Page 10 of Born into Darkness

Long fingers hit my arm as he blindly searches for my hand. When he finds it, he gives it a soft squeeze, the warmth of his touch making me feel like I can breathe for the first time since I was taken.

“Nice to meet you, Talia.”

I squeeze his hand back and savor the few seconds of peace I’m given before the door is wrenched open again and another man comes back to get me. I meet Max’s eyes once more before I’m dragged away and put back in my own room. The silence is heavier now, and I feel even more alone after being given a few precious moments with Max—a man I just met but who was kind enough to stand up for me and offer whatever comfort he could.

Pacing my small room, I try not to go stir crazy. I keep waiting for the door to open, for them to bring me back into the other room, but no one comes. Aside from my regular meals, I’m left alone for days while I worry about what’s happening next door to me, wondering if the man with the kind, grey eyes is even still alive.

My captor eventually comes for me, and when he binds my hands again and pulls me from the room, I keep my eyes on the floor so he can’t see how excited I am. It’s not happiness, but it is a strong desire to see Max again. I want to make sure he’s okay and that he and his cousin are still alive. I also selfishly want to see him again because he makes me feel safe. Even though he’s a prisoner like I am, there’s something about his presence that calms me, and I’ve been craving it since we were pulled apart.

Once the door to their room is opened, my eyes immediately dart around, and I don’t let out the breath I’m holding until his grey eyes meet mine. I see the relief on his face, and I know the same thing is showing on mine. We’re both still alive, but it’s obvious he and his cousin have been receiving regular beatings. Both their faces are bloody, bruised and swollen, and my heart races at the thought of Max not surviving this. He said it was a good sign that they weren’t hurting me, so is it a really bad one that he’s not getting the same treatment?

My captor pushes me to the ground, and a yelp escapes before I can stop it. There are other men in this room, and their pissed-off faces are enough to have me scurrying up against the wall, trying to make myself as small as possible. I watch as one of the men steps closer and points between Max and his cousin. His cousin quickly calls him a fucker, and I can tell by the look on Max’s face that he’s not happy about it. I don’t know what’s going on, but when his cousin starts making fun of the man in Russian and Max joins in, I can’t help but give a soft laugh.

Max quickly looks over at me. “Do you speak Russian?”

I nod while he whispers, “How did you end up here?”

Before I can answer, they’re hauling his cousin up and securing his hands to a hook that hangs from the ceiling. When the punches start, I quickly look away, unable to tolerate watching the brutal violence. Max quietly scoots closer, blocking my line of sight so all I can see is him.

“How did you end up here?” he asks again, sticking to Russian since I’m pretty sure our guards don’t speak it.

“I was at a restaurant with my family. The waitress drugged my drink and then some guy grabbed me when I went to the bathroom. They put me on a boat, and when I woke up, I was here. I don’t know what they want with me.”

He’s quiet for a second, and I know he wants to ask more, but I think he’s afraid of upsetting me, so instead he asks, “Is Talia short for Natalia?”

“Yeah.”

“I have a cousin named Natalya. My dad is Russian, but my mom is American.”

I can’t manage a full smile with the sounds of his cousin being beaten right next to us, but I give him as big of one as I can manage and say, “Me, too.”

“When our family comes for us, I promise we’ll get you out too. Okay? My dad and brother are searching for us, and if anyone can find this place, it’s them. Val and I have already been here for weeks. It can’t be too much longer before they find us.”

I nod, and I’m about to tell him that I think it’ll be my family that’s going to be doing the rescuing, but before I can promise to take him and his cousin with us, Val is dragged over and tossed down next to Max and all his attention goes to his injured cousin. I can see how close they are, how much it’s killing the two of them to watch the other get hurt, but there’s a strength in them, a fierce determination to survive and overcome this place. They remind me of my family, and that thought makes my chest ache from how much I miss them. My mind wanders to my brothers, missing the late-night conversations and the way we’d always joke around. I’m so caught up in memories that it takes me a second to realize they’re hauling Max up for his turn.

Nausea hits me full force as I watch his bound wrists being attached to the same hook that his cousin had just been hanging from. I want to look away, but I can’t, and when the punches start, I taste bile in the back of my throat. I try not to cry, but the tears come anyway, and when Val hears me, he looks over and whispers, “Don’t watch. He wouldn’t want you to see this.”

I wrap my arms around my legs, using my knees as a pillow while I keep my focus on Val. He talks to me, and I try my best to not look over at Max, but every punch, every sickening thud of flesh hitting flesh has me wincing. I can tell his cousin is in a lot of pain, but he keeps talking to me, asking my name and telling me about his pregnant wife. The pain in his eyes when he mentions her is enough to have my own eyes spilling over again. It’s obvious he’s in love with her, that she’s his whole reason for breathing and the only thing that’s keeping him hanging on right now, and all I can do is tell him that he’ll make it back to her and promise that my family will free the two of them when they come for me. I know it’s not much, but it’s the only thing I can give him.

His face is covered in blood, one eye is swollen shut, and there’s a glazed, feverish look to him that worries me. He’s not looking good, and I hope like hell that what I’ve just said doesn’t turn out to be a lie. I know my family will come for me, but I’m not so sure Val is going to live long enough to see it.

He starts to ask me how I got here, but we’re interrupted when Mateo walks in. Seeing Max, he shouts a one-word command that immediately stops the beating. He’s taken down and roughly dragged back over to us before he’s reattached to the wall. He slumps down between Val and me, and I’m so relived that he’s survived the beating that all I can do is stare, running my eyes over him to try and see how bad his injuries are. I look over at the man that I now know is Jose, wanting to kill the bastard for what he’s just done, but all he does is sneak me a quick wink while Mateo talks to Max and Val.

I listen, it’s impossible not to, and I learn that their family runs a Bratva, just like mine does. Max and his cousin are refusing to talk, and I can’t help but admire them for it. No one’s asked me questions about my family’s business, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a woman and therefore clueless or if the research they did on me was just that thorough. The first thought is offensive, and the second is unsettling. Either way I’m not being subjected to torture, and I’m incredibly grateful to be spared it. I don’t think I’d handle it as well as the two men next to me.

This time when Mateo and his men leave, they don’t take me with them. I’m left chained to the wall, and when we’re plunged back into darkness, it’s not nearly as scary because I know that Max is close by. I hear their labored breathing, the soft wheezes hinting at broken ribs, and guilt washes over me. I have no desire to be hurt, but I can’t help but feel guilty that I’m being spared everything while they’re being tortured daily.

“Are you okay?” I whisper into the darkness.

“I’m fine, Talia,” he whispers back. “Don’t worry about me.”

I don’t tell him it’s impossible not to, that I find myself thinking about him all the time, and that his presence is the only thing keeping me sane. I don’t say anything. Instead, I reach my hand out and find his in the dark, smiling when he immediately threads his long fingers through mine.

We fall into a routine over the next few days, and Max is the only thing that makes it tolerable. I cry every time he’s beaten, and every day that passes leaves me more worried about him, wondering how much more of this he can take. I try to distract him with stories about Wallace, but I can see how worried he is about his cousin. Val still looks feverish, and he’s so weak that I often wonder how he’s still surviving the beatings that the guards take such obvious delight in. I swear the only thing keeping him going is his desire to see his wife again.

After another beating that pushes Val a little closer to death’s door, we share a few jokes at Miguel’s expense. Anything to keep our minds off the fact that we’re all three slowly dying, some of us faster than others. When the door opens, we all three look over to see an older man walk in. I’ve never seen him before, but it’s not hard to guess who he is. He looks like an older version of Mateo, and the power coming off him is palpable. The guards avoid eye contact and take a respectful step back. Something feels different about this visit, and it makes me nervous to not know what it is. I don’t understand the Spanish being spoken, and Max and Val are speaking too low to one another for me to hear what they’re saying.

I suck in a quick breath when Mateo and his dad switch to English and say that they’re thinking about letting one of them go. Max quickly says it has to be Val, but then Val looks over at me and suggests I go instead. I’m about to disagree, knowing I could never take Val’s place and live with myself afterwards. I may not know him very well, but I do know that he won’t survive much longer down here. I want him to get back to his wife.

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