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Mail Order Bride, Romance, Part 6
Part 6: Not Grigory, but her soulmate’s brother shows up and forces Ana to come with him at gunpoint. What is she to do now?
Ana gets invited to live in the UK with Mr Townsend. They met through an internet agency, but instead of a happy marriage, Ana is put to work in the household. Ana and her housemate Luther become closer and they even share a kiss, until Elise steps in. During a raid at Luther’s residence, Ana gets arrested for not being able to show her passport or visa. Luther realizes his friend Elise may not be as innocent as he thought her to be. Meanwhile, he grows closer to Ana. Much to Ana’s surprise, she picks up the rumour her former fiance and soulmate Grigory has turned up in Russia. Will she stay with Luther or book a ticket home?
Ana quickly made her way downstairs to the front door; all the while, her heart was racing. Who could it be at the door for her? She hardly knew anyone here in England. Was there any chance it was her resurfaced lover Grigory.
“Hi,” she greeted the man waiting for her. There was something familiar about him, though she couldn’t tell what. She seemed to recognise his eyes, but at the same time, there was an intensity in them which pushed her away. Her spidey senses tingled all the way.
“Ana,” the stranger said with a broad smile.
“Privet, krasavitsa. I suggest you come with me.” He opened his coat and showed her his revolver.
“What? No! Why?”
Her protests didn’t stop him from pulling her close and dragging her to his vehicle. He pushed her inside the back of the van and threw the door shut.
“No, don’t do this! Let me go!” Ana banged with both her fists on the door and walls, but it changed nothing.
The van revved up and took off at high speed. Ana had to grasp her surrounding to steady herself. If she thought her heart was racing earlier, that had been a light jog compared with now. Mixed with the intense situation, her heart was pounding so hard she feared it would break out of her chest. The adrenalin had set her body on fire and had heightened every sense.
She sunk to a seated position to better withstand the sudden movements of the vehicle. Again she was taken prisoner, and she had no idea why, just like the other times. She tried to break her brain over who this could be, but she had no clue. The shock of having a visitor call for her, combined with someone greeting her in her own language, had stunned her.
Ana had no idea where the van was at the moment. She didn’t know her surroundings well after spending only three weeks in England. The fact that the back of the van had no windows and had made so many turns didn’t help either.
The van slowed and the engine was cut.
Ana was still worked up enough. She promised herself she would fight the moment the door opened.
But, contrary to what she decided, she was faced with the barrel of his gun, which put a stop to all her intentions.
“Out,” was all he said. Begrudgingly, she followed his command.
He directed her into a large barn.
Around a pole in the middle, there was a large chain and two cuffs attached. He pushed her towards them. Ana struggled while he tried to complete the job of cuffing her, and managed one good kick to his shin, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to stop him.
He rubbed his shin while glaring at her. “I always knew you were a witch. I’m happy to finally have you in my clutches. I’ve waited many years for this chance and had to travel many miles, but now we’re here!” He closed triumphantically.
“Why did you kidnap me? What the hell do you want with me, you fucking bastard? If you come close, I’ll treat your other leg the same way, or perhaps somewhere more painful,” Ana spewed.
While grinning, he slowly walked around her. “You really have no idea, do you?”
The laugh he uttered made her skin creep.
“All the times she’s been to my home, the nights spent under my roof, and yet she doesn’t recognise me. Tut tut tut.” He shook his head. “How could I have expected better?”
Ana racked her brain about who this nefarious character could be. It wasn’t often she hung out with criminals, and yet there was something familiar about him. His eyes there was something about his eyes…
Suddenly it clicked.
“Mishka?”
The man clapped his hands. “It’s a miracle, she remembered. Yes, I am the one and only Mishka, brother to Grigory the Great. Are you relieved to know it’s me who’s keeping you here?”
He approached her and held her shoulders.
She tried to move away from his grip but the chain would not allow it.
“Why, Mishka?” She asked, truly perplexed he would have done such a thing.
“Hah, even now, you pretend to be innocent. Maybe my dumb brother fell for your stupid tricks, but not me.”
He started walking around the barn, kicking at an empty pot.
“I know you wanted me. I saw the longing in your eyes when I held the door for you or brought you your soda. But my idiot brother kept you from me. He always wants everything for himself, and because he got all the looks and an extra helping of brains, he gets away with everything. Well, not anymore. I did away with him and kicked him off the grid for a long time, but then I figured: if someone can do that to him, I can do that too.”
Ana nearly lost the thread of what the lunatic was trying to say.
“Is…is Griggy all right?” She realised she was treading thin ice with this question, but she had to know.
“See! That’s just what I meant! Even now, in a life or death situation, dear ‘Griggy’ is the only thing on your mind. Well, just so you know: I promised mother I wouldn’t ‘off’ her dearest son. Does that calm you down?”
Tears began to stream down her face as relief washed through her. Grigory, her lover, was still alive. She hadn’t heard anything about him in years and had tried to let him go many times, but it had never succeeded. Their bond had been too strong to be forgotten or dismissed.
Mishka approached her and slapped her cheek hard. “Quit crying for that weasel. It doesn’t matter if he is alive or dead. You are mine now. I am all that matters.”
Ana tried to regain control. She was still in this madman’s hands and needed her wits to get out of here alive.
“Didn’t your mommy tell you not to hit a woman?” She asked once she had her voice back.
Mishka’s face fell, and he twirled his thumbs. “Yes, well, she’s not here now, is she?” he asked, but with less confidence than before.
“But what will she say when she finds out you abducted me, her favourite daughter-in-law?” Ana challenged.
“She is not here! Shut your mouth! Shut it!” He bound a handkerchief around her head to effectively gag her.
“Maybe this will keep you quiet. You were always rude like no one ever taught you manners. Maybe that should be a task for me. Hah!” He continued to walk through the area while muttering to himself.
Ana was helpless. She had maybe seen this Mishka at Grigory’s place a couple of times, but most of the time, he was locked up in his room playing video games. She had never ‘looked at him longingly’ or shown any other interest in him. This was all him. And, despite her precarious situation, Ana was still relieved Grigory was alive.
Part of her hoped Luther would come and save her. She would bet Betsy raised some alarm when Ana had disappeared. She could only hope they would come in time. This man here was too shifty and could turn violent at any moment. Ana hoped she would walk out of her alive.
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