Obsession (The Volkov Mafia Series Book 1), page 1
Obsession
Copyright © 2015 by S.E Foster
First publication: September 2015
S.E Foster
www.samanthaharringtonauthor.wordpress.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organisations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for third party websites or their content.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2015
DEDICATION
For my children - never give up. Always give it 110%, and know that I am proud of you all. You bring so much joy and love to my life. Never forget that, even when my head is in my laptop, I love you with all of my heart.
For my husband - for all the times you have pushed me to try when all I wanted was to stop.
You have cooked, cleaned and done the school run, then put all of our children to bed so I could stay up and write. Your support has never wavered through the good and the bad, the ups and downs.
For Mum and Dad who taught me about life and love, who always told me to work hard and never give up - without you both I would not be where I am today.
For my best friend, Charlie, your constant reading and the truth you tell me, for the times when I think I can’t go on and write one more word, you are there every step of the way. You’re always there whenever I need you, on the phone or in person. What more could a girl want in a friend?
This book would not be possible without your love and support. xxx
TABLE OF CONTENT
DEDICATION
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PROLOGUE
The smell is different when I wake, it’s putrid. I cover my nose with my hand to stop the bile that rises in my throat.
I look around and I can see that I’m not in my room; wherever I am is cold and devoid of furniture. I can barely see my surroundings in the dim light. In the sparse room is the bed that I am sat on, a bucket in the corner and a chair; the door is on the other side of the small room. Gingerly, I start to get out of the bed placing my bare feet on the cold stone floor. The room is dark with only a small window which doesn’t give off much light and the walls are really dirty. I make my way slowly over to the door, as I attempt to turn the handle I realise that the door is locked.
Sitting back down on the bed, I try to think about how I got wherever here is.
Me and my friends had just finished our final exams and had decided to go out and have a laugh and a few drinks, guilt free now that exams are done with, no more late nights in the library studying, up at all hours writing essays. What I never expected that night was to be taken.
The arm that wrapped around my waist, the hand that clamped around my mouth. I didn’t feel his skin, just a cloth of some kind cover my mouth and nose. I tried screaming but it was no use, the world was fading. My last thought was of my family and friends, that feeling that I won’t ever see them again or tell them I love them.
I start to cry recalling the events that led me to be here, the tears slide down my cheeks, my chest is heavy with panic. Why me?
I hear the click of the lock, the handle starts to turn, I push myself as close to the wall as I can get, huddling in the corner as I wait for someone to enter. I can feel the panic start to rise, I don’t like this feeling of shear panic that is consuming me right now. I wait for whoever is going to come into the room my heart is racing, I feel my eyes burn as the tears threaten to fall again. The door opens and I can see the outline of a mountain of a man. He’s tall and broad, his shoulders look like they could carry the weight of the world. He steps towards me and my breaths become shallow and rapid. As he gets closer I take in more details, like the stubble that graces his face, the way his black t-shirt defines the power of his muscles. He looks like the villain in every story I’ve ever read, all in black with his cargo pants and heavy boots.
“Here you go,” he says to me walking over to the bed, I hadn’t seen the tray he was carrying, he places it on the bed. His voice rumbles through me, its deep and sensual, I swear I feel it coat my skin.
“Where am I? What do you want with me?” I hurl the questions at him not expecting an answer.
“It’s not you that we want Faith. You won’t be hurt as long as you behave yourself and don’t try anything stupid.” He watches me as it dawns on me that he knows my name.
“How do you know my name?” I don’t know where the steel in my voice comes from, I really hope it stays. “Who is it that you do want then?”
He turns back towards the door, but hesitates before leaving and turns back to me. “We know everything about you Faith, and it’s your father that we want. He owes us money, and if he doesn’t pay, well, then Faith, then you’re his payment.”
He walks out, closing and locking the door behind him, leaving me in my new cell.
My father is a business man. He wouldn’t owe money, he invests it. Well, as far as I know, but then, in my 24 years I’ve seen more of my boarding school than I have of my father.
I look down at the tray on the bed, there’s a bottle of water and a sandwich on a plate with a slice of apple. I’m so hungry that I don’t care if it’s days old . I tuck in and eat every last crumb, sipping the water to make it last. I don’t really relish the idea of peeing in a bucket.
I drift off to sleep hoping that this is just a misunderstanding and that I will be home as soon as possible.
The next few days are pretty much the same routine. Nothingness until they take me to a bathroom to have a wash, and give me clean clothes to wear. Considering that I’m being held against my will, I’m not being mistreated. I am extremely grateful for this, though I think that’s more down to Damien than anything to do with me. Damien is the guard who mainly looks after me. I think he’s the head honcho because everyone answers to him and no one does anything without his say so.
Damien comes into the room I’ve dubbed my cell. “Your father has declined to pay what he owes. He’s fully aware that we have you, and thinks that you are an exceptional payment to cover his debt.”
“WHAT THE FUCK! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME.” I scream at him, jump off the bed and start pounding on his chest, tears streaming down my face; in this moment I realize that my dad does not love or care about me. I sag against Damien; his arms come around me holding me close to him.
“Shh, I won’t let anybody hurt you Faith,” he whispers into my ear.
I start to calm down, “What’s going to happen to me?” I whispered into his chest.
“Nothing bad will happen to you Faith, I’ll get you out of here, I swear.” his words were said lovingly to me as if he really did care. “Just bide your time for now while I come up with a plan to get us out of here.”
He places me on the bed, kisses the top of my head before leaving the room; I try not to dwell on the fact that he said us and kissed my head, but my tummy is a knotted mess.
All I know is that for now I’m still trapped in this room, and I can’t do a damned thing about it.
CHAPTER ONE
Faith
Six months later
“Faith, are you ready to talk about what happened?” I hear the therapists question, it’s the same question she’s asked every week since I started coming here. In the last 6 months my life has changed so much, and the only person that knows what really happened is my best friend Cami.
She has held me when I cried and comforted me when I woke in the night screaming, but most of all, she has given me somewhere to feel safe, somewhere to call home.
Am I ready to talk? I think today, maybe I am, maybe I can let some of it go. “Maybe” I mumble. She sits in her chair opposite me with her trademark pen and note pad.
“Whatever you’re going to say Faith, it stays in this room.” I have to admit her soothing voice does make me want to talk to her.
“I think I’m in love with Damien” I whisper into my hand not wanting to vocalise my dirty little secret. It’s the first time that I have said it out loud.
“Who’s Damien?” she asks me.
I don’t know if I’m ready to tell her that yet. My head hurts with the commotion that is my mind.
Only Cami knows. She’
“Damien, he’s the one that got me out.” I tell Dr. Smith. She’s an older lady, slight greying at the temples with hair pulled into a perfect bun, but she has a soft kind face.
“How did he do that?” With her question I slip down the slope, back into the nightmare that plays on repeat inside of my mind. No longer thinking of Damien, but of the darkness. Of Him, and my cell. It was the darkest time of my short existence and I hate everything about it, except that it gave me Damien.
I shake my head at Dr. Smith, I can’t do it. I pull my legs to my chest and my arms around them. I spoke his name. Why did I do that? No-one other than Cami knows his name. Regret fills me as the darkness that eats away inside, the hate that threatens to consume me tears me up. I cling onto the pain, that’s where my memories lie. That’s how I keep him close to me. “Damien” I sign. I can’t forget. Ever.
“Please… I can’t. Just, no more,” I speak through the sobs that threaten to overtake me, the words not sounding quite right.
“Ok Faith, that’s fine. You did well. Now, let's book you in for next week.” I nod my head in answer.
I take some tissues out of the holder so I can wipe the tears from my eyes. “Thank you for today Dr Smith, I’m trying, I swear I’m trying” Though maybe not fully I admit to myself.
“Only when you’re ready Faith. I’m a patient old bat” she says, trying to make me laugh. I don’t remember the last time I laughed…
Making our way back to the waiting room, I notice Cami looking worried. I guess I’m not fooling anyone with puffy eyes and a tear stained face.
“Faith, are you ok sweetie?” She comes straight up to me and wraps me in her arms. The tightness in my chest eases a little. I’m safe.
I love Cami, she has always been there for me, more so since he saved me; she’s my rock.
“I’m ok,” I whisper to her, “I actually spoke a little today.” Her arms squeeze me tighter at my words. She pulls away from me, holding onto my arms looking me in the eye. “I am so proud of you Faith!” Her eyes hold that sense of understanding that she knows that it’s time I let someone else in, and that if I keep taking those baby steps, hopefully one day, I will come out the other side.
We head out to the carpark and climb into Cami’s black and red Mini Cooper, which Cami loves for driving around in London. Starting up the car, “Hey Faith, do you want to try and have lunch out today? Or do you want to just head home?”
“Home please Cami. I’ll make us something.” I feel bad, but I know that she understands that I can’t cope in the outside world yet. I have created this little bubble that I am safe in, and I’m terrified to leave it. She has tried time after time to get me out. I know that one day I will have to pull up my big girl pants and join the real world again but for now, I just can’t face it.
I’m in the kitchen at the sink, washing up after the chicken salad I made Cami and I for dinner. It wasn’t much, just cooked chicken breast chopped up, lettuce, cucumber, new potatoes, and tomatoes in a bowl with a bit of olive oil. I put the last plate on the drainer, the washing up finally done. With the joys of cooking comes cleaning but it has to be done: it’s the least I can do since Cami lets me stay with her rent free.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice someone lurking in the alley at the back of the house. I feel the hairs on my neck stand up and I shudder.
When I lift my eyes to fully look out of the kitchen window, I can’t see anyone. Remembering the doctors’ advice about when I become anxious, I take a few big deep and slow breaths to try and calm my racing heart. I feel it start to ease; I was never like this before. I get myself so worked up sometimes that panic consumes me. I feel weak, pathetic and helpless.
Some days, I think I’m going mad. I see Damien everywhere I go. I know he’s not really there. He dropped me off at the hospital and I haven’t seen him since. His last words to me where “Don’t go home,” and with that he left me there on my own.
I’m still taking deep breaths when Cami comes into the kitchen, “Did it happen again Faith?” I can’t form the words to reply so I just nod my head. She starts to rub the bottom of my back to distract me from my thoughts. I do the only thing I know that will help me - fake humour, I’ve come to rely on it. I think Cami understands that when I do it, I just can’t talk about it yet.
“Wine time!” I say in a silly singsong voice, I head over to the fridge pulling the bottle of white wine from the shelf.
“I’ll get the glasses,” Cami says and I know she has understood. I’m in the mood to totally forget about today. I come back to the kitchen island and pour two big glasses. The kitchen is lovely, it has high gloss plum units and white granite worktops, with stainless steel appliances finish its ultra-modern look.
The kitchen opens into the dining room, the glass table and 12 white leather chairs are to die for. When Cami moved me in six months ago, I was awestruck at this room. It’s perfect for entertaining, not that she has done any of that since I moved in. I feel like such a burden to Cami, she has stopped doing so much since I moved in here and I feel like I’m ruining her life. I know that’s not the case but when someone you love puts her whole life on hold to help you, I guess it’s to be expected. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her. She is beautiful inside and out, right down to her core she is pure and selfless.
We’re sat giggling on the black and grey corner couch in the living room, reminiscing about our University days. I must admit all this laughing has helped me forget for a little while today, and for that little while at least, I felt like the old me.
I place my empty glass on the oak coffee table, “That’s me for the night, I’m going to get a bath and then try and get my head down for the night.” I get up from the couch and place a kiss on her cheek saying night as I walk towards the bathroom.
I slip into the water, it’s so hot, but I love the way it feels. The water is soothing and warm wrapping itself around me, making me feel so much better. I hear the sound of my phone going off, but I am so relaxed that I figure I’ll leave it check it when I am done. It can’t be anything important anyway.
Knowing I have to move saddens me but I lather up the body wash, and get rid of the signs of the day, I can feel all of the stress and grime of the day being washed away. If only it were that simple. Ha!
I rinse myself off and wrap myself up in a towel from the heated towel rail. Padding across the tiled bathroom floor to the vanity I get ready for bed.
I go back into my bedroom to put my PJs on, so that I can fall asleep. In my dreams I get to see Damien, I get to hear him speak. I need to hear him. It’s become my addiction - reliving my nightmare just so I can be with Damien one more time.
Once I’m dressed I notice my phone on the dresser, remembering that I heard it go off earlier on.
Looking down at my phone I see a text from a number I don’t recognize;
UNKNOWN: You will pay for what you have done Faith. This is far from over! I’m coming for you.
The words send chills down my spine making me feel sick to my stomach. I hear a scream and realise it's me as my phone falls from my hands and bounces off of the floor.
“Faith. Faith!” I can hear Cami shouting my name but I can’t answer. I am frozen. Oh God no, I thought it was over.
Dropping to the floor, I am on my knees crying; my hair is still wet from the bath. I feel Cami’s arms come around me “Ssshhhh, ssshhhh, Faith what’s happened? Are you ok?” She is stroking my wet hair and rocking me like a child, I start shaking my head frantically, still unable to form words. I reach for the phone and pass it to Cami.
I feel her breath hitch as she reads the words on the screen, “We need to call the Police Faith. I know you didn’t when it happened before but we need to tell them now, we have to keep you safe!” Her words send fresh tears down my cheeks.
“OK” I manage to whisper. She leads me into the living room and places me on the couch, wrapping me in the throw that’s always hung over the couch.
I ask Cami to make the call: I can’t stop my fingers from shaking to dial the number. I hear the call as she never leaves my side still stroking my hair while talking to the Police.
