Page 71 of Romi

The collar was attached to a thick chain that stretched to about six feet. The end of it was looped through a large metal ring that was bolted to the wall and secured with a padlock. What the fuck?

Oh, this just got better and better!

I yanked on the chain, but although the hook moved and the chain rattled, the bolts were solid. I grabbed at the padlock and pulled with all my strength, but the thing wouldn’t budge. I was well and truly stuck.

How the hell was I going to get out of this?

Looking around, I took in my surroundings, looking for something to use to break loose. The roof was partially sloped, and I surmised that I was in an attic room of what could have been an ageing country cottage. The room looked like it might have been a bedroom once upon a time, but not anymore.

The wallpaper and carpet must have looked expensive at one time, but now they were faded and threadbare. The whole place looked tired and worn like it had passed its hay day years before. Judging from the large floral pattern on the wallpaper and the matching ruffled curtains, it was probably in the eighties.

The paint had yellowed, and mould was on parts of the wall. The light above me held a single yellow bulb, which glowed bright, showing off the pitiful state of the room in full glory. It was obvious the house hadn’t seen any love in a very long time.

The large couch I was lying on was also old and worn, in keeping with the rest of the room. It was big and bulky and must have been comfy once upon a time, but not anymore. Stuffing poked out from several tears in the lumpy cushions, and the faded, stained fabric smelt of stale cigarettes.

A matching armchair sat to the left of the couch, and a scratched wooden coffee table sat at one end of the sofa.

The only window was boarded up, and the one door was closed and too far away for me to reach. A large fireplace took up the main wall, the grate unfortunately empty, and no tools were available to stoke the embers that must have once heated the room with a fine blaze. Damn, a poker would have been perfect right now.

Apart from that, there were only some old pictures of flowery scenes hung haphazardly throughout the room.

Nothing of use whatsoever.

Footsteps approached, and I quickly sat back down as the door opened. Ivor and Siri walked in.

Oh shit! Ivor, that fucking traitor, had handed me over to Siri. This situation did not look good to me.

“Hey, gorgeous. Miss me?” Ivor asked, smirking.

“Fucking traitor!” I shouted, lunging towards him, forgetting my predicament until the chain stopped me short.

“Now, now, that’s no way to speak to your future lover!” he chided, and I felt nauseous as I realised what he had planned for me.

“I’ve waited a long time for this. You played hard to get enough. It’s time I showed you what you’ve been missing,” Ivor said, winking at me and taking a step forward.

Oh no, no, no!

Siri laughed.

“Not yet, Ivor; you can have your way with the little bitch later. We need to get the video done first,” he told him.

Siri walked towards me and grabbed me by the hair, tugging my head back and yanking my collar painfully. I cried out, and he chuckled.

“Get off me, you arsehole!” I screamed, making Ivor chuckle.

As Siri leaned towards me, about to say something, I spat in his face. He roared in fury and backhanded me, making me nearly pass out again. Well, that didn’t help my already aching head any, but at least I stood up to the bastard, I told myself, ignoring the pain and the tears that had sprung to my eyes.

“Hey, don’t damage the goods before I get a chance to,” Ivor sniggered.

Siri chuckled and released his hold on me.

Bastards!

Walking away, Siri pulled his phone out of his pocket and proceeded to record a ransom video for Miki.

He demanded that Marko re-routed all his money back into his accounts within the next ten hours, or he would send me back to my family in pieces. He then turned the phone towards me as Ivor grabbed me, holding me so tightly in front of his body, his fist wrapped around the chain and holding my neck in such an awkward position that I could barely move.

A few seconds later, it was done, and the ransom demand was sent.

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