What will happen to poor Proserpina?
ProserpinaI stared at the man in some trepidation; Lucien had never directly spoken about him but Danielle had filled me in on the sadistic monster who stood before me, smirking.Another man entered the room behind him and I felt my skin crawl. He was deeply tanned, his shaven head gleaming and his small eyes were cold, like chips of glass. I felt a peculiar sensation as he stood at the door, his powerful arms bulging as he crossed them. His eyes were on me, unblinking, small and expressionless. Here was no triumph, no lust in them but I knew instinctively that he was a man who would kill without remorse.I did my best to refrain from shaking with fear but when the man they called Dmitri Rudenko approached me, I tilted my head, glaring at me.“So, he said, mockingly, ‘So this is Lucien Delano’s most prized possession, eh?’And he threw his head back and laughed, a loud laugh that seemed to bounce off the walls of that tiny cell. I stared at him, determined not to show my fear but my
A man named Oleg and another man came to stand on either side of me, holding my arms as one of the men turned on a set of bright lights, training them on us. I was still held in a painful hold by Dmitri, but the pain had solidified. I knew that if I struggled, it would only increase.A murmur went up in the room, and I felt the greedy eyes on me now.“Look at Lucien Delano’s pregnant little wh*re, boys!’ cried the madman who was holding me, prisoner.Oleg reached out a meaty hand and squeezed my breast painfully, and I cried out. Some of the men in the room laughed, and I could hear the murmurs.‘Please God, let me die,’ I thought, briefly closing my eyes.*Then Dmitri Rudenko began to speak, and I knew it was being recorded. It was a message to taunt my husband.“Lucien St.Claire, my friend! Look at what we have caught! A pretty fish, eh?'' He gave a hoarse chuckle, and Oleg reached out again to squeeze my breast, his thick fingers enjoying the pressure he was exerting as he yanked t
Lucien Delano’s underground prison, the one that was rumoured to be at the bottom of the Club was actually situated at a location that not many people knew of. At the bottom of a disused factory located in the vast empty spaces somewhere close to the Mexican border, it was a holding area as secure and anonymous as they come.*Paul Worthington had woken up at a little after midnight to find strange men in his bedroom. He had wisely enough, taken refuge in a tiny motel on the highway and was confident that no one would trace him down to this sleazy place.He was wrong.Now he sat up, as the darkness around him shifted. Men—silent men with guns—surrounded him.“ Hiya Boys, what’s going on?’ he said in his squeaky voice, although a cold feeling of dread was unfurling in his stomach.The men had not replied. They had hauled him away silently, still in his nightshirt, and whisked him off to an undisclosed location.When he was thrown into a tiny cell with no lights, he began to scream. Ther
Day 1Lucien It had been one day since she had gone missing, thought Lucien. And he was nowhere close to finding her.He had reached out to everyone he could think of, trying to find where the man he was seeking, Dmitri Rudenko, had holed away his woman.He kept drawing a blank.He had sent his men to the various hideouts where Rudenko famously tortured his victims; and had set them on fire. Schwartz had overseen that, personally.But there was no sign of Proserpina. It was as though she had vanished.Lucien felt it like a blow; he had never thought she would be captured in this way. He had always been convinced of his infallibility.He drank again from his tumbler of whiskey as Schwartz entered the room. Aiyana Laughing Water was with him. The woman studied him solemnly.Lucien wanted to lash out at someone, anyone, but Schwartz stepped forward.‘Mate, ‘he said in a low voice, ‘You cannot go around drunk. Think of the wee babies. They need you.’Lucien stood up, lurching slightly. It
ProserpinaI came awake groggily. And sat up immediately.There were some men in the room, Oleg was one of them and I shrank in alarm.I had woken up a while ago and used the tiny, decrepit bathroom to take a wash and use it for my basic needs. It made me want to cry, it was filthy and so small, I almost squeezed into it. But I did not want to give up. I wanted to believe that my husband was using all the resources at his disposal to search for me…* It was probably my body clock that brought me awake, or maybe it was the dull ache in my arm that was swollen and painful now. Otherwise, I had no idea what time it was. It was slightly cooler now, which meant it was dawn? I wrapped myself as best as I could in my once beautiful now ruined, torn dress, shuddering as I thought of Oleg with his meaty fingers, the hot breath of the man as he had licked my cheek. I had scrubbed away at my cheek and the area felt sore. I gazed up longingly at the tiny slit in the wall, high above, a ventilator
ProserpinaI was dumped in a car or some vehicle. Two men squeezed in beside me on either side I knew one of them had to be Dmitri. The powerful smell of his cologne, distinctive and unpleasant, surrounded me although I was still in the black hood. I remained quiet. I did not want to antagonise them. I wanted to listen for I needed to know where I was going. “The s*ut is like a mouse.’ sneered Dmitri, squeezing my breast. The man on the other side was stiff and unmoving, thankfully and I stifled a cry as he increased the pressure of his hand.When I gasped, unable to take the pain, he gave a small laugh.The man was a sadistic monster, I thought, fearfully and tried to make myself shrink.I was exhausted and thirsty and my stomach was growling. All of it made me fall asleep, a deep, restless sleep. Suddenly, a terrific explosion rent the air and I jumped. I could not see and I had no idea where we were but the explosion seemed to have come from a long distance, way behind us.“Stay s
ProserpinaFrom the snatches of the conversation and the tone of my captors, I guessed that Lucien had arrived after the blast. So my lover was still alive, and I knew he was relentless; he would keep looking for me. That gave me hope.I sat still, my legs stretched out in front of me. It was late, I supposed. The room was dark. A dim light glowed high up in the ceiling, a bare bulb. I knew that it was too high up for me to clamber up to. Apart from the bed, there was no other furniture in the room. Just an iron bed that was too heavy to even push. Later, I discovered that it had been screwed to the floor.The room was large, and it smelled musty. An old, worn sheet covered a lumpy, uncomfortable mattress. A pillow that had obviously seen better days had a cover that was stained and greasy. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. But I was too tired to fight the exhaustion that seemed to be rolling over me in waves now.Besides, I was too weary to do anything now.My back ached from the journey
Proserpina The next day, the woman came in with the food. She was, I realized, a few years older than me but dirty and wearing torn clothes, stained with ...some reddish colours that I did not want to think about.This time, her eyelids fluttered as she sent me a quick glance. I was sitting on the bed, my hand on my stomach.It was a quick look, and she lowered her pale green eyes, but I had seen a flash of pity in them. She had the same clothes that she had worn the previous day and on an impulse, I looked at the man who stood in the doorway. He had his rifle cocked and easy, and he was yawning, scratching his scruffy face as he watched us. ”Clothes,’ I said, loudly, my eyes on her, ’Please, clothes.’ She hesitated, and the man entered the room with a snarl.He hit her across the head with the back of his meaty hand, and I stepped back in horror. The woman let out a yelp. Dragging her arm, he jerked her out and slammed the door shut.I sat, trembling, for a long while. The open ex