Four

Everything was white and bright when Dani opened her eyes.

Pale sunlight from the windows kissed her face, but its warmth did not seep through in the cold room.

She’d desperately wanted everything to be a dream.

The thick sheets kept her in a warm cocoon, keeping her drowsy and almost lulling her back to sleep. Still, no matter how many times she woke up, she would not be escaping this nightmare.

Groggily, Dani sat up. The reality of her surroundings was like a cold slap in the face. She was stuck in this godforsaken tundra until—if her father managed to conjure ten million dollars in the next nine days. Her father would move mountains for her, but even meeting Alexei’s demand was stretching it.

The faint sound of keys jangling reached her ears. Within seconds, a light knock rapped on her door. Elena entered her room, her black dress a stark contrast to the whiteness of everything else around Dani.

“Good morning, Miss De Luca.” Elena’s steely grey eyes mirrored the hardness of her tone. “Breakfast will soon be served downstairs. In the meantime, would you prefer to shower or shall I fill up the tub for you?”

Dani eyed the set of keys around Elena’s waist. How many doors did those keys unlock? Perhaps one of those keys could help get her out of here...

Elena cleared her throat. Dani darted her eyes to meet Elena’s stony gaze once more.

“I’ll shower on my own, thank you.”

When Dani stepped out of the bathroom, a dress the shade of old rose was laid out on her bed. It had a similar cut as the grey dress she wore yesterday, long-sleeved and reaching down to her knees. It was made of lace with intricate detail, which was a little ostentatious for spending the day locked indoors.

Whoever chose Dani’s wardrobe for her captivity sure had a twisted sense of humor.

When Dani left her room and made her way down the winding staircase, Elena was already waiting at the foot of the stairs. Elena led Dani to the dining hall, which comprised of one long table with food served at the opposite end. The room was just as lavish but old as the rest of the manor, with faded gold in the gilded ceilings and threadbare tapestry on the floor.

Elena pulled up a chair for her. An assortment of bread, jams, bacon, sausages, and eggs cooked three ways were all presented before her. It looked enough to serve a small party, even though she and Elena were the only ones in the room.

Dani looked past all the empty seats in confusion. “Is anyone else joining us?”

“No. Master Alexei has already left last night.” The maid turned on her heel. “If you need anything, simply ring the bell.”

And with that, Dani was left with an entire banquet for which she had no appetite for. Slumping to her chair, Dani picked up a bread knife and sliced through a piece of croissant with a sigh.

The first course of action was reconnaissance.

After breakfast, Dani explored the interiors of the entire estate. She checked every room and every floor, acquainting herself with her surroundings as much as possible. All five bedrooms were on the second floor, while the ground floor housed two drawing rooms, a dining area, the library, and a large, empty ballroom.

The estate was much grander than she expected, but with only a handful of servants walking around, there was only so much upkeep to be done. The house, while still beautiful, was clearly past its golden days. It had probably been quite the piece of architecture a century ago, now sadly left to a husk of its former glory. Nothing more than a cold, barren, and uninviting house⁠—one that she had to escape from soon.

With Alexei gone, Elena seemed to be the only one who knew English in the entire household. Most servants scattered away as soon as Dani opened her mouth, and she didn’t even bother with the guards roaming outside in the snowy grounds. The exterior of the estate she would worry about another day. Today, her priority was to know every inch of the interiors as much as possible.

Come evening, Dani waited until around ten o’clock before leaving her room again. By now the hallways were dark and empty, allowing her to move around a little more inconspicuously.

Tonight, the goal was to find a way to the back end of the house and find the kitchens, where hopefully there was a back exit to where the servants were coming and going. Securing an escape route was the most important. How to leave and how to stay uncaught were two other problems entirely.

Moonlight was like a bluish lamp that lit the deserted hallways. Outside, the specks of black that were Alexei’s guards remained standing in the snow, though there were relatively fewer of them roaming around at night.

With one hand on the marble banister, Dani descended the winding staircase to the foyer. She turned left to where the dining hall was, steering clear of the windows in case one of the guards outside saw her. She pressed close to the wall, thankful for the carpeted floor that muffled her footsteps.

Dani winced as the doors to the dining room creaked loudly, practically announcing her presence down the entire hall. It was difficult to scan the room without turning the lights on, but she eventually spotted the outline of another door at the opposite end of the room. Carefully, she pushed it open and discovered the kitchen.

Pots and pans glinted even in the darkness as Dani perused a large but empty kitchen. This house, with all of its many, spacious rooms, was clearly made for entertaining plenty of guests. It was almost a pity it had been reduced to a skeletal home in the middle of this cold wasteland.

On one end of the kitchen was a door that led downstairs. Dani was halfway down the steps in her curiosity when she heard female laughter down the hall. Probably the servants’ quarters. She doubled back and explored the rest of the kitchen until she stood in front of a set of metal double doors.

This had to be the way out. The hairs on her skin were already prickling from the outside cold that was emanating from the other side of the door. It was tempting to just push those doors and make a run for it, but Alexei’s guards, the cold night, and the endless stretch of woods… One of those things were sure to kill her in her current state, if not all three.

Dani stared at the metal doors long and hard, embedding the image of it in her mind and envisioning it would open for her safe exit soon. With a sigh, she turned around and headed back upstairs to her room.

On the third day, Dani was beginning to go insane.

With nothing to do and no one to talk to, she spent long hours wandering the halls or pacing in her chambers in silence. It left plenty of room for her to think, and soon she was overthinking and despairing over her entire situation.

Securing that escape route was useless if she didn’t figure out how to get away and find the nearest town. Perhaps she could take on the disguise of one of the maids and hop on one of the delivery trucks from this morning…? Even in the miracle she managed to steal a uniform, it would be difficult to camouflage herself among the scarce number of staff. The more she thought about escaping, the more impossible and ridiculous it now seemed.

It had only been three days, and yet she hadn’t heard a single word from or about her father. There was only a week left before the deadline, and she could only imagine the stress of having to come up with such a huge amount of money in such a short period of time. She wanted to believe in her dad, but she had to brace herself for the worst. Would she be able to set foot in her home again? Would she even stay alive after seven days? 

Dani slumped to her bed and picked at the hem of her wine-colored dress for the day. In a few minutes’ time, Elena was scheduled to deliver afternoon tea. 

For two days in a row, Elena would visit her room exactly four times a day: at 7 to wake her up, at 12 to announce lunch, tea at 3, then dinner at 7. Meals were always prepared by a chef, and despite Alexei’s belief that making her comfortable would make her more amenable, she didn’t enjoy the precise routine that Elena was enacting on a daily basis. If anything, it made her feel like a prisoner in a lavish cage.

Dani itched to be outdoors, even though the weather and the guards outside were far from welcoming. She longed for the sun, for the grass on her feet. She missed the crowded, noisy streets of New York. Never had she missed home this much.

A soft knock rapped at her door. Elena entered the room carrying a tray of tea at exactly 3 o’clock. Elena placed the tray on the breakfast table by the window and left without saying a word.

Dani buried her face to the pillows in frustration.

After dinner, Dani was just about ready to pull her hair out.

Everything was beginning to feel like torture in its own right. Being made to spend long hours doing nothing, unable to go outside, without even a single radio or television set to keep her distracted… Dani was practically watching paint dry while the days passed her by.

Dani chewed on her nail and stared at the clock. It was only nine in the evening. She would’ve still been enjoying the rest of her spring break partying with friends. Instead she was now on the other side of the world, kidnapped for ransom because her father had made an enemy of a few Russians.

A dry laugh escaped her lips. A kidnapping was so passé. This wasn’t supposed to happen in real life. The growing ache in her temple did not improve her mood, and with a sigh she rose from her bed and left the room. 

All the lights were still on, and the chandelier in the foyer was still bright when she descended the staircase. There had been a library in this house, come to think of it. It had been a long time since she’d last read a book, but it was better than spending another minute with her thoughts.

She headed for the hallway that led to the library, where two mahogany double doors at the end of the corridor greeted her. The doors were massive, reaching all the way to the ceiling and heavy to push when she opened them.

Her mouth parted with amazement. Numerous shelves of books greeted her, tall and wide under a high ceiling with a wrought iron chandelier. To the far right of the room was the reading area, where cushioned, high backed chairs faced a fireplace. A narrow, winding staircase led up to a loft, where more books lined the walls. It was every book lover’s paradise, and though she wasn’t an avid reader, the idea of reading a book by the fireplace seemed enticing.

Except somebody else was sitting there before it.

Dani froze at the arm that appeared behind one of the high-backed chairs to lift a glass of whiskey. Was there another guest in this house?

“Good evening, Miss De Luca.”

Alexei turned to face her and snapped his book shut. His gaze fell on her wine-red dress. “That color suits you well.”

Her excitement deflated like a balloon. “What are you doing here?”

He swished his glass and looked around. “Well, I do own this house.”

“No, you said you wouldn’t return until after ten days.”

Alexei gave a shrug. “Would you like to take a seat?”

She eyed the chair before him like it were made of spikes.

“How about a drink then? I can ring for another glass.”

“No, thank you,” she said, settling down. Alexei wore a plain, partially unbuttoned shirt and slacks, like he was just winding down after a day at the office. Beneath his folded sleeves, intricate tattoos covered his forearms.

“How are you enjoying your stay here?” He took a sip of his drink.

Dani straightened a nonexistent crease on her lap. “It’s not half-bad for a cage, I’ll give you that.”

“Ah, no wonder you’ve resorted to the library,” he mused. “I take it you’re not much of a reader?”

“I was about to pick up the habit again,” she snapped. “Do you even have books in English?”

“At least half of the books in this room are, rest assured.” A smirk formed on his lips as he settled his liquor down. “I hear you’ve been doing a bit of exploring around.”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“At night? In the kitchens?”

Her pulse escalated, but Dani schooled her face to stay neutral. “I was feeling hungry.”

“And left without a snack?”

She stared at him in disbelief, while also buying herself a good, full second to deflect. “Are you spying on me?” 

Alexei leaned back, stretching his long legs before her. “I have eyes and ears in this household. I would know your every move.”

“Great. Do you watch me sleep too?”

His smirk grew. “If I feel like it.”

Dani didn’t know what bothered her more: the fact that he didn’t look angry she was snooping around, or the idea that there were hidden cameras in her room.

“I would appreciate it if you limited your escapades during the day.” He drummed his fingers on the armrest. “We wouldn’t want the guards spooked to see you lurking around at night.”

The warning was thinly veiled in his casual tone. Dani couldn’t help rise to the occasion, anger now brewing in her veins at the idea of a safe escape crumbling before her very eyes. “Is that what you’ve returned here for? To rub this all in my face?”

Alexei clasped his hands and gazed into the fire. “I understand your frustration. I can allow you to go outside, not that there’s much to see.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Well that’s helpful.”

“Perhaps I’ll bring a friend along to keep you company. It should make the days pass by a little faster.”

A log cracked into the fire. Dani eyed the folds of her dress and played with it. “Have you heard from my father?”

That brief pause was enough to make her heart skip a beat. “I’m afraid not. He must be busy getting things in order. I figured I’d leave him be until our ten days is up.”

Dani gripped the sides of her chair. “I need to know what happens if my dad can’t give you the money.”

Alexei picked up his drink again while a fingertip traced the rim of his glass. 

“He would be killed, and we would have to find a way to make money off of you somehow.” He eyed her long and hard. “I think you know what that means.”

A chill went down her spine.

“I don’t get to call the shots, unfortunately. Those are my father’s terms,” he said in her silence. “So let’s hope your father makes ends meet.”

Dani’s ears began to ring. She couldn’t have heard him right. Her father killed and ten million dollars’ worth of debt passed on to her… To be sold off or enslaved was a fate worse than death. Was she now just counting the days until the end of her life as she knew it?

“There, now. Your father’s one of the biggest money launderers in the East Coast.” His voice sounded like it was coming from the other end of a tunnel. “Let’s give him a little more credit, shall we?”

Dani swiftly rose from her chair. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

She didn’t wait for his response and stormed out of the library. Bile was rising up her throat as she raced upstairs to her bedroom. Oh God, she was going to hurl her guts out.

Dani slammed the door hard behind her and fell against it. Her shaky knees gave way, and with deep breaths she fell to the floor, closing her eyes tight.

I need to get the fuck out of here.