A Lock Of Death by Beena Khan

4

I glanced up at the darkening sky.

Night had fallen again, but tonight, instead of comforting me, I wanted to avoid it. With that time of the year again, the wind increased in speed with the thunderstorm arriving.

I stared at the ground at the small cars zooming past. Some rushed to reach home, and some didn’t have a care in the world. I rested my hands against the black railing as my shoulders sagged and I peered down below.

I could live on top of the world but could still feel less than dirt. Maybe I could jump out of this building right now. It was too easy since all I needed to do was lunge. No one would miss me, well, except for maybe Pakhan but only because his transaction failed. I had no one looking out for me there anymore, a complete loner.

Vivid images crossed my mind of my body splattering forty floors down against the dusty pavement. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight. My face would be dented enough that no one could identify me. No one would claim my death certificate. I would be another nameless face burned into the back of history.

My spine straightened when I sensed another presence.

Slowly, I turned back around.

Time for round two.

Boring Boris stood there in his fancy suit.

I clutched onto the railing before stepping into the room.

His gaze crawled all over me again. I’d made sure to wear a bra today with my nipples safely hidden from his leery view.

I’d worn another one of my golden, strappy dresses. It’s what I mainly owned. I clung to sunshine.

I glanced behind him at the door, expecting Dimitri Nikolaev, but no one else followed Boris. Where was he? My skin crawled, and I hoped he planned to come today.

My pulse spiked at every step I took.

I kept a few feet between us in case Boris pounced on me.

He spoke in his deep voice.

“Hello, pet.”

Fuck you.

I didn’t say that out loud though and kept my mouth shut. I’d learned it the hard way if you bad mouth an evil man, you would get a beating. I hated that nickname though. I wasn’t his animal, and I would never accept him as my master.

“You look lovely.”

Double fuck you.

“You look better with clothes off though.”

Triple fuck you.

I crossed my arms over my chest and fixated my gaze on the carpet.

“Maybe you should give me a strip tease again?”

I ran out of fucks to give now.

My head jerked up, and my eyes narrowed in slits, threatening to shoot lasers out of them.

His leather shoes moved toward me.

“You know, your eyes say so much of what you want to say but you can’t,” he declared, smiling at me. “Once you’re under my command, I will train you into submissiveness.”

My heart sank deep into my chest and disappeared. The blood in my veins whooshed past my ears.

“You have a lot to learn. Once I’m done training you, you will walk, breathe, eat, dress, and live according to me.”

What a dictator.

Even Alexanderwas better than that.

“I’ll take away everything from you,” he warned, losing his smile. Now, he resembled an ugly man just like his ugly soul. His gaze dropped to my dress. “Starting with your clothes. You’ll have to earn them. On your first day, when you come to me, I want you to greet me on all fours. You’ll be on your knees.”

Could I please kill him already?

“If you disrespect me, I will start by cutting off that braid of yours that you have so much arrogance about. If you disrespect me a second time, I’ll have my men fuck your pretty cunt, and if that’s not enough, I’ll bring my dogs out to fuck whatever is left of you,” he finished.

A tremble ran through my body.

He cannot be serious…

Immediately, my hand leaped up to the back of my braid in apprehension. His beady eyes gleamed with a wicked glint. If I could, I would give him the most merciless death ever.

His footsteps moved toward me, and I stepped back. In quick, strides he landed in front of me. His spicy cologne filled the atmosphere, making me want to gag. I gulped deeply, and my eyes fell on the movement flashing at the doorway. My sinking heart rose and swam to the shore. My eyes brightened as my gaze fell on a tall figure dressed all in black.

Dimitri Nikolaev had arrived.

Blue.

Running his hand through his hair, he took the scene in front of us. His sharp eyes lifted and fell on my face before he glanced at Boris. He reached for the door—even though it was open—and slammed it against the wall. It caught Boris’ attention, and he turned around to meet Dimitri’s gaze.

“I thought we were meeting at 6:30 PM?” Dimitri questioned as he moved closer. His voice was still the same as I had remembered yesterday. Deep, rumbling, and commanding. He quirked an eyebrow at Boris before he glanced at the black Rolex watch on his wrist. “It’s only 6 PM.”

My eyes fell on Boris’ sneaky ass.

He obviously came earlier to catch me alone before Dimitri arrived. Boris faked a smile at Dimitri, and I rolled my eyes.

“I could ask you the same thing. You’re early too,” Boris countered in a sickeningly, sweet tone.

My head jerked to Dimitri.

Dimitri stayed dead silent as his lethal form came toward us, and like an invasive third party, he stood next to us.

“Answer my question,” he commanded darkly.

His thick voice left no questions to be asked.

Sweat trickled down Boris’ reddened forehead before he gulped. “I must have misread the time,” he replied.

Dimitri only tilted his head and stayed quiet.

Boris stepped back before pulling out pieces of papers from his satin, black suit coat.

“First things first, this is the contract,” then he pulled out a pen from his suit pocket, “I need her signature.”

My curious eyes followed the papers.

Maybe it was the contract that would bind me to him.

A collection payment sort of contact.

He handed the items to Dimitri.

Dimitri took them before he moved toward the table against the wall and placed the paperwork and pen on it. Tilting his body, he glanced at me with his crystal eyes.

That gaze was enough to hold me in. He didn’t speak at all, but I moved toward him, taking it as a cue to follow him. Strange, I listened to him but not Boris.

I fiddled with my braid again, and his eyes never left my face. When I reached, his crispy scent hit me again. I met his mad and liquid, eccentric blue eyes before my gaze fell on the papers.

I took a step back when I caught the first line, but a firm hand grasped my hand, reining me back in place.

MARRIAGE CONTRACT

No.

That couldn’t be true.

My lips parted like a gaping sea animal.

I twisted my hand in Dimitri’s grasp, but he didn’t let go. He only pressed harder against my wrist, holding me captive.

Gone was the man I’d met yesterday, today a ruthless killer stood next to me. A true soldier of the Bratva.

A criminal.

A cry wanted to leave my lips, but my voice deserted me.

I blinked, wanting to slap myself awake from this nightmare. My water-filled eyes glanced up at Dimitri, trying to plead with him through my eyes, but he was a blurred mess.

I couldn’t see through my dreary vision. I tried to shimmy out of his hold, but he yanked me to him until I landed against his hard chest. I blinked, but the tears didn’t shed. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I blew out a breath.

He only turned me around, his large chest pressed against the small of my back. I hated him and I hated his enticing scent too. He forced the pen between my fingers, but I made no move to sign at all. I refused. I would never sign with my free will.

The brute’s large hand reached for my smaller hand, engulfing it, before moving it against the paper, scribbling a couple of times.

Heat trickled into my skin like I was being burned alive. My eyes still couldn’t focus, still clouded with tears. Only the sounds of the pen scratching against the paper filled me. I tried to pull my hand back, but he only tightened his grip.

My hand throbbed in return.

I was just an assignment to him.

Nothing less. Nothing more.

He let go of my hand when the deed completed, and my back sagged against him, resting for a moment.

A single tear rolled down my face.

Quickly, I reached up and wiped it away.

I’m married.

My pulse spiked and my soul screamed that I had signed my life away to a stranger whose guts I hated, a stranger I didn’t love, and a stranger who I would have to sleep with for the rest of my life. I didn’t know anything about that man, just that he was arrogant and a complete asshole.

I didn’t want to be his.

I thought I would just have to sleep with him. I’d slept with men before. I thought it would just be like that, but it became much worse before I could even blink… He bounded me to him.

Even if I tried to run, this marriage contract would bind me to him for the rest of my life. I couldn’t marry another man.

“I will have that notarized later. I have one more thing left.”

Dimitri stepped back and I turned to face Boris who’d spoken. What more could he possibly want?

I couldn’t help but be disappointed that Dimitri hadn’t come to my side. He’s not my savior. Boris was right all along.

My price at freedom had come too high.

Sniffling with my disheartened heart, I lifted my eyes and met Boris’ gleam-filled eyes. He held a small black object in the air. I blinked and wiped my face with the back of my knuckles, trying to clear my misty eyes.

I didn’t dare to look up at Dimitri. With my vision cleared, my eyes took in the object, a black microchip.

“I need this tracker in her,” Boris continued, meeting Dimitri’s eyes.

If my heart had shattered before, now my soul cracked with it too. I tried to hold on. I tried to be strong… but it was too late.

My soul collapsed too. I hiccupped instead of crying, a sudden lump stuck in my throat, making it even harder to swallow. I wanted to reach up a hand and scratch my neck out. I wanted to bleed out and die right now.

A sinking feeling sank in my chest.

He doesn’t want just a slave though and it’s the reason why I have agreed, Alexander’s voice echoed in my mind.

He wants all of you.

It all made sense now. Boris had wanted marriage too. My tormented soul screamed in distress. I didn’t know I would be bound to a marriage contract and that my skin would be violated like cattle ready to be slaughtered.

“I want to be aware of her locations during the trip. She is my wife now and her rights belong to me,” Boris continued.

Wife. My eyes slammed shut.

It sounded nicer than whore, but he would never give me the rights of a wife. He would treat me like a whore regardless.

Why would he want to marry me though?

To have complete authority over me?

A long time ago, I once dreamt of marrying a decent man who would be in love with me, but marriage slipped out of the cracks at my old clubhouse. No man wanted to marry a woman with a higher body count than him. It was the brutal truth, no matter how modern that man claimed he was.

Well… except for this man in the suit in front of me.

He didn’t give a shit about me though.

He probably just wanted to make me suffer.

Boris moved toward me, and I stepped back.

Unease chilled my bones. I closed my eyes for a second, still hoping that I still dreamt, and this was a nightmare. It couldn’t be true at all. I wanted to remain in denial.

“Should I?” Boris asked Dimitri.

“I’ll do it,” a low voice came.

My eyes snapped open, but I didn’t look up at Dimitri.

Instead, I focused on Boris. His eyes narrowed before he curtly nodded. I trained my gaze on the floor, so I didn’t have to look at my darling husband’s smirking face.

I vowed under my breath that I would never accept him. Maybe I could make him so miserable that he would divorce me. That idea sounded nice to my ears. My mind ran through possible different ways I could kill him and make it look like an accident. Maybe I could poison him with venom?

I still plotted in my mind when Boris handed the tracker chip to Dimitri. Exhaling and realizing there was no escape, I turned to Dimitri. Eyeing the door, I considered making a run for it, but it would be feeble to even try.

Go down peacefully or go down fighting?

People always assumed to go down fighting was the better option because they assumed it was better to fight rather than to give in. To go down peacefully didn’t mean I had given up. It didn’t mean I had surrendered. It was being smarter.

Their legs were faster than mine, and two against one wasn’t a fair fight at all. The more you fought, the rougher they became, and right now, I didn’t desire more pain. The dreadful tracker itself would be enough.

Clearing my numb mind, I looked up and met Dimitri’s eyes.

Coldness etched out his eyes, and it made me tremble.

Traitor, I wanted to scream.

I was more upset with him than my new husband, and it baffled my nerves. Yesterday, his little protection had resonated deep inside of me, but it had meant nothing. He just didn’t want anyone touching the Bratva’s precious merchandise.

His loyalties were to his brother and not me.

I would escape and run, but I just needed the right moment.

His vacant eyes stared back at me.

How could he allow this to happen to me though?

Did he not feel at all?

I shouldn’t be surprised. The crime world was full of monsters, and I was surrounded by two of them. I lifted my head high, waiting for Dimitri’s next move.

His eyes narrowed, and he reached behind his waist and pulled out a pocketknife. With a quick flick, the silver gleaming blade jerked in the air. It was clean and sharp enough to slice through me. My throat bobbed, staring intently at it.

The artificial light above us caught the light of the silver blade, shining radiantly.

How many kills had that knife taken?

How many kills had that man that held the knife had taken?

Without giving a warning through his mouth or anything at all, his other hand reached out and shoved my braid behind my back. My eyes still accused him the entire time, but his eyes never gave anything away.

They only fell on the blade that loomed near my neck. It landed against my skin, and my mind pondered in thought.

I tilted my head, meeting his deadly gaze. His expression never changed, but his stare fell on the blade.

It nicked me, and a trickle of blood ran down my skin.

Once again, he marked me in red like a volcano.

He may have forgotten, if you get too close to a volcano, its lava always burned.

The nick stung, not enough to flinch, but I winced anyway. It caught his attention and he paused. His blue eyes narrowed, and I faked a whimper and pouted through my full lips. His gaze landed on them before meeting my eyes again. The ice in his eyes had darkened, but his face remained stoic. His gaze fell on the blade, cutting me deeper and straighter in a vertical line.

A grunt left through my lips involuntarily and the cut stung like hell. I leaned closer, filling the space between us until my hand clutched his shirt. I hated how soft it was. The cotton feeling of it was familiar like my own dress.

I hoped Boring Boris looked at us, and I hoped it burned him since he was the bigger asshole.

I forced myself to remember that Dimitri forced my hand at signing the papers, and my eyes watered. Good. Show some emotion. That always helped even with this emotionless brute. I didn’t need him to smile at me or for his eyes to soften.

He paused again, and his eyes dropped to my hands that clung to his shirt, distracted.

Perfect. I pressed closer to him.

I avoided thinking of the muscles underneath his clothes. I knotted his shirt and pulled him closer until my breasts rubbed against his chest while pretending to fake helplessness.

I should’ve skipped wearing a bra today too. It would have helped my case right now. Well, at least the dress showed some cleavage. Dimitri’s steel eyes met mine, and I rubbed against him. My stomach brushed against the thick bulge underneath his belt. He was hard even though his face revealed nothing. I hid a smile. I had him in the palm of my hand now.

Just one more thing left…

He was just like the others.Their faces never conveyed their feelings, but their dicks sure did.

Did they forget who I was?

I knew a hundred different ways to please a man.

A hundred different ways of seduction.

Seduction was an art, and I had mastered it.

His blade no longer pressed against my skin. I couldn’t tell where it aimed since my head faced him. I moved in, tilting my head as I hovered beneath his face.

His eyes never left mine. I glanced down at his mouth, and I was just about to press my lips against his, but a voice roared in the background, “What the fuck?”

Boris. Dimitri pulled his head back, and he glanced in the direction of the voice.

I hid a smile. His guard dropped now. Turning my head quickly, I eyed the blood-covered blade a couple of inches from my skin that was in his grip. A loosened grip. I reached for the blade immediately, and the smile spread on my face.

I almost had it… until he snatched it away from me. Shrieking, I reached for it again, but Dimitri’s hand came down and gripped the back of my nape, forcing me to tilt my head up.

Shit. He was good and fast.

My smile froze as I met his chiding eyes like he was scolding me for being disobedient. He tilted his head, and I gulped realizing that he might slit my throat. Our gazes battled for control until the trance was interrupted by Boris.

“Let me do it,” he urged, “I’ll put the little bitch in her place. She won’t disobey again.”

I wish I could turn my head and throw a glare at him, but a man like death himself gripped the back of my nape forcing me to keep still. Dimitri's eyebrow creased and he pocketed his blade. He reached behind my nape, and the tracker chip came into my view. Without answering Boris, his hand moved to grip the side of my neck, forcing me to turn my head.

I gritted my teeth even though I glared at him. I prayed he would fall and die. His emotionless face revealed nothing.

I couldn’t see the tracker without snapping my neck. He inserted it into my skin, and I flinched, trying to squirm away, but he held me in place.

My eyes fluttered shut, and I’d expected more force from him. I’d tried to disarm him. I’d expected him to get rougher, to punish me, but his touch remained the same as before. The tracker safely rested securely inside my skin.

My shoulders sagged, and he dropped his hold from my neck and stepped back. “Vypolneno. It’s done. I’ll call one of the Bratva doctors to stitch her up,” Dimitri said.

My eyes remained closed.

Defeated… for now.

It was worth a try.

I still knew ninety-nine other ways of seduction.

I was skilled in other ways, and I would keep trying.

I jumped up when thunder flashed outside.

When I was a child, my father used to say, when it rained, angels cried for the humans on earth. Now, it just made me roll my eyes. Myths. It was all myths to give hope to humans that someone was looking out for them.

On earth, you were all alone. You came alone, and you died alone. No one would fight for you, so you had to fight yourself.

“Excellent, Wrath,” Boris praised.

Was that a nickname? If I had any energy left, I would have rolled my eyes at Boris’ excitement.

“I expect her to be punished for her disobedience.”

Some husband. What happened to protecting your wife?

“Maybe you could smack her ass red and send me a picture of it. I have a meeting soon before I catch my flight. I will expect her in no less than two weeks.”

We hadn’t even said any vows.

I vowed that his life would end one day.

My eyes popped open, and I glanced at the man next to me.

Dimitri only gave a curt nod at Boris.

Reaching behind me, he grabbed the paperwork and pen and held it out for Boris. I watched the exchange of my life being handed to my husband and my owner.

Punishment. That word recalled in my mind.

Oh, God… I wasn’t a freaking child that needed a whooping.

Hadn’t I suffered enough for today? I could use a break before they came after me again.

Boris’ footsteps retreated and he left.

My dread-filled eyes lifted at Dimitri.

Blue just stared into my eyes.

Boring Boris and Blue. What a combination.

Before he could reach for me and deliver my punishment, I turned my nose in the air and turned around quickly, running.

God knows where I ran.

Adrenaline filled my veins, carrying a rush to my full mind. I headed toward the bathroom, hoping I could lock myself in the room, but his strides gained up to me and his body all in black flashed in front of me like a lethal panther.

Goddammit. I hated him so much.

His eyes pounced on me, tilting his head as if challenging me to run. I didn’t know what else to do right now, so I ran into the balcony in the pouring rain. Hopefully, he slipped on the wet floor and died. Again, I aimed too high.

Maybe I would die instead. My bare feet slipped under the soaked floor, and I crashed to a stop at the railing when my gaze landed on the blurred world beneath me. My fleeting eyes darted around me, but there was no other escape.

With my fleeting heart, I glanced over my shoulder at Dimitri right behind me.

The rain poured over our bodies, drenching us.

The thick thunder grumbled and stormed above us.

I glanced above my head at the clouds gathered, a silver flash of lightning faded in the sky, from the softest gray to the soft whites. The gray hues were like molten silver and swirled in steady ripples. The strong drafts of wind tangled with my long, wet locks and they clung to my soaked face.

The drops that once fell soft and steady now poured like bullets from the black velvet sky. An ominous fleeting feeling filled my heart that I was cornered.

I glanced up at Dimitri Nikolaev.

He ran a long hand down his face, and my eyes slid to his wet t-shirt that molded into his skin like a second skin. The pale beauty of his glowed in the stark night like a creature of the dead. Boris had called him Wrath, and he just might bring it onto me. He was Death himself.

He eyed me, not speaking at all.

I’d noticed in these two meetings that he only spoke when needed. I kept my mouth shut, hoping he might change his mind about punishing me. I licked my lips, sucking the water droplets that clung to my skin. I tucked my wet tendrils behind my ears as the rainwater swept us away.

Dimitri’s face tilted as he inched closer.

I leaned further against the railing even though I was completely trapped as I looked for a way out.

“You tried to trick me.”

My head jerked in Dimitri’s voice, the sound echoing with the thunder. His eyes were sharp like a hunter, a predator.

“Bad idea.”

He’d figured me out.

My teeth clattered, and I rubbed my arms to warm myself up. Rainfall poured down on my body, rendering me ice-cold.

“I don’t like to be taken as a fool.”

I didn’t miss that warning in his lethal voice nor the way his murderous eyes looked at me. I shook my head in slow motion and a bitter laugh left my lips.

“You are a fool,” I confirmed under my breath.

Maybe I had a death wish now.

He was going to harm me regardless, I could get some insults in along the way. I got a reaction though, and my face brightened. His tall and stocky body went rigid, and his eyes turned into slits. They didn’t look pretty anymore.

“Repeat that,” he challenged.

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

My body tensed but I remained quiet.

I glanced at my cold bare feet. A puddle grew around them, sinking them in like I was on a sinking boat, and I didn’t see any shore at all. This rain drowned me with it.

Lightning struck above me, and the rain hit the side of my neck, the same spot that had the tracker. Wincing, I reached up a hand to touch it. I wiped my eyes even though tears didn’t fall, or maybe they had, but they mixed with the rainwater.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked at last.

I met his luminous and penetrating eyes.

He remained silent.

A hysterical laugh left my lips.

“And now you’re here to punish me,” I accused.

I looked away and still held onto my neck. I pulled back and glanced at my red fingertips. I still bled. Droplets of my blood were wasted under his control.

“I killed a woman three days ago, what makes you think I won’t hurt you?”

I lifted my head.

He hurts women. He’s a sadist.

It was kind of obvious from what he’d done to me, but I didn’t know it went so far that he killed them. Some mobsters in the crime world followed a code. Some didn’t harm women and children. I guess, he wasn’t one of them.

I crossed my arms over my chest.

“My darling husband won’t be pleased.”

I was legally Boris Fedorov’s wife now. My husband was a rich tycoon. God… My husband’s name was Boris out of all possible names. I still couldn’t get over that.

“He gave me his blessing to smack your ass,” Blue spoke.

What kind of man allows another man to touch his wife?

Not a good one, obviously.

My arms dropped and sagged to my sides. I didn’t meet his gaze as I stared at the puddle surrounding my feet. It was more fascinating than facing the brutal truth.

In three quick strides, Dimitri was in front of me.

I closed my eyes in apprehension at the punishment coming. I thought of ways to break out of it, but none of them resonated in my mind. I could trick him only when he didn’t expect it, and now he did. I needed the element of surprise which I didn’t have right now.

His hand reached out and grasped my throat.

I still didn’t open my eyes.

“Just kill me already,” I mumbled.

My blood whooshed in my veins, and my jelly-like legs thrashed to remain standing.

“My punishment is worse than him touching you?”

I didn’t answer him, and I kept my eyes closed. His long fingers pressed against my neck, adding pressure. When they touched the sore spot where the tracker was buried, I winced, and my eyes flew open.

“Answer me,” he ordered.

His voice had been low and calm this entire time. He didn’t need to be loud to dominate anyone. His voice itself was enough.

I remained mute though, and it probably was going to hurt my case. A low growl erupted from his throat like he was pissed off. I didn’t want to look at his lethal gaze, so I pretended I was blind and mute. His heavy body moved toward me, and his hand never left my throat. I leaned against the balcony deeper and deeper until my back arched against it. My head hung over the railing with his hand locked to my throat.

“What if I throw you down the balcony?” Dimitri threatened, his chest brushing against my stomach. I didn’t know how far I was hanging over the railing.

My eyes snapped open, and I took in the upside down world. The rainwater hit my eyes with rapid speed, and I closed my eyes shut. My legs almost gave out under me, but his steady grip on my neck still gripped me.

“This is the fortieth floor,” he continued, “No chance you could survive the fall and live. Your body will accelerate to the ground due to gravity. Your limbs will break, and your head will splatter until pieces of your brain matter come out. We don’t have any shortage of women. I can easily tell Boris you jumped off a building and killed yourself. He can always get a new wife, but you can never get a new life.”

This was the most he’d ever spoken to me, and now I realized why Boris had called him Wrath. He had the type of coldness etched in his harsh and vicious voice. The deep growl of his voice vibrated through his body and echoed through mine. The kind of voice that you heard in your nightmares except it was real. He was more man than myth. He was the kind of monster that lurked under your bed.

I waited for him to carry out his threat, but only silence greeted me. His hand brought me back to earth, lifting me in my place until my head faced his.

“Fuck with me again, and that’s exactly what will happen.”

Darkness clung to every word of his, and my soul slowly chipped away. My pulse spiked at his cruel warning, and I reached up to wipe the back of my wet eyes.

Dimitri Nikolaev stepped back from me, and he turned, ready to head inside.

He let me live, but that still didn’t make me feel better. He would still carry out my punishment. He wasn’t close to being done with me. And I would still be delivered to Boris in the end.

My fate was already sealed.

I glanced at my bare ring finger.

A hysterical laugh wanted to erupt out of me that I didn’t even have a wedding ring.

I lifted my head high and squared my shoulders. I would fuck with him again and again because I had the right to have freedom. The right to live.

Exhaling, I stepped back and turned my body sideways to the railing. My hands gripped it and I spoke in a calm voice.

“You could tell Boris exactly that.”

Dimitri paused in step.

“You can tell him I jumped off a building and killed myself.”

Without giving it another thought, I lifted myself and flung myself over the railing and into the midnight rainy night.

Better death than being a slave for the rest of my life.