Someone wanna know how I had 10k in my last chapter and now I have over 12k? ❤️❤️❤️ much love. Dedicated to AliceW12346 and transp-arent cause yall are crazy fucking supportive and yall dont even know me and like...ugh 💛 cant even put it into words.

I was fucking Roman Petrov again. It was an accident, really. I met him for dinner (which, by the way, was fucking delicious) and we talked and got to know each other. He said he was a business man, and he traveled constantly between Ukraine and the United States. 'Businessman' is a pretty loose term, and I pointed it out to him.

"Businessman, huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "I've heard all about your businesses. Weapons trafficking and—"

He smiled, completely unfazed by my words and shrugged.

"Allegedly. It's all allegations and theories. If they were true I'd be in hiding, yes? A fugitive. I am a free man and I have done nothing but support my country. Investing in businesses, helping build parks and retirement homes. People in my country thrive thanks to me." The words slipped past his lips so easily, I almost believed them to be true. I'd have to look him up again later.

"Never forget where you came from," I had replied with a nod, pretending to be understanding. "I see you haven't."

"Of course not. Ukraine is my home."

We'd talked a little more, a little about him, more about me. He asked questions, some of which I were able to dodge and others I weren't so lucky.

"You must have a last name." He took a sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Greene."

I wasn't sure if he actually believed me, but I didn't push it. He asked me what I did and I told him that I was currently unemployed, and that my father added money into my bank account every month. Every question was answered with a lie. On both ends.

Eventually, he got horny and started rubbing my leg with the palm of his hand. His large, warm hand. I played it off at first, pretended to be uninterested, but that didn't last long. He was fucking hot and with his hand that close to that spot, it was only a matter of time before I was ready to jump his bones. He got the bill, paid, and pulled me out of the restaurant with a speed only a man about to get laid could manage. We didn't make it far.

By that, I mean we had sex in the backseat of his car because he couldn't keep his hands to himself.

As hot as it sounds, sex in a car is uncomfortable. There's a lot of fumbling and trying to take off clothes and no space. His car was was great—a lambo (which you rarely see in New York)—but it wasn't the best place to get it on.

Especially when your orgasm hits.

Then, he took me home.

Home was the hotel Niccolò posted me in. He was a gentleman, walking me upstairs. I was nervous. Every part of me was hoping the 'guards' wouldn't be standing outside the doors, waiting to lock me in. How the hell would I explain them? It didn't matter. They weren't there. So I did the only logical thing I could think of. I invited him inside.

It gets lonely in that room. Niccolò only comes in to yell at me, and the only other conversations I get are from the guy bringing in my food. A few more minutes with Roman wouldn't hurt, right?

"Do you have a change of clothes?" He asked, as I closed the door behind us and walked toward the room.

I pulled open the door, and go to the closet where I'd hung up some clothes.

"Yes. Are we going somewhere? We just had dinner."

"Wear something sexy. Red, maybe?" He casually examined the room. "There is a party."

"A party?" I questioned, flicking through the clothes. Niccolò must have went shopping for me because there was some new things in here I'd never seen. My eyes landed on a red dress stashed between a black and green one and I pulled it out, admiring it.

"Yes. A friend of mine is throwing it." He eyed the dress and nodded in approval. "Perfect."

"What friend?"

He laughed. "I doubt you'd know any of my friends."

I shrug. "I might. I know a lot of people." True, but not exactly the point. I needed to get information from him. Starting with who his friends are.

"His name is Donny."

I didn't know a Donny, but I'd ask Niccolò about it.

"Hm."

I took off the dress I already had on and slipped into the other. It was soft, silky, form-fitting, and stopped right above my knee. The zipper was still down, but I ignored that and grabbed some black pumps from the closet, slipping into them carefully.

I'd gotten very good at wearing heels a long time ago. A lot of men seem to find it sexy fucking a woman while she wore them. Don't know why; I find it annoying. To each his own, I guess.

He came up behind me and zipped it up slowly, his knuckles brushing my skin. Every part of him felt warm. Hot. I stepped away from him and turned around, putting a sultry smile on my face.

"Shall we go, then?"

He extended his arm toward me and I slipped my hand between it, holding onto him.

"This should be fun," I murmured leaning into him as we left my hotel room.

One of the guards were just leaving the room across from us. My eyes met his and they narrowed slightly. Roman barely spared him a glance as we walked to the elevators. But the guard...his eyes remained on me until we were obstructed from his view.

*****

The party was in Manhattan. Which is good because that meant we didn't have to drive for long.

The next thing I noticed was that it wasn't in someone's house. It was in a club. He could have mentioned that, and a part of me wondered why he didn't. There was a long line leading down the block and I dreaded having to wait on it. That dread turned to relief when Roman walked straight towards the bouncer. The second the bouncer's eyes landed on him, the red rope was removed and we were let through. I heard a collection of groans and 'what the fucks' and smirked. Haha, fuckers. Sucks for you.

I'd been to many clubs, and this was no different. It was crowded, but not in a 'I can't breathe, y'all stink, I need air' kind of crowded. It was just a private party in a club in manhattan and lots of people were invited. Music blared through surround sound speakers and I could  feel the bass of the song vibrate through every part of me. It looked fresh, clean, new...I liked it. The bar was set up across the club, and from here I could see a wide range of drinks on display. Getting drunk was a bad idea and I knew it, so I immediately made a silent promise to not have more than two drinks.

Roman led me through the crowd, which basically parted to get out of his way. They either knew who he was, or didn't want to.

I heard his accent as he spoke, but over the loud music and the loud people, I hadn't caught what he said.

"What?" I yelled.

He leaned down, his lips right by my ear. "Do you want a drink?"

I nodded and let him lead me to the bar. The bar was filled. People sat there, ordering drinks and talking and laughing. The bartender flashed someone a wide grin before turning to face us.

His eyes landed on Roman and he immediately sobered. "Mr. Petrov," he greeted, looking a little more tense than before. "What can I get for you?"

"Whatever she gets, I'll have." Roman gestured to me.

The guy's eyes slid to me and softened just a little. He smiled and opened his arms wide. "We have a wide array of drinks. Pick your poison."

"White grape cosmo?"

"Coming right up." He flashed another smile before turning to prepare my drink.

Roman grimaced. "Tequila and tonic."

Men just didn't fuck with cosmos.

My head bobbed to the music, and I drummed my fingers on the bar counter, my eyes scanning the area. It really was a nice club. I kind of wanted to come back some day.

"Donny should be here somewhere..." Roman trailed off. "Give me a moment?"

"Of course." I smiled and told him to go find his friend and bring him back.

Just as I turned to face the bar again, my cosmopolitan was placed in front of me.

"You're dating him?" The bartender asked, eyes focused on something behind me.

I took a sip, savoring the taste. "We're just friends. This is great, thank you."

His eyes finally found mine and he flashed me another grin. "Sure. Be careful, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, he went to tend to another customer.

I stirred the drink with the tooth pick and plucked a grape off of it, slipping it past my lips. It was good.

Roman wasn't back by the time I finished, and I needed to pee. Shrugging, I stepped away from the bar and went in search of the bathroom. It was pointless, this place was huge. There was a blonde dancing with her friend and I tapped her shoulder. She turned and looked at me, eyes narrowed in question.

"Sorry...do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Oh. Uh, you see that arch?" She pointed across the room. "Go through there. There's three doors, one is red. It's that one. You can't miss it."

I smile gratefully. "Thanks."

As I walked to the bathroom, I suddenly felt lightheaded. The drink was strong, so I wasn't really surprised. Just needed some water. I made a mental note to have a glass when I was finished. Before I stepped through the arch, my eyes landed on a man in the corner of the club. His eyes were on me.

He looked familiar. My spine straightened and chills ran through me. I recognize him. Someone stepped back, blocking him from my view and when they moved he was gone.

I blinked several times. Had I imagined that? My eyes narrowed as I stared at the empty space a little longer. My bladder didn't appreciate my hesitation and the need to pee grew. Sighing, I turned and walked to the red door. I laughed. Of course I can't miss it. In gold capital letters, the word BATHROOM was across the door. I stepped inside and went to pee.

Club bathrooms were always nice. Sure it smelled like puke and piss, but it still looked nice. Red lights and clean mirrors and mints in a bowl on the sink. I peed, washed my hands, grabbed a mint, and stepped back outside.

Before I could make any movements, a hand on my arm stopped me.

"Well, well," a voice from behind me drawled. I bristled, immediately recognizing his southern accent. I'd have run, but his voice (and hand) had me frozen. "If it isn't little old Cherry."

I turned around, and his hand slipped away. My eyes mat a pair of brown ones and my heart sank. "Cherry is dead."

"Oh? I think I'm seeing ghosts then. And I know someone who'd be very interested in seeing you, Casper."

I crossed my arms over my chest and took a subtle step back. "No, thanks."

"That wasn't an offer. Let's go, Cherry. Don't make this harder on yourself." David turned and walked down the long hallway.

I turned to run, but two men who weren't there before stood in front of me now. They were exactly like the men Chris would want working for him—big, and aggressive. Mean-looking. They glared down at me, their eyes warning me to not try anything stupid. I glanced back over my shoulder.

"Come now," David said, stopping in front of a door. He turned the doorknob. Seemed I had no choice in the matter.

I walked over to him, my steps slow and cautious. When I reached him, he smiled again and opened the door. With every step down, I felt my heart rate pick up. It was dark and silent. Dead silent. The smell of blood and vomit lingered in the air. I took a step back, bumping into David. He steadied me, and flickered on the light.

My eyes zeroed in on the figure on the floor, curled up into a fetus position. She was unnaturally skinny. Her hair had been dyed blonde but it was a bad job and the roots have begun to go back to their natural brown. Her body was covered in dirt and grime and dried blood. She looked pale and weak.

"Oh my God," I whispered.

She raised her head slowly.

"Oh my God," I said again, covering my mouth. The stench was strong, and I suddenly had the urge to empty my stomach all over the floor. I braced myself, leaning over to place my hands on my knees as I dry heaved. "Oh my God."

"We get it," David mumbled, patting my shoulder and brushing past me. "Oh your God."

"What did you do to her?" I gasped, my eyes watering as the smell wafted throughout the room.

"Me? Nothing. But Alfred?" He clicked his tongue. "Well you know how Alfred gets."

The image of the dyed brown haired, brown eyed man flashed before my eyes, a wide grin on his wrinkled face. Alfred was many things, and 'monster' stood at the very top of that list.

"She...she didn't do anything." I straightened up and covered my nose with the back of my wrist. God, it reeked.

"She set you up. Isn't this what you wanted? Revenge?"

It was insane. This was the woman he'd fucked for months. The woman he 'saved'. And now she was nothing. A whore. Used and abused and thrown away like trash. He didn't really care about her.

They never really care about us.

"Not on her!" I hissed, taking a step closer to her. "She was scared! She was scared and she did what she had to do. She protected herself. I would have done the same thing!"

David drew a gun from the waistband of his jeans and I took a step back. He extended it towards me, the barrel directed downwards. He raised an eyebrow when I didn't move.

"Finish it." He shoved the gun in my hand. It felt large and heavy. "She's suffering. End it."

Milan sobbed and crawled across the floor. She pressed herself against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Please forgive me. I'm sorry." She looked up at me. "I'm sorry. I'm—"

She rocked back and forth, her hands and voice shaking. She looked crazy. Jesus, what'd they do to her? Was it worse than what they did to me? Probably. She never got out. Then again, neither did I. Went from one psycho to another. My eyes drifted between her and the gun.

David shoved his hands in his pockets and stood back, watching and waiting.

I aimed the gun at him, my hand surprisingly steady considering the inner turmoil I was going through. Do it. "You let us go now or I'll put a bullet in your head."

David smiled, not looking the least bit concerned. He shrugged and nodded, as if he were two steps ahead of me. I should have known he was. "I figured you'd say that."

The pain didn't register until I was on the ground. And then a terrible ache shot through my head. My eyesight blurred and I raised my hand to touch the back on my head. My fingers met with warm liquid. When I pulled my hand away, I stared at the crimson color, my brain not completely registering what it was.

"You made me do it, Cherry." David crouched down in front of me and picked up the gun that had slipped from my grasp and pressed it against my forehead. "It didn't have to be this way."

"I'll kill you," I rasped, my vision already darkening.

"You mean like how you killed Christopher?" He leaned forward, his lips right by my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut. "You know something, Cherry? I'd like to see you try."

Pain. Nothing.

*****

"You stupid bitch!" Chris gripped my hair and threw me across the floor. A loud cry escaped my lips as pain shot through my knees and wrist. "What the fuck did you do?"

I tried to crawl away, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. Get away from him! The voice in my head screamed loudly at me. Get out of there!

His hand wrapped around one of my ankles and he pulled hard. My hands fell out from under me and my chin slammed against the tiled floor. Blood pooled underneath me.

"Tell me what you did!" He growled, crawling up my body and pinning me down.

I struggled underneath him, my whole body in fight or flight mode. But I couldn't fight and I definitely couldn't run. He was too strong. Tears stung the back of my eyes.

CRACK!

I screamed loudly, the pain erupting in my cheek. My breaths came out shorter, and black and white dots interrupted my vision. Oh God. I'm going to die. Gunshots came from downstairs. No, no, no, no...

I was supposed to have been out by now.

"Shut up!" He smacked me hard, the large ring cutting my lip.

"Please!" I gasped, struggling to inhale. Every breath I took caused me pain. So much so, I was basically wheezing. "Please, I didn't do anything..."

"You fucking liar!" His fingers buried themselves in my hair and he lifted my head before slamming it back down just as swiftly. More pain. Nothing but pain. "You stupid little whore."

His voice held nothing but venom. One hand wrapped around my throat and he squeezed, cutting off my oxygen supply. My hands flew up, slapping at his wrists and his face. He simply leaned back, avoiding my nails. My eyes widened as my heartbeat quickened. He was killing me.

His other hand lowered and he reached for something in his pants.

I tried harder, tried to pry his fingers from my throat. But there was no use. He was too strong, and I was growing weaker with every passing second.

He retrieved whatever it was he needed and lifted it so it was in my view. A knife. Tears rolled down my cheek.

He leaned in close. "My face will be the last thing you see."

My hands fell limply to my sides.

He suddenly moved his hand from my throat and stood. I breathed in deeply, sucking in all the air I could before violently coughing. With all the energy I could muster, I twisted my body to the side and curled up, focusing on getting my breathing back to normal.

"You're going to die." Chris said, voice low and menacing.

I slowly raised my head and met his gaze.

Pain erupted through me again when he delivered a hard kick to my side.

"And I'm going to be the one to kill you." He dropped to his knees. "Goodbye, Cherry."

I rolled over too late. Fire. Ice. Hot. Cold. My side felt like it was burning. It was too much. The pain was too much. I couldn't even bring myself to scream again. Chris fell back, exhausted. I reached for the knife lodged in my side, but pain shot through me like no other. More tears. More pain. More blood. You're going to die, Neila.

Chris laughed. "I told you...not to cross me."

I reached for the knife again. My vision darkened.

"Now you're going to die. With nothing."

My hand wrapped around the handle. I bit down on my lip, drawing blood, as I slowly tried to pull it out. Fire. Fire, fire, fire.... I stopped to catch my breath.

"A waste. You're nothing but another common whore. A lost cause. Nothing." He laughed again, as if delighted. But there was something else in his voice. Something sad, and broken. "You're fucking nothing."

Gunshots. Closer, now. It drew his attention away from me and to the door. That was my last chance. I yanked the knife out. More pain. My vision blurred, but I couldn't think about that. I didn't think. Didn't hesitate. I only acted.

The knife slid into him like he was warm butter. Satisfaction curled deep inside me. He let out a sound between a growl and a cry. I didn't give him time to react. I yanked it out of his shoulder and plunged it into