92 - Red

"There were things I wanted to tell him. But I knew they would hurt him. So I buried them, and let them hurt me."

- Jonathan Safran Foer

. . .

I felt like I was going to die.

I was in a moving vehicle, still bound and on a man's lap. The man who had carried me had given me to him. His arms were around me. He smelled different. Expensive. He was yet to speak a word. I sat there, frozen, trying to come to terms with everything which was happening.

I felt his breath on my ear.

"If you want to live. You will do exactly as I say."

I struggled in his arms. His voice was deep and rich. Who was he?

"Fucking stop, Olivia," he grumbled quietly in my ear, his arms tightening. His words were a command and I felt myself slowly losing fight, laying on his lap exhausted. "Do not struggle with Adrik. He likes a good fight."

The vehicle stopped and then cold wind hit me again as the man stepped out, carrying me effortlessly.

"Son. Give her to Adrik, he'll throw her in the cell. You and I need to talk to the Creeds."

The Creeds. God, where were they?

I was passed around, like freaking luggage, and another man held me. He wasn't as gentle as the other one.

Son.

Was it Alexi?

I was thrown on a hard flood, my elbow following with it painfully which made me let out a pitiful whimper. The blindfold was ripped off my head and I blinked up, looking at the man who had carried me before. Adrik.

He smirked at me, his face holding a promise. Any woman in the world could point out what he was doing to do to me, we had that kind of instincts.

He crouched down in front of me, grabbing the back of my head. "We'll spend some time together soon, hm?" He chuckled as I shivered in fear. "Don't worry. I will try to not be too rough..." He stood up and walked out, slamming the door shut and for a moment, intense darkness surrounded me. Then the room lit up in blaring red light.

It was a tiny room with dark walls and no window. Its measurements were shorter than mine.

It was too tiny and the red light made my eyes hurt.

I curled into myself, tears sliding out. I felt tired. So tired. And it started. The cold.

I shivered, looking up at the small opening in the roof. An air conditioner?

I had heard of this. Cold Cell. A form of torture.

The cold quickly surrounded me and my teeth started chattering, I curled into a ball to keep some warmth in but it provided no comfort.

Hours went by. I laid there, cold and terrified, my whole body shaking because of the cold.

Then the cell opened and stepped inside Georgia. Not Georgia. It was Alisa. Alisa Sokolov.

She looked down at me.

"Olivia." Her cold expression broke. She fell on her knees beside me and that was when I spotted it. There were scars on her neck, fresh scars. Those scars were everywhere on her visible skin except her face.

I tried to speak. She took the cloth out, throwing it away. "W-Who hurt you?"

She let out a forced chuckle. "You are the one shivering to death, Olivia."

She helped me sit and sat down in front of me. "I have fifteen minutes to explain this to you. So you need to listen." She put her hands on my shoulder, looking me in the eye. "I stole your rings. But that was all I did. Igor didn't know where you lived but I should have known he put a tracker on me. All I was supposed to do was grab your rings, it was just to prove my loyalty to my father. I had no idea he would set the building on fire." She clenched her eyes shut, tears slipping out. "I tried to get to you but Ashton did first."

I took in a shaky breath, teeth still chattering. "Poison?"

"Not me," she whispered. "H-He..." More tears slipped out. I had never heard her stutter. Weakness of any form was something she never showed. She has been my rock since I came here. "He freed me after poisoning the chocolate. I didn't know about it till I heard the news of Cassandra's cafe being shut down. I called you right away."

"What...what do you mean 'freed' you?"

She let out a breath. "I did not react to him setting your apartment on fire the way he wanted me to. He tied me to a fucking torture chair till he thought my mind was broken." Her fingers brushed across a scar on her neck. By concentrating, I could read the words. Bratva. "He was going to use me to lure you out. Those kittens...he made me give them to Kylie. They had trackers in their collars. That is how the mansion was bombed, and Harry died." She dropped her shoulders, looking exhausted. "It was my idea because I thought he trusted me enough to do something like this but I underestimated him. He didn't let me in the whole thing, making sure that every move was hidden from me. I didn't know that the Creeds had Alarick

captured till today." She looked at me. "He intends to torture you, give you to his guards and then send you to Creeds broken."

Even with my mind still coming to terms with what she was saying, her last words made me shiver. He intends to torture you, give you to his guards and then send you to Creeds broken.

"I am here to prevent that," she whispered. "I've done a shitty job at protecting you till now but right now, I am your best gamble." I heard footsteps. She looked at me, determination clear in her eyes. "They must be on their way." Her eyes lingered on the rings on my fingers. "Very soon. All we have to do is stall till then." She stood up and just then the cell door slammed open.

Adrik grabbed me and put me on his shoulder like a sack. I felt his hand on the curve of my ass.

. . .