CHAPTER FIVE
Sophie sighed tiredly as she glanced at the clock on the dashboard of her Altima, parked conveniently in an alley across from a sagging old warehouse. Exactly one minute had passed since the last time she had checked. Resting her head in her hand, she continued to gaze at the darkened building ahead of her, wondering why it was exactly that drug lords couldn't just appear when they were wanted to.
It was her first big assignment for the Times, and she was more than just a little nervous. It wasn't that she doubted her ability to defend herself, it was the fact that her surveillance was already at the length of two hours and no sign of life had as of yet come from the dilapidated warehouse she was watching.
However, she was proud of herself; after only four and a half months of working for one of the most prestigious newspapers in the nation, her boss had informed her that she was to cover the story of one of Manhattan's most notorious drug dealers. Not only was Alex Nomikov sitting pretty in the center of New York's drug network (with a Hispanic mother and a Russian father) the man was positively ruthless.
After digging around and following Nomikov for nearly a month, Sophie had discovered that the list of his rather grisly 'accomplishments' was extraordinary: at twenty, he had 'convinced' his father to hand over the reigns of the family business; three years later, seven of Alex's most worthy opponents were found brutally shot to death in a gruesome tribute to Al Capone and his masterful orchestration of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre; and now, at twenty eight, Nomikov wholly controlled the New York underground.
Sophie was thrilled.
Just when she thought that no one was in the building anymore, she saw a light switch on. It was followed by a silenced gun shot and a sickening splat. Shivering with excitement, Sophie grabbed her purse and slipped out of the dark blue car, and shutting the door as quietly as possible, began the trek across the street.
The next gunshot gave her pause, but however strong her misgivings about her upcoming circumstances were, she continued around the side of the building and slipped in through a slightly ajar exit door.
Not five seconds after entering the warehouse, she heard another shot, and following the sound, stumbled upon the hallway adjacent to the room in which Alex Nomikov and his less that upstanding colleagues were more than likely torturing the man's latest enemy. It was all she could do to keep from snorting at his predictable psychopathic means of entertainment.
Quickly opening her purse, Sophie pulled out her recorder and silently made her way over to the only source of light in the darkened building.
The first sound that met her ears was a man's painful pants, followed by a chillingly controlled voice with a slight Russian accent.
"Tell me, did you honestly think you stood even a tiny chance of playing both sides?" Nomikov asked, his anger evident. "It is nearly impossible. Would you like me to tell you why?"
He paused; the sound of a gun being cocked could be heard.
"It is impossible because you are leading a double life. It is not healthy for the psyche. In fact, your recent sniveling activities can almost be compared to a rather unfortunate psychological disorder. Multiple personality disorder, perhaps you've heard of it?"
There was a shot followed by a man's stifled scream.
"Of course you have." His sneer could be heard through his voice. "In fact, you yourself could be considered a defect. Do you know what they used to do to people like you?"
The gun cocked again. The victim's desperate smothered pleas rose in intensity.
"They used to kill them."
The man's gagged cries stopped.
Sophie had to cover her mouth to keep from vomiting. The criminal was even more heartless than she had originally thought.
That thought, however, was dispelled when the sound of a body landing on the floor was heard. Dropping the recorder back into her purse, Sophie turned around and began walking as fast and quietly as she could towards the door that she had used to gain entrance to the building, and upon reaching it, discovered one very unusual thing.
It was locked.
Pushing down the panic, Sophie slowly glanced around the dank hallway, looking for any other means of escape. Noting that there were no windows anywhere in sight, the panic swung in full force.
Breathing deeply and trying to get her pulse rate back to normal, Sophie set off down the hallway to her right, hoping to God that there was a door or and open window that she could climb out of. She had walked for about ten seconds when she heard footsteps behind her.
Despite all of her previously learned techniques of calm, every single piece of advice and training she had been given to survive in situations like these deserted her, and so, she ran.
She ran so fast and so heedlessly, in fact, that she didn't even know where she was headed; she ran so far and so blindly that she only stopped at a dead end, with the footsteps following her all the way. Sophie was about to turn and attempt to find her bearings when a bullet ricoched off the wall not three inches from her head.
"Turn around," a soft voice commanded from behind her. She silently obeyed, only to be met with the barrel of a gun pointed directly between her eyes. "Follow me," was murmured before the metal was retracted from her forehead.
The man stepped away from Sophie, gesturing with his handgun in the direction that she had come from. Gulping, Sophie slowly stepped forward, and was not all that surprised when the man grabbed her arm roughly and began fairly dragging her to what she presumed to be the room that Nomikov was occupying.
"He'll like you," the thug stated; Sophie began trembling.
Although Sophie had seen Alex Nomikov on film, she was not prepared for his presence. Psychotic control freak or not, Nomikov still possessed a handsome face, dark hair, and broad shoulders. If she had been in any other situation, Sophie would have thought him exactly her type, had it not been for the utter iciness and condescension shining through his pale eyes.
Nevertheless, this was not that situation, and the only thoughts swirling around Sophie's anxiety ridden mind were of the numerous slow and horrible deaths this man could inflict on her, none of which were a welcome possibility.
Alex Nomikov, on the other hand, was entirely composed. He stood leaning against one wall, silently observing Sophie, taking in the black slacks, light purple blouse, and heeled sling-backs, as well as her disheveled hair and flushed face.
Smiling coldly, he pushed off the blood splattered wall and slowly walked towards shaking brunette, rubbing a hand over his chin slowly.
Sophie didn't like the purely predatory look on his slightly smiling face…not one bit.
He stopped about six inches away and stood, contemplating her face. This was when Sophie decided it would do her good to have an alibi. Maybe she could say that she was simply driving by and heard noise? Maybe she could say—
"So you're the little reporter that's been following, aren't you?"
Sophie froze, her mouth dropping open slightly. "How—"
"Oh come now, did you expect me not to know about all the people I have spying on me? What with all of your research I thought you would know that I have friends in high places." The absolute calm of his voice was enough to unravel Sophie further. "You should also know that people do not appreciate having their dealings be watched constantly and then reported, only to be published for the entire population of the greater New York area to read and discuss. See this man?" He turned around and lightly pushed the dead body on the floor with his foot, looking at the corpse disdainfully. "This was the last person that attempted to interrupt my operations." Nomikov sighed almost regretfully. "Some people just don't know when to mind their own business. Like you."
He walked back to Sophie, this time stopping a mere couple of inches from her face. "What will I do with you? I suppose you've gotten a good deal of information tonight haven't you?" Nomikov tilted his head to the side. "Yes, I have no doubt that you have."
Sophie resumed breathing as he grabbed her purse and dumped its contents onto the red concrete floor. Picking up the recorder, he rewound the tape and played it back. Glancing at the woman in front of him, he raised his eyebrows as if in appreciation.
"Well," he began, "what to do. I assume that you are capable of forgetting the information you so carefully collected tonight, aren't you?" Sophie felt a ray of hope. "But the thing is, I don't know if I can trust you." The ray of hope vanished as Alex stalked towards her again. She felt tears prickle the back of her eyelids as he grabbed her around the waist and brought her closer to him; bile began to rise in her throat at the close contact.
Nomikov pulled something out of his back pocket, all the while regarding the shaking Sophie.
Oh God, this it…I'm going to die, I'm going to die!
Expecting to feel a bullet impact her temple, Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. Therefore, she was immensely surprised when instead of a bullet, she felt cool cotton against her face. Breathing a sigh of relief, she breathed in before remembering that chloroform was a very popular substance used by those involved in not-so-legal activities.
The last thought that floated through her mind before Sophie's world went black was why it was that she forgot everything important at the most crucial moments, and a curse at herself, Nomikov, and every other Goddamn thing under the sun.
Author's Note: Well there you go. I've got a question for my readers: what did you think of my villain? Should I make him funny, perverted? Do tell, suggestions are always welcome. Oh, and thanks for reviewing! D