Degeneracy♡

chapter 24: NOT ALONE

It's been 48 hours and I haven't seen Luca. 

We had pulled up to this beautiful estate in the middle of nowhere in St Petersburg. Apparently it was a 40 bedroom mansion with a swimming pool, sauna and live-in maids, not that I've seen much of it in the last 2 days.

He had dragged me through the house at about 3AM. It was still, silent and somber. He parked me up outside a room and said he had to go. And that was it. He'd sent me a few texts since, just to let me know he hadn't died and I'd had room service 3-4 times a day in the mean time but that was it. I haven't left the room. 

The room, itself, is perfect; light, airy, feminine. But it feels fake. Like I'm on set. I have no awareness of the rest of the house but know these four walls and my bathroom well. The bedroom is fully stocked with clothes for every occasion, in my size and favourite colours. I have high end makeup, skincare, perfume. A jewellery collection which could pay off my parents mortgage and some. A massive T.V with every streaming service. A jacuzzi bath. 

This would be every girl's dream. But I feel like a hostage. Today I've had 2 baths, tried on 4 ballgowns, done my makeup 6 times, watched a whole season of friends and had all 3 of my meals. It's only 10PM. Now I'm just lying on my bed staring at the ceiling with no thoughts behind my eyes. I have had more rest the past few days than I have in the last year, but I don't even have the energy to turn the big light off. 

As my first interesting thought of the day pops into my head which is 'Shall I just sack today off, wake up tomorrow and hope it will be different?' my phone dings. 

I shoot up and fumble with my phone. It's Luca. 

'Call me.' 

I ponder this for a few seconds. That horrible impending doom feeling sinks in. The first 10 hours of being here made me overthink the last few months. Questions like 'Am I being used?' 'Has he lost interest?' 'Is this all just a ploy to sell me off to some Russian pimp?' floated around my head. But after that, I just accepted that there was nothing I could do about it now and slowly faded into an empty shell of myself. 

Now, I overthink my overthinking. Should I just give into him? Was I just being insecure when I thought those things? Will calling him make this right? Another ding from my phone. 

'Isobel. I know you've seen my message. Call me right now.'

Isobel? He never calls me that. 

I slowly pick up my phone and go to call him. I feel sick as I'm doing this. He answers almost instantly.

"Izzy." He says in a deeper, more strained voice than usual. 

"Hello, are you okay?" I say hesitantly and then kick myself for showing I care. 

"No. I need you to do something for me."

"What do you mean? Where are you?" I ask, sitting bolt up right. 

"In my office, there's a safe with a wallet inside it. I need you to open the safe and get the wallet out for me." His voice sounds quiet and weak. 

"I have no idea where your office is." 

"Come out of your room and go down the first staircase you see." He orders. 

I tiptoe to the door, taking a second to listen out for anyone in the hallway.

"You need to be quick." He breathes, sounding laboured. 

I creak open the door and step outside, looking out into the dark corridor. I see the railing of a small set of stairs and silently tiptoe towards them and make my way down them. I can hear a low bass sound coming from somewhere below me. 

"Keep going down the stairs, don't stop until you're at the bottom of them. Don't make a sound, don't talk to anyone. Don't look at anyone." 

I keep making my way down the stairs as quietly as I can, the bass getting louder and low muffled voices can be heard. I reach the end of this set of stairs and see a slightly ajar door giving off a radiant, orange light.

"Keep going until you're at the bottom." He rasps down the phone. But my eyes wonder to what I see through the crack in the door. Lots of men. Some doing coke with half naked women sat on their laps. Some finishing off their whiskey with cigars in their hands. None have seen me peaking through the door. But my stomach lurches and I feel my heart rate increase. 

"Isobel. Do what I say!" Luca shouts down the phone, his breathing becoming more and more intense. 

I slowly pass the door, but a floorboard makes a loud squeak beneath my feet and I hear the muffled voices stop. I stay frozen. For some reason waiting for more of a reaction. The bassy music is turned off. This is my cue to run. I sprint down the narrow stairs as quickly as physically possible, open the first door I see at the bottom and hide behind it. My breathing is rapid and shallow as I try and control it. 

I can hear voices at the top of the stairs that I can't make out. 'Probably just a maid' and 'Not supposed to go down to the basement' are the only sentences I can make out. A few footsteps down the stairs fill the silence but they stop suddenly. 

"You mad? Fuck that." One of the voices say and then mumbling tones travel upwards until the bass is heard again. I let out a breathy 'Oh my god' forgetting I'm on the phone to Luca. 

"Where are you?" He says panicked. 

"I'm down the stairs in the hall way." I let out.

"Izzy, you're gonna have to go back to your room. I can't ask this of you." He swallows audibly. 

"But those men-" 

"What are you wearing?" 

"What? J-just a tracksuit I found in the ro-"

"Okay, put your hood up, creep back up the stairs as silently as you can." 

"Luca, what is going on?" 

"Just listen to me."

I take a deep breath and put my hood up like he's asked. I push the door with my free hand and am suddenly fully exposed the darkly lit hall way. 

"Izz. Run up those stairs as quickly as you can. All the way back to your room. Don't look back, don't stop. Lock the door once you reach your bedroom." Luca says quickly and a weird clanging sound is heard in the background of the call. 

He barely finishes his sentence before I jump at the opportunity. I race up those stairs, probably making a lot of noise. The door to the room those men are in is now wide open and they have definitely seen me sprint past. But I don't look back I keep going. I make it to the last few steps when my foot catches on the edge of the stair, making me drop my phone. But I don't have time to pick it up now. I just keep running. I tear open the door to my room, but I barely have time to close it before I see a looming figure speed towards me. I slam the door but there is pressure from the other side. So with my full body weight, I lean against the door, pushing with all my might. 

The hinge clicks and I push the bolt in. I hold my breath. Silence.