Double Dealing(71)

Chapter 29





Felix




"Wake up, my pet."

I groaned and opened my eyes, disorientation washing over me. I'd gotten used to the feeling, and knew it was a side effect of whatever the hell it was they were pumping into my container/cell. Other than plates of food that were delivered on a regular basis, I hadn't seen sunlight in what seemed like forever.

At least they'd started giving me light. It wasn't much, just a bare forty watt bulb that dangled on a wire, but at least I could see my surroundings when I was awake. Not that there was much to see, mind you. A pallet that I found was made of cardboard boxes that had been flattened out and piled up, topped with a thin foam rubber mattress, six more boxes that had been turned on their sides to create what could best be described as cubbyholes, and a plywood floor. There was nothing else if you ignored the opening with the small piece of rubber hose that they pumped whatever the hell it was that was causing me to sleep.

I didn't even know how long I'd been there. With the drugs that were most certainly inundating the air of the container, I could have been sleeping sixteen hours a day, or doing lots of two and three-hour naps that were meant to make me think a day had passed. Even when I was awake, I felt lethargic, so there was little to help me try to keep track of time.

Rolling to the side, I blinked. At least it was somewhat dim outside, roughly sunrise I thought. At least, that was what my inner compass was telling me, that the glow on the horizon was coming from the rising sun of the east and not the setting sun of the west. I shivered in my thin clothes, wrapping the blanket I'd been given tighter around my shoulders.

"My pet? Over here," the same voice repeated, and I shivered not at the cold, but at the desire to listen to that voice again. It was lilting and teasing, with that Russian accent that stirred deep within my body. I shook my head, fighting it. It had to be the conditioning, right? "Come now Felix, don't be a naughty kitty."

I looked, and had to repress the urge to swallow a lump in my throat. Even if I hadn't been under the influence of whatever drugs the Russians were using, she was a beautiful woman, that was clear. Tall, with deep blonde hair that hung all the way to her waist and ice blue eyes, she looked like someone had used her as the model for Elsa in that Disney movie. That she was wearing just jeans and a sweater that hugged every curve of her luscious body didn't help matters.

"Don't call me kitty," I said, trying to keep my anger going. I found that when I was pissed off, I at least could think a little bit more clearly. "I'm nobody's goddamn pet."

"We’ll see," she said with a knowing grin. "I'm Svetlana, your new mistress. Come, it’s passed time that you got a bath and some fresh clothes."

"I'd rather stay here," I said. “But if you're feeling generous, you can give me another blanket."

Svetlana smiled and quirked an eyebrow, and she looked more than ever like the animated Elsa — why the hell was I thinking about a Disney movie anyway? "I don't think so, Felix. You have two choices right now. You can come with me, get a shower and fresh clothing, something more appropriate for this time of year, and enjoy a day outside of this box along with some good food. Or, I can walk out. You’ll be gassed again, dragged inside, washed and strapped to a bed inside the house, where you’ll be fed gruel until you agree to behave."

"There must be a cold front moving through if you’re so concerned about getting me out of this box," I said, getting to my feet. It wasn't that I wanted to obey her wishes, but being strapped to a bed would leave me with fewer options for escaping. "Fine. What kind of food are we talking?"

"Let us get the day underway first, then we’ll see," she said. "I suppose I don’t need to remind you to not try anything stupid. I’m more capable of defending myself than it looks like."

I nodded, knowing that regardless of her self-defense skills, I was more worried about whatever other security that was around. "There’s no point in harming you right now," I said, making sure to keep a few feet away from her. As I got closer, it disturbed me to feel my attraction to her rise. Whatever they had been doing to me, it was already having an effect. “I’ll behave.”

Svetlana smiled and turned on her heel, leaving the container. I followed, noting a man with a rifle tracking me with his eyes as I stepped out onto a large estate. I could smell water in the distance, but not salt water. From my best guess, we were near a large lake or a river. Thinking about what I knew about the Ukraine, we were most likely close to the Dnieper River, which was large enough to be called a lake in certain regions. I decided to keep my knowledge to myself and play dumb. "This is quite an estate," I said instead. "Your uncle must be in with the power players of Kiev and Odessa."