on panic consumed me. I grabbed a plate off the pristine granite countertop and sent it crashing to the floor.

“I didn’t trade one hell for another. Let me out of here. I will make your life miserable!”

I reached for a vase, but Anatoli rolled his eyes and snatched it from me. I went to reach for something else when his calloused hand wrapped around my upper arm, effectively immobilizing me.

“Listen to me,” he said firmly. “You are in this now. You aren’t getting out. You have no idea who Pytor is. You sold your soul to the devil маленький. You need to learn to live with it.”

He shrugged and released my hand.

“I thought you were stronger than this,” he waved his hand around, gesturing to my body. “I thought you were a fighter. Now. You wanted food, housing and a shower. You have housing. You can use the shower in your room. I’ll show you. Eat anything you want.”

I immediately perked up. Food. He saw my shift in demeanor too and laughed. 

“Yeah you can eat what you want.”

All out, life consuming hunger overcame me. I sprinted to the pantry and opened a bunch of packages, cramming the food in my mouth. I hadn’t eaten, other than the burger, in two days and before that my dad wasn’t big on feeding me. Free reign of food was a miracle I had only ever dreamed of.

“Jesus Alex,” Anatoli gasped. He came over and pulled me away from the food. “You are going to make yourself sick.”

“Let me go!” I kicked around. “Let me eat. I’m so hungry!”

I kept kicking and Anatoli dropped me to the ground with a slightly shocked look on his face.

“What the fuck did you run away from маленький?”

I looked down at the ground, feeling so small.

“Where’s my room?” I whispered.

Anatoli paused for a second and then nodded to himself.

“Get off the floor and I’ll show you.”

I looked up at him and then slowly peeled myself off the floor. Anatoli grabbed two of the seven bags I’d opened and started walking down the hallway. I grabbed a third bag of food and sprinted after him. We made our way down a hallway, then up a flight of stairs. Eventually he stopped in a doorway.

“You are here. Restroom to the left.” He set the food he bought on the dresser and then looked at the bag in my hand. “Couldn’t resist bringing another one, could you?”
“No,” I whispered. Suddenly feeling exhausted.

Anatoli sighed. “Well, you know where the toilet is when you puke.”

“Yep. To the left by the shower.”

Time ticked on while Anatoli watched me, running through things in his mind. Eventually he shook his head and there was a slight drop of his shoulders.

“Welcome to hell маленький.”

Then he left.

I didn’t let his words phase me. He was delusional if he didn’t think I wasn’t already in hell. I’d just traded on for another. That’s it. I slept soundly that night. After being raped, abused, beaten, burned most of my life, it really astounded me I slept so soundly most nights, but I think that was part of my issues. What is it called… disconnected? Dissociated? Who the hell knows? I had it and needed it.

“Are you ever going to get up?” a gruff voice said. I shot up and raised a fist.

“Who’s there?”

Anatoli came into view and I relaxed my arm.

“Do you always come up swinging?”

I frowned. “How old are you all?”

“I’m 26. Pytor’s 34. Tobias is 22. How old are you маленький?”

“Eighteen,” I lied.

Anatoli laughed. “Pytor, Tobias nor I are under the impression you are legal.” Then his voice dropped to a threatening tone. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”
Anatoli was in front of me in an instant with his hand around my throat. “Two can do this Alex. How old are you?”

He was crushing my windpipe, but I’d been choked by my dad’s friends before.

“Eighteen,” I croaked out.

“Alex…” he growled. Then he rolled his eyes and squeezed so hard I saw stars. I clawed at his hand. I needed to live. “Sixteen,” I said, panicked and barely audible. “Just turned sixteen.”

Anatoli released my throat, throwing me back.

“Fuck.”

“You fucker! You choked me,” I yelled, jumping out of the bed.

Anatoli turned around and laughed. “I should have known you wouldn’t have let that slip.”

“For real though! You can’t choke me.”

He turned to me once we were in the kitchen.

“I’m guessing you’ve been choked quite a bit in your life.”

“You know fuck all about my life,” I grumbled, as I grabbed three cold hot dogs from the fridge, “and you still owe me a haircut. I won’t do shit until I get a haircut.”

He smirked and looked me up and down. “You don’t seem like the ‘I need a haircut’ type. That’s a weird request from a group of Russian businessmen wanting to sell you for sex.”

“First, you aren’t businessmen. I don’t know what the fuck you are yet, but you sure as shit aren’t ‘businessmen’. Second,” my voice got a bit lower as I relaxed. I was oddly comfortable with Anatoli at his house. I took a seat and stuffed half a hot dog in my mouth. “I always cut my hair when I need a change. It’s just my thing.”

He studied me.

“Book a place and let me know where. Pytor did tell me to honor all the conditions you guys laid out.”

I rolled my eyes. “Quit acting like you are just doing everything because Pytor asked it of you. You think I'm alright. I can tell. Quit being a pussy.”

With that I stuffed the last bit of hot dog in my mouth and Anatoli raised an eyebrow at me.

“You can really put it down there can’t you маленький?” When I didn’t respond he continued. “Pytor’s on his way over with Tobias. You need to audition.”

“Audition,” I just about squeaked out. I quickly corrected it, realizing how weak I sounded. Anatoli’s eyes narrowed at me. Not threatening. If I was correct there was a bit of concern, there. I cleared my throat.

“What do you mean audition?”

“You’re in this now. We need to know where to place you. You need to audition.”

“You mean fuck one of you?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Obviously. Did you think Pytor was going to send you out blind without even knowing if you could fuck? It’s a business Alex.”

I didn’t respond. I thought I could handle this. I couldn’t. I simply turned on my heel and headed towards the front door. I was out. I don’t fuck people I know or have lived with. Never again. Strangers I could handle. Fucking one of these three assholes. No. I couldn’t do that. I reached for the door and then… whoosh! I was airborne. I was hauled over Anatoli’s shoulder.

“Let me go! Anatol,” I shrieked. “I can’t fuck one of you guys. I know you. Let me go.”

I punched and kicked and screamed, but the wall of muscle was unphased. He stomped over to my room, threw me on the bed, shut the door and stood in front of it with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Let’s deal with this before Pytor fucking kills you,” he snapped. He looked furious and intimidating. I felt sixteen in that moment.

“You don’t care if he kills me… but he wouldn’t kill me.”

“Oh маленький, your attitude betrays you. You are so naive.”

“I… I… “I stuttered for a moment and then clamped my mouth shut. Based on the look on his face I knew he wasn’t lying. Pytor would kill me.

“Do what he says, and he will give you food, money, protection, all that. He takes care of his girls. You just have to be willing to sell your soul.”

“I can’t fuck one of you,” I said weakly. “My soul's been sold a long time ago, but I… I can’t fuck one of you.”             

“Oh маленький, you haven’t sold your soul. Not yet.”

I shook my head against my chest.

“I can’t fuck one of you.”

“You can, and you will, or you will die. I'm not a fan of killing children.”

“Oh, but fucking them is fine!”

His jaw ticked. “I don’t fuck kids.”

“Fuck you and your tricky little Russian friends!”

“Tobias isn’t Russian. He’s Greek.”

I hopped off the bed.

“Pytor can kill me. Whatever. Honestly. What the fuck ever. Who actually gives a shit anymore.”

Images of my mom’s dead body came into my head. Sitting in my own piss and vomit. My dad’s cold eyes as he said he’d lay his disgusting hands on me. The last time I went shopping with Mia. Rex’s compassionate eyes, knowing I’d never see him again.

“You are sixteen маленький. You don’t want to die yet.”

“Don’t pretend to care Anatoli!” I snapped, voice cracking.

I hated pity. I hated that he was at all sad for me when he was the one trapping me here.

He sighed heavily, his shoulders falling to his chest. Without saying another word, he left and locked the door from the outside. A lock I didn’t even know was there. As tough as I thought I was, I was no match for these men. They had outsmarted me in every way. It was kill or be killed. Except in this instance both choices were me. I either kill my soul, the last bit of my morality I have, or my body dies. It was as simple as that.