Corporate Plaything

Chapter Six

She knew that Koleniskov, the man who blackmailed her and her father, was displeased with her slow progress, but she didn’t expect the boss of the syndicate to send one of his muscles to St. Croix just to remind her how dire her situation was.

Last night, Koleniskov had threatened her via email, saying that he had Joseph Vincent with him, and if she couldn’t produce that secret formula in the next three days, Koleniskov would cut her father’s fingers, one for each day she was late. And if she still wasn’t able to get that secret formula by the time Koleniskov finished with all of her father’s fingers, he’d kill him.

Anna tethered at the edge of an emotional breakdown after she read Koleniskov’s email. She’d tried hard to get that secret formula and had practically scrubbed clean the Martels’ private network for any sign of Surrender’s secret ingredients. She just couldn’t find it. What else could she do? Tie up one of the Martels and force him to talk at gunpoint? She could never do that. They had all been her lovers. Lying to them had been the hardest thing she had ever done. Harming them physically was unthinkable.

Last night, after Ralph caught her sneaking out of the bed, she had a long think and decided that coming clean was the most rational thing to do. If her father were going to be killed by a sadistic Russian mob, then she’d be better off going to the Feds. At least, the Feds wouldn’t want to cut someone’s fingers just because that person accidentally hacked the government’s bank accounts. Anna was going to ask Ralph if she could go back to New York to visit her father. And once there, she would go to the FBI and confess everything.

Since Ralph was busy with phone calls, she’d decided to go to the beach first to calm her nerves and gather her courage. She’d barely stepped on to the sand when some man grabbed her and pressed a knife to her throat. He dragged her through the plantation by force.

Without him telling her who he was, Anna knew he was one of the syndicate’s men. She thought she’d seen him before in Koleniskov’s place. After fifteen minutes trekking through the sugar cane field, the man took her onto a clearing near a ruin of a lighthouse. She saw a black SUV parked on the clearing with two grumpy looking men in it. Her captor shoved her down to the ground.

The men climbed out from the car. Anna recognised one of them as Yuri, Koleniskov’s second-in-command. A cold chill ran through her spine. She’d heard rumours that Yuri was nastier than Koleniskov himself.

“Please,” Anna begged. “I promise I’ll get that formula in three days. I’m so close. Just give me some time. I need to crack some firewall codes.”

“Tell that to Mr. Koleniskov

himself. I’m only a messenger.”

“I got your message! Just let me go back so I can start working on it.” Anna scrambled to get up. She wanted to get away from this nasty man as fast as she could.

Yuri leered. “Sure. Right after I deliver Boss’ message.” He snatched her wrist and wrenched her arm upward.

Anna shrieked in pain. “What are you doing?”

Yuri fished something out from his jacket pocket. Anna’s eyes widened when she saw the man had a nutcracker in his hand. She yanked her hand in reflex, but the man’s grip was firm. Before she could do anything else, he slid the tool onto her pinkie finger and squeezed.

Anna heaved. She heard a sickening crunch. A freak wave of agony tore through her. She froze with the intensity of pain from having her bone snapped by a nut-cracking tool. Her stomach roiled. Her eyes watered. She gasped, swallowing a lungful of air and at the same time, trying not to retch.

Yuri let her go. “Do you get the message now?”

“Fuck you.”

“Apparently, you don’t.” The man seized her hand again.

“Let me go!” Anna stepped backwards in panic. “Don’t touch me!”

“Not until you get the message through your thick skull, cunt.”

Anna yanked her hand, trying to get away from Yuri and his men. But there was nowhere to run. They had cornered her at the edge of the cliff. Anna begged them to spare her. But they kept advancing. She flailed when she lost her balance.

No. Her scream evaporated in her throat when she realised her foot stood on nothing. The deep ocean, with its hungry tides, snarled at her. She fell.

Anna screamed. A sliver of thought flashed through her that this was the end of her. The sharp, jagged rocks welcomed her with delight. But just before she hit, a powerful tide swallowed her in its embrace.

Funny. She thought she saw Ralph’s face before she passed out.

* * * *

Anna thought she was hallucinating when she opened up her eyes and saw Ralph, Justin, and Matt. This can’t be right. I’m already dead. Why do I see them here? She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again just to be sure.

Justin leaned over her. His face was grim. “Ralph, she’s awake.”

Ralph touched her face and held up his hand in front of her. “Anna, how many toes am I holding up?”

She snorted. “Very funny.”