Lucky O'Cléirigh

...two days later...

The cold seeps into my bones, so severe that my extremities have long gone numb and I fear that pieces of me might soon begin to fall off from frostbite.. My hands are stiff and frozen and my knuckles ache, while my ears and nose have both become extremely painful to the touch.. There's no telling how long I have been here, slowly freezing to death in the dark, but the long creeping hours seem to drag out second by second and feel as if they stretch on forever.. My throat is dry and parched, my stomach aches from hunger and all I can do to pass the time is whisper the Lord's prayer on repeat as a desperate plea that I am afraid only falls upon deaf ears.. "Good lord, you are my eternal salvation.. When I am lost in sin, you liberate me.. You lift me from perdition.. Please god, save my feeble soul.. I am eternally indebted to you, for you bought my freedom with blood and now my spirit can never be confined.. I will always seek you out my Lord, you are my deliverer.. Please, save me from The Devil.."

Maybe Kirby had been right to doubt the existence of a divine entity.. After all, if there is a God, why did he forsake me like this? I just can't understand what I did to warrant being treated with such malicious intent.. I don't believe any loving and mighty all-father would leave me to suffer through this slow torture for no reason..

Maybe I really do deserve it?..

"You have a deal, Donovan.. I strongly suggest you honour the termz.. My employer iz not known for hiz forgivenezz.." When my icy ears pick up the sound of an angrily murmured debate occuring on the other side of the container door, I sit up on the hard steel floor and strain my hearing to listen to the conversation..

"I don'ee give a fuck about yeh' deal, and The Devil didn'ee make no mention of another middle man taking a cut.." When the second man speaks, his familiar Cork accent sends shivers down my spine, very obviously that voice belongs to Brody.. "If yeh' want her the price is double, otherwise she goes to Carrera and the Cartel.."

My stomach drops and the slow thud of my heart begins to accelerate.. Brody has returned.. And he has brought somebody to buy me..

No, no, no.. When will this nightmare end?
I am so tired and weak that I can't fight whatever is going to walk through those doors and I am so broken that the defeat has worn away whatever courage had remained in me..

I'm so damn scared and I'm not sure how to feel about Brody coming back.. One the one hand I am terrified to leave this container, but at the same time, I am even more afraid of what will happen to me if I stay..

"I'm 'ze one he sent to collect her, if you have problem, my friend, call The Devil, azk for yourself.." A thick Russian accent rumbles in reply in a rough tone.. "You knoe I am good for 'ze money.. My employer will spare no expense to posess thiz treasure.."

I swallow the lump in my throat, sitting frozen, locked in an anticipating suspense there in the pitch black, trembling with tremors of terror..

"Oh I'mma call him alrite'- She's in 'ere for yeh' verification.." Brody snarls and the scrape of the lock grinds.. I lift my hand to shield my eyes as blinding late afternoon daylight puddles in through the open door.. Blinking furiously, my pupils slowly adjust to the brightness while three shadowy figures slip inside and the thudding sound of boots stepping onto the container have me scrambling backwards to press against the frosty far wall..

When I lift my gaze to see the man who would buy me, my mouth falls open with a shocked, breathy wheeze.. "S-S-Stori?"

The beautiful green-eyed Russian banker lifts an index finger to cross his lips, signalling me not to speak before he turns around to address Brody and another, taller man in a yellow bandana who both loom in the container door behind him.. "Did you think I will pay for a frozen corpse, Donovan? Thiz girl iz half dead! Even Carrera would not want her!"

Stori waves a dramatic and furious hand in the air before he shrugs out of his heavy winter overcoat and strides across to me where he crouches down.. Bundling me carefully into his jacket his gaze burns into mine with remorseful recognition.. I can smell the forest-pine scent of his soap and feel the radiating warmth of his breath.. Wincing at the contact I tremble as he wraps the thick wool around my shoulders, giving my arm a soft squeeze in the process before he looks me over.. "Are you alright, Kukolka?"

I lean into his touch, relieved to see his familiar face. I let out a hopeful sigh.. Feeling a glowing glimmer of chance growing in my chest..

"She's fine, ain't yeh', Lucky?" Brody snaps, answering for me before I can even open my mouth to speak..

"I-Im f-f-f-fucking f-f-freezing y-you a-ass-hole!" I stutter back.. If I was frost-bound before, that ice is thawed as the hateful blaze that burns in my stomach begins to reignite with a vengeance..

Stori brushes the hair back from my cheek, smoothing his burning hot fingertips over my frosty skin as he inspects me, the way one would check a pedigree show-pony before making a sale.. "The Devil doez not v'want his bride kept in such turrible conditions.. I must take her-"

"B-Bride? N-No-" My alarmed gaze is locked with poison-apple-green eyes of The Banker and my confusion curdles as I struggle to understand his part in my kidnapping.. While he is soft and kind to me, it is apparent that Stori is not here to help me.. He is here to collect me for his boss.. Nikolaj..

None of this is right.. I am not support to marry Nikolaj.. I am supposed to be marrying Konstantin..

I feel suddenly sick, a putrid desire to puke rising up the back of my throat.. Except there is nothing in my stomach to bring up..

"No yeh' won'ee be takin' her nowhere.." Brody barks.. "Not until I've got me money.."

"P-please.. H-H-Help m-m-me.." I stammer through chattering teeth.. "I-Im s-s-so c-cold.."

"Hush, Kukolka.. You will be warm soon enough.." Stori soothes carelessly, pushing up to his feet and turning his back to me.. "She will be dead if you keep her here another day, thiz iz not our agreement.."

"Then yeh' better get me my fuckin' money rite fast, huh laddy.." Brody folds his arms.. "Cus the bitch ain't goin' nowhere til I get paid.."

"Vury well.." Stori reaches behind his back to retrieve his cellphone, producing a pair of black leather gloves which he drops purposefully beside me as he pulls the phone from his back pocket.. "I will make the finance arrangements.." He glances back down at me with an apologetic grimace on his face.. "Tonight you will deliver her to the rendezvous.. Alive.. And preferably with all fingers and toes intact.."

I snatch up the gloves and fit them over my numb little fingers, his body warmth still lingering in the fabric which feels so nice.. "P-p-please, d-d-don't leave m-me here.."

"I am vury sorry, Sestra.. There iz nothing more I can do.." Stori stoops down beside me, lowering his voice to a raspy whisper.. "The Reaper comez for you.."

My mind races at those terrifying words.. The Reaper comes for me?

Am I going to die?

He motions to stand and my hand snaps out to grab his wrist, betrayal blistering my being.. I make one final attempt to convince him of his mistake.. "He'll kill you if you leave me here, you know.. Konstantin will kill you.."

Stori prys my fingers from his arm with a wry smile and a slow nod.. "Da, Kukolka.. I do expect he will.."

....

After another stretch of uncomfortable and uncountable hours, the inevitable time finally arrives for me to be sold to the man who intends to marry me against my will..
Or worse..

My stomach heaves at the very thought of becoming tied to an animal like Nikolaj.. Of all the fates I could have imagined there is nothing worse than knowing that I will become a part of Nika's twisted mind games, that I will be used as ammunition against the man I love..

I would rather die..

When Brody had come for me I barely had the strength to lift my head and he didn't seem to care one bit.. He didn't say a word when he dragged me out of the container by my hair and shocked me with the live end of a taser until my muscles burnt and I could no longer move.. The fiery pain of voltage ripping through my veins was indescribable agony, the most pain I've ever felt, leaving me paralysed, dazed and confused..

My limbs flop loose and useless as he manhandles me into the back of his sedan, sliding in behind the wheel to whisk me away to God only knows where.. When I feel the jolts of the car moving and the bounce of the road he finally speaks.. "The things The Red Devil's gonna do to yeh', Dolly, shite.. I almost feel bad for yeh'.." He glances over his shoulder at me with one last pitiful sigh.. "Almost.."

Brody's calloused tone and chilling words are the very last thing I hear and I manage to mumble back one last curse before my exhausted eyes flutter closed.. "I'll see you in hell, Brody.."