Page 77 of Midnight Sanctuary
“You buy and sell little girls, Oleg. Pleading is not going to help you now. Nothing will.” I toss my knife in the air and let it rotate once before the handle lands back in my palm. “Your day of reckoning has come.”
“No, no, no…aah, no, fuck. NO!”
I take my time carving him up. I know where to go to maximize the pain and minimize the blood loss. Every time he tries to pass out, I pour more water into his face and slap his cheeks until he stirs. Then I get right back to work.
Dimiv pulls out his own blade as he kneels at my side. “Mind if I join? I’ve got some ideas for this little operation.”
Oleg’s eyes go wide. Sweat and blood mix together as he tries to crawl away as much as his restraints will allow.
“No, don’t do this… please…”
“There is no mercy for men like you, Oleg,” I tell him grimly. “Your end has come—”
There are red veins pulsing through the whites of his eyes. He opens his mouth and lets out a strangled scream as Dimiv’s knife sinks into his right eyeball.
“—and it’s gonna be fuckingslow.”
34
ALYSSA
URI:We’ve got her.
The message came in over an hour ago and I still can’t stop looking at it. Lev has already asked me why I couldn’t seem to put my phone down. I distracted him with video games and an extra hour of TV time before insisting that he went to bed.
I’m just stepping out of his room when I hear the purr of an engine. Gasping, I rush downstairs and peek out the window.
It’s them.
I spy Nikolai and Uri emerge from one side of the SUV—but still no Polly.
Quickly, I punch in the code and push the door open. They troop in one by one, all looking weary but calm. The last in is Uri and he has Polly in his arms. She’s clinging to him tightly, looking fragile as ever in a thin, sleeveless slip that hangs off her bony frame.
Her face is hidden in Uri’s chest. At first, I assume she’s sleeping. But then I notice her head lift once the door’s shut.
“Polly.”
Her head snaps in my direction. Her eyes go wide. “You’re starting to show,” she whispers softly.
I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but I’m losing that battle already. I venture towards her, unsure if I should touch her or not. I want to, just to make sure she’s real, that she’s really here.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so glad you’re home.”
She nods but says nothing.
Uri goes upstairs with her. I follow along, then rush ahead so I can open the door to one of the empty bedrooms.
He is about to set her down on the duvet when she starts frantically shaking her head. “No. Don’t! I’m so dirty. I don’t want to touch anything.”
“It doesn’t matter, Polly.”
“It does. Itdoes,” she insists with a fervor that reminds me of Lev. “I’m dirty.”
Uri looks at me helplessly and I feel his pain. I rush forward and put my hand on Polly’s arm. “I can get you cleaned up, Polly. Would you be okay with that?”
She stares at me. Those eyes are huge and scared, flitting side to side like they see things in the shadows that no one else can see.
“Come on,” I say to Uri. “Let’s take her to the bathroom.”