Page 13 of Blood & Snow
I reach into my coat and remove a thick stack of rubles.
More money than she probably earns in two months at whatever legitimate employment she's been pursuing.
Her eyes widen when she sees the amount.
"Payment for tonight's work," I explain, offering her the cash.
"Consider it a performance bonus."
She shakes her head and backs away.
"I can't take that."
"You don't want a half million rubles?"
I lift one eyebrow and watch her blanch.
Her throat works as she swallows hard.
"Nadya…Ptichka, you're not getting out of this. I own you now. Take the cash."
I gesture at her with the stack of bills and she scowls, then snatches it from me and shoves it inside her coat sleeve.
"Can I go home now?" she asks, still avoiding eye contact.
"In a moment."
I retrieve a burner phone from my pocket and hold it out to her.
"Take this."
"I don't need a phone. I already have one."
Again, she protests.
She is so naive, so beautiful too.
If I didn't have plans, I'd fuck her right now just to show her who's boss.
But then, I've already decided not to kill her.
One gift is enough for this evening.
"You need this phone. When it rings, you answer immediately. When I tell you to come somewhere, you come. When I give you work to do, you do it without questions or objections."
The shock sinks in slowly.
She thought this was a single transaction, a horrible experience she could survive and then forget.
The reality is that she's now part of my operation whether she wants to be or not.
"I can't," she whispers.
"I have a family. Responsibilities. A normal life."
"Youhada normal life. Now you have employment that pays better than anything else available to a university dropout with no professional references."
I press the phone into her hand.
