Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(109)

To Luka’s surprise, they rode on past, at least another hour down the road before they reached another place that looked like it could stand the test of time. There was a gate, even dogs that walked the perimeter, and enough security cameras that let Luka know that this was where they conducted at least some of the business.

When they rolled to a stop, Fatos barked orders and the exterior doors opened, sunlight spilling in, temporarily blinding Luka in its brightness. He didn’t resist as two men grabbed hold of him, dragging him out and onto the dirt.

He could feel the eyes on him as he was led from one prison to another, the conditions worsening. While the front property looked to be in pristine condition, the building behind it was older and didn’t look to be maintained.

If Luka were in a better mood, he might have laughed at the absurdity of being led back to another shitty building, just as he had when he’d first come to Bastian. On that cold dirt floor of Bastian’s old barn, Luka had hoped many a night that he would become more.

How far he had fallen…

There was a chair waiting for him, a coil of rope resting beside it. Only Fatos would enjoy the indignity Luka would feel at being strapped to a chair. It was starting to seem as though his entire goal was to make Luka relive those years leading up to the moment that he had chosen to join the Bratva.

But there was also the reminder of what Luka was capable of. It might have been a while since he’d stepped foot in the Pit, but he was still capable of doing damage with his fists…and that was nothing compared to when he was inspired.

They had to keep him as restrained as possible.

Shoved into the chair, Luka refused to give them the reaction they sought, staying silent as they began tying him down. But before they did, they removed his shirt.

Fatos eventually came into view, his gaze sweeping around the room before landing on Luka once more.

He thought again of why he hadn’t pulled the trigger when he had the opportunity…why he had hesitated.

He should have. He should have ended it before Fatos had managed to rip his world apart. Again.

His ink was appraised with a critical eye and whatever he saw made Fatos frown, circling the chair until he was behind Luka.

Fatos reached out with a gentle hand, sweeping his fingers over the length of Luka’s back, effortlessly finding the scarred lines that were buried beneath different hues of ink. Unlike Alex, he didn’t mistakenly fall upon them, but actively sought them out with a reverence that made Luka’s skin crawl.

He was quiet for some time, and then tapped Luka on the shoulder before stepping into view, shaking his head as though disappointed. “I’m hurt that you covered these. I thought you more than anyone else would wear them like a badge of honor.”

Luka thought about remaining silent, focusing on one of the multitude of water stains that complemented the wall, wanting to distance himself from the inevitable pain that this night would bring. Even with the time that had passed, as Fatos’ hand drifted over the marks that he had left there, Luka could vividly remember the pain of the heated blade gliding along his flesh, how his skin felt once it was sliced open. He might have learned to channel his pain in a different manner, but that didn’t mean he wanted it. Just imagining what Fatos would do to him later made his fingers clench.

His distaste for being helpless was nothing compared to how he felt as he watched one of Fatos’ men approach him with a pair of cutting shears.

More than anybody, Fatos knew how much Luka hated having a shaved head.

He didn’t keep his hair long as a fashion statement, but as another way to rid himself of the life he had before this place took him away and destroyed what little humanity he had clung onto.

Not only that, but there was something hidden beneath the coiling strands of blond hair, a gift Bastian had called it, so Luka would never forget his place. Like many things, it was one of his greatest shames.

Along the back of his head, as more and more hair fell to the ground, the beginning of a word appeared, and not until nearly every strand was gone could it be read clearly. From the way Fatos grinned, as if he had known it would still be there, he was enjoying the shame that was probably clear on Luka’s face.

After Luka had helped Elena get free, Bastian had wanted to remind Luka of his place…remind him that no matter how he pleased him with the sheer amount of money he brought in, he would never be more than he was then…

In thick, black letters, inked when Luka fought with every fiber of his being to get free, was a single word, written in English for anyone to read.

Slave.





46

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Wake Up





Venturing out onto the balcony the next morning, her gaze sweeping over the street below, Alex wondered if she’d just been imagining things last night, and maybe there hadn’t been a person staring up at her. It was surely possible. With the hours she worked and the sheer amount of time she put into practice, most days she was exhausted, and last night had been no different.

And yet…just because she was thousands of miles away from the Bratva, that didn’t mean she was very far from danger. Their family had enough enemies stateside that she had never given much thought to how many there were abroad. For all she knew, that could have been a tracker sent by someone who was trying to get to her brother. It wasn’t like she was under constant guard, and now that L…well, now that she didn’t have anyone around who was formidable in his own right, they could think she was the weak link.