Italian Rhapsody Ch. 04

He cried out in pain and right away grasped her arms and reared up. Forgetting about the knife in his back, he thrust into Roxie until he achieved his climax. Right after he rolled away and slipped from inside her. She struggled upward, fighting the effects of the drugs. Her weapon was buried in Vlad's back and now she had to use her wits to escape.

Unfortunately, Vlad was an exceptionally well-built man and the knife wound wasn't serious. As Roxie struggled to run naked from the small room, he reached for her and caught her by her long hair. Dragging her back, he threw her back on the couch and grasped her tightly around her throat, but not tight enough that her air was cut off at first. "You dare try and kill me."

Pain screamed through her system and she let out a whimper. She clawed at his arms in desperation as he tightened his grip, not letting go until she passed out.

When she awoke next, Roxanne found herself still naked but not on the ship anymore. It looked like she was in a house.

Tropojë, NE Albania

A month later

The temporary wife of a Native American man, Daniel Fox, has been given to yet another man. He would just be another man, and eventual lover, to the beautiful captive for his pleasure. Not only was she an American, but she was the daughter of an Evangelical pastor from Tampa, Florida. In order to rescue her from captivity, he must use her like a sex slave in every way possible.

Roxanne Serbati had been abducted, sold into slavery by a Russian mobster, Vladimir Trakarov. He had raped her. Considering her upbringing, it was unthinkable to let anybody except Daniel into her bed. But it was too late now. All she could do was pray to God for someone to rescue her. Now she found herself in the bed of another man who meant to use her sexually. If she gave him sexual pleasure with eagerness, there was a glimmer of hope in her bleak future. Anxious to escape, she found that perhaps sexual servitude didn't have to be the prison it could be. Besides, the many times that she'd had sex, there were some men that were not rough and mean. She'd even received a valuable emerald as a gift for her obedience in allowing an Arabic man to have anal sex with her. Even though she hadn't liked it, she hadn't stopped the man from taking whatever pleasures he wanted from her. The circumstances she was in, didn't allow her to resist in any way. Resistance only meant more discomfort for her. So she let whatever the men wanted from her sexually, happen.

Sleep overtook her the moment she lay on her bed. She dreamed of her half-Indian husband, Daniel. She dreamed that they were together again, that he had rescued her and they were back home in the South Carolina swamp.

Moscow

"What kind of help you need, Mr. Fox?" Dmitri asked.

"Despite my martial arts training, I need to hire two men to help me find my wife. She was taken by Vladimir Trakarov, which I thought was a friend of mine. But he was in fact a member of the Russian mafia who betrayed me. He called me to meet him at a bar in Cefalù, but he didn't show. It had been a ruse to get me away from her. He kidnapped her and sold her to Albanian slave traders from Tropojë and forced to service men if they'd express an interest in her."

"And how would you know that?"

"She phoned me from Moscow. She was given a cell phone by one of her...clients. He also confirmed it. She begged to use his phone. I guess he sympathized with her."

"What is her name? I see what I can find out."

"Roxanne Serbati."

"Italian." Dmitri smiled. "She is pretty, yes?"

"Yes, she is." Daniel smiled back. "When I have a bad day, she makes me feel...happy. I never thought that I'd ever fall in love, but she proved me wrong. Since she's been gone, I feel lonely and sad. I miss her terribly."

"When you get married?" Dmitri asked.

"We got married last month."

"Sexy?"

His smile slipped. "Yes."

Dmitri looked at the ceiling, deep in thought, and didn't notice Daniel's discomfort. "Sicilian? Northern Italy? Long blonde hair?"

"No. She was born in Florida. Long hair, yes, but not blonde. Raven."

He clucked his tongue. "Too bad."

"It works for me."

Dmitri's laugh nearly made Daniel jump. "That's all that matters, yes?" A punch landed on his shoulder. "Yes," Dmitri answered his own question. "Now, we talk details. You tell me what you need. We catch little bastard who has your woman and teach him lesson, so I can meet your woman."

Daniel exhaled, releasing the tension that had built up. "Yes! First you catch whoever has Roxanne. Then..." God help them "...you meet her. And, Dmitri, Vladimir is not an easy adversary, so be careful."

"Leonid and Ljubomir would be able to help you. Ljubomir is very efficient in Svebor and Realnog Aikidoa. Leonid is former Russian special forces and an expert in Sambo, R.O.S.S., Buza, and Systema. What do you practice?"

"Krav Maga and Aikido."

"Not bad. Together you can be unbeatable. But if I join, we can be even better."

"What about you? What do you practice?"

"Khridoli and Sambo."

"I thought Khridoli was not practiced anymore."

"That's true, but I do. My mother was prostitute from T'bilisi. My father was Russian soldier. I'm half Georgian. Going back some thirty-five hundred years, Georgian warriors have long tradition of fighting, and experts belief that over thirty forms of wrestling and boxing were practiced in Georgia. As country found itself on near-constant military alert throughout the centuries, the highly respected art of the warriors was considered central to the civilization's survival. The Russian occupation of Georgia in 1921 saw decline in native martial arts, and Sambo became the art of choice for many interested in learning the fighting arts." Dmitri went around the counter and settled his huge bulk on a barstool. "So why you never come see me, Daniel?"

"Things came up. Too busy. And you were in prison."

"Pffft." Dmitri waved off his prison sentence like it was nothing. "A few months. No problem. No one bothered me after I show them I can take care of myself."

Daniel nodded. "I'm an honest man, a law-abiding citizen who mostly works as a bodyguard."

"And you have no friends here anymore?"

He shifted uncomfortably but didn't look away. He'd never lied to Dmitri, and wouldn't now. "You are a friend," he said, meaning it. "But not the kind I can afford to have. If the police find out that I was here, it's not good for either of us."

Dmitri shrugged. "Police don't bother me. I'm honest citizen, too. I'm struggling club owner." He grinned. "Like you, eh?"

"Dmitri, my other business doesn't hide behind my legit one."

The big Russian nodded. "So you want my help in rescuing your bride from nightclub here in Moscow?"

"Please. And I'm sure she'll be moved to somewhere else if I don't get to her in time." Dmitri's past connection to the Russian Mafia and their lucrative human smuggling business was not the best kept secret.

Dmitri laughed and reached over to punch Daniel's shoulder. "You are right! We help you." He nodded slowly. "So what you want to do? How you want to take care of Albanians?"

Daniel took a deep breath, hoping to pitch this right, or Dmitri and his men would get too carried away. "If we can find Roxanne, maybe you or one of your men could pretend to be a client of hers. And if the Albanians get in your way, feel free to kill them. The less there are, the better."

Dmitri nodded. "They could do it. But very dangerous to get involved in Mafia or with Albanian gangsters. For own safety, you will stay far away."

Daniel didn't point out that Dmitri and his two henchmen were also very dangerous. "If one of them could find her for me, they'd take her somewhere safe. There's no reason to connect me to her, or her to me. When the bad guys stop looking for her, your men take care of whatever needs to be taken care of, and my wife is out of danger, then you'll contact me."

"I do it. I can get your wife for you, but I don't know if anyone get hurt in process. Not important. Criminals are expandable. They are like bugs. I kill if they get in our way. But I especially take care of guy who kidnapped your wife."

He paused, not sure if he heard correctly. "You will? Thanks, Dmitri."

"Yes, I help you, Daniel. Me and my two...friends, will go and get your woman. That what you want, yes?"

"Yes. But...why do you agree to help me?"

Dmitri's heavy hand landed on Daniel's shoulder, drawing him closer to the counter. "Daniel, I tell you important truth. Russians very romantic people. Money, jewels, power...all good. Very good. But is nothing without love, eh?" The hand lifted from his shoulder, then hit him with a friendly slug. "You must have Russian blood, my friend. You take big risk for love."

Daniel would do anything to get Roxie safely back to him. Risk didn't factor into it.

"Just promise Dmitri one thing."

"Sure. What is it?"

"If I don't get to meet your woman when you get her back, I want to meet her."

"Okay, Dmitri."

"I arrange everything and let you know how things go."

The two men came toward him, one of them opening the door for him. Daniel was sure if he walked out alone he'd never make it his car without being tackled. The escort was for his safety.

Leaving was a relief, and not just because he had someone to find and bring Roxanne back to him. Stepping back into the world of thieves, organized crime cartels, and armed bodyguards who could kill anyone as easily as a fly felt like walking in deep mud, the smell clinging to his clothes and dirtying everything he touched. He strode across the street to the empty parking lot where he had left his rental car, intent on getting out of this part of Moscow as fast as he possibly could without it being too obvious.

A day later

Leonid and Ljubomir watched as customers began to drift into the nightclub they were checking out for any sign of Daniel's woman.

A din of conversation and music grew in the large room. "Looks like us girls are going to get laid a dozen or so times tonight," Roxie said to her only friend, Valentina. "Yes, we are going to get really used tonight."

She recognized several customers, all Eastern European, and took their usually table. But there were also two huge men that she'd never seen before. They sat in a dark corner and just sat there, seemingly enjoying their beer. They looked like men who could take care of themselves.

Leonid was just taking a swallow from his beer when a hulk filled the doorway of the nightclub.

The man's dark hair was slicked back and shiny even in the low light. His t-shirt was molded to his muscular upper body. "Oh, shit."

Ljubomir looked up when he heard Leonid mutter something.

Everything about the man spelled trouble. He crossed the floor in a lumbering gait that dared anyone to get in the way. Leonid's pulse rate picked up speed. The man went straight to where the American woman was standing behind the bar. She looked up.

"You and me will have some fun tonight!" said the man know as Ivan "the terrible" Zubov. He had once shot a young girl for resisting him. She had yelled at him, daring him to shoot her. He had taken her outside and fired four bullets into her. The bullets had penetrated the right half of her rib cage, abdomen, lungs, and left thigh as she crumbled to the pavement, and soon she was dead. The young girl had been one of many victims of brutal men involved in the sex trafficking industry.

Leonid could be a brutal man, but he could also be a gentle lover, depending on the circumstances. He lifted himself off his seat, intending on going to Daniel's wife's defense. Defending women from men like this guy, was deeply ingrained in him. Ljubomir's hand closed on his wrist, stopping him from getting into a fight here, instead of away from a less public place. "Wait, Leonid. I don't think he's going to try anything here. We wait until she goes to room with him. I'm sure she can handle him herself."

Roxanne stared him straight in the eye, bravely standing her ground in the face of evil. "In your dreams." Her voice carried across the space that separated the bar and their table. Leonid heard the tremor in her voice. She was afraid or nervous, maybe both. "Get out of here, my friend," he told Ljubomir. "I see what I can find out. Wait outside in car and watch for trouble." He stood up, carrying his empty glass toward the bar as if to get a refill.

"I try be nice to you," Ivan growled. "You want me to use force like last time? Or drug you and have my way with you? You got it. This time I got something that teach you lesson." He pulled out brass knuckles and shook his fist at her. "See this? You will not be pretty anymore if my fist smashes your face in."

Roxanne stood her ground, staring up at him, not flinching even when he pushed his face within inches of hers.

"No girl wants to be in your bed, Ivan, but if you touch me only once, you'll regret it. Other than keeping your hands off me, do what you want, but leave me and my friend alone." She moved to stand away from him and faced him."

"But what I want includes you, American whore," Ivan said in a low voice.

Leonid's adrenaline surged and he started to move toward where Ivan faced the stubborn, but brave woman. A few people on stools stood up and backed away.

"Valentina, call the police," Roxanne said.

Eyes filled with fear, Valentina reached for the phone, but before she could dial the number, Ivan pointed a finger at her. "Valentina." His deep voice boomed. "You better put phone back, or you get same treatment as her. This not concern you."

Leonid watched as Valentina replaced the phone to its cradle. An image of the big gangster slamming a brass-knuckled fist into her pretty face flashed in his mind.

"You better leave her alone," Roxanne's tone sounded serious. "You touch her, you'll get your due. I warn you, Ivan. I might be afraid of you, but I'll still go against you."

God help her. Leonid couldn't believe the small American woman had threatened the big man. Ivan's eyes darted. He seemed to be looking for something to throw. Leonid lunged, but before he could reach him, Ivan's hand shot out and jerked Roxanne forward by the neck. She fought back, slapping at his wrist and face.

The sickening thud of a blow was heard. Roxanne stumbled backward. The next sound was the unmistakable click of a firearm. By the time Leonid saw the scene clearly before him, the woman was backed against the backbar, shaking. She had a Makarov pistol aimed right at Ivan's head. The gun was designed by Nikolay Makarov. It fired eight, nine by eighteen millimeter cartridges from a detachable box magazine. It was effective up to fifty meters, and had a velocity of three hundred fifteen meters per second.

Damn!

Blood trailed from a cut to her right cheek, just under her eye. There was already a bruise developing, but her gaze was locked on Ivan.

Leonid's senses heightened and intensified. His mind and body gave in to the years of training and experience. He stepped closer, feeling as if was going to kill Ivan himself.

"Roxanne, listen to me. Daniel is here for you. Put down gun."

She didn't respond, didn't take her eyes off her attacker. A bright trail of red ran down her cheek, down to her quivering chin and dripped onto her skimpy top.

Leonid watched Ivan's pale face from the corner of his eye. "Roxanne! Listen to me. I'm on your side. Let me help you. I will not hurt you. Daniel is here."

Except for her shaking hand, there was no reaction even to her husband's name.

"This bastard not worth getting yourself into Russian prison. Put gun down." Seconds turn into a minute. "Please," he said softly. "Think about future with Daniel. He is here for you. You can go home with him."

Finally Daniel's name got through to her. "Daniel is here?" she whispered. Despite her unsteady hand, she lowered the gun, but continued to stare at Ivan. The blood continued to drip from her chin onto her top. She made no move to wipe it away.

Though her eyes stared, she appeared to see nothing. The gun hung from her hand beside her right thigh. Leonid grasped her wrist with his right hand and the gun with his left. "Let go of gun. Everything okay now."

Roxanne relaxed her hand and he took the handgun. He ejected the clip and set it down on the bar's counter top, then stuffed the gun into his waistband.

Valentina was slumped against the backbar, shaking her head. A sob burst out and tears streamed. "Valentina," Roxanne said, "it's okay."

"You damn whore." Ivan's booming voice split the air. His eyes glittered and he shook his clenched fist. "I'm going to..."

"Hey!" Leonid was on him in an instant, reaching across the bar and filling his fist with the gangster's shirt. Ivan swung, but Leonid parried and grasped his throat with a fierce grip, fighting the urge to choke the life from the abuser of women. He yanked him forward until they were nose to nose across the bar. "You are pressing your luck. Get out of here before we both do something we regret."

Ivan's hand flew to Leonid's wrist. He wheezed. Leonid glared into his eyes for long seconds, then let go.

The Russian gangster staggered back, coughing, his hands bracketing his throat. Pure hatred burned in his eyes. He twisted and adjusted his neck, and shrugged his shoulders. He stomped toward the door, but stopped before opening it and shook his fist. "You American whore!" He yanked the door open. It banged the wall as he made his exit. "You are going to regret this."

Leonid turned to Roxanne. She was still braced against the back counter, her fingers curled tightly around the edge. A bloodstain had spread on the front of her tight, skimpy top, and the top curves of her breasts. She pushed away and strode past Leonid and the staring crowd of leering men, making for the ladies' room. Voices in the bar rose to a crescendo.

When she returned, her face was clean, but she held a cloth to her cheek. Her left eye had already become a slit. She reached behind the bar for her purse. Without a look left or right, she strode the length of the room and left through the front door.

Leonid followed her. He went outside and swore. He could have hurt her bad. Or she could have killed him. He scanned both sides of the street. Where could she have gone so fast?

A block down the street, he found her around the corner of a building. He hurried to her side and found her crying. Her hand was shaking badly, her teeth were chattering. He couldn't tell if she was cold or in shock. He looped his right arm around her shoulders. "Let me carry you." He was sure she would have collapsed soon. "I take you to Daniel." He carried her. Her head lolled twice and rested on his shoulder. When he got to his car, he set her on her feet. Holding her waist, he slid his left arm beneath her knees and lifted her onto the seat.

Roxanne would be missed by the club owner, but by then he would have her at a safe place.

He took away the bloody cloth from her cheek. The bleeding seemed to have stopped. He threw the cloth onto the seat beside her. Her forehead was beaded with perspiration. He reached for her wrist and felt her pulse. It was racing faster than he could count, but was probably slower than it had been a few minutes earlier.

"You going to be okay," he told her. "Relax."

He closed the door and rounded the vehicle to the driver's side, looking for the man who had punched her. As he got behind the wheel, Roxanne's head rolled back against the headrest. He reached across her for the seatbelt, brushing his forearm against her breasts accidentally. He pulled the seat belt across her body and locked it in place. He couldn't stop his gaze from going to her breasts. They were large, but they suited her perfectly.

He started up the car, eased onto the street and drove west, away from downtown Moscow, debating whether or not if he should take her to a hospital. An hour later, he was at the place where he was supposed to meet up with Ljubomir and Daniel. From what he could see, they weren't here yet. He carried her into the house, which put them first in the hallway. To the left was the kitchen, but across the hall was a doorway through which he could see a large bed. He carried her in and set her on the edge of the bed. Then he went into the washroom for a washcloth. When he found one, he soaked it with warm water, knelt beside the bed and she allowed him to bathe dried blood from her face. She winced as he brushed her cut and he apologized.