Thank you for your reviews. They really help me write better! Have a good weekend everyone.

Chapter 16

"To be honest," the Russian woman rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "I didn't have a plan for what I wanted to do after I caught you. I figured I'd just play it by ear, as you Americans say." Katya glanced down at the agents, as if anticipating a response. "I suppose it's a good thing though. If I had made a plan, I'd just have to account for…unwanted baggage."

"If she's so unwanted," Ava stood, quickly followed by JJ, "then just let her go." Katya laughed at the thought as the brunette felt her friend clawing at her arm.

"Shut up, Ava." JJ warned. Ava shot her a glare only to take in narrowed, fiery eyes already staring at her. "I'm not leaving without you."

"No one's leaving." Katya said with finality. "Not for a long, long time, that is."

"What?" Ava couldn't help but be confused. Was Katya planning on letting them live? The taller blonde shot her an uncomfortable grin.

"I've worked so hard to find you, Ava." She explained. "Did you think I was just going to kill you on the first day?"

"A girl can dream." The younger agent mumbled only to receive a hard squeeze on her bicep from JJ, the woman's nails digging into her skin. Katya chuckled, amused by the brunette's audacity once again.

"Ava," the criminal sighed almost longingly, "I've missed your wit. It's part of why I like you so much."

"Like me?" Ava scoffed. "I'd hate to see what would happen if you hated me."

"Oh, I could never hate you, Ava." Katya took several steps forward. Ava felt JJ stiffen immediately. "Despite how you deceived me and almost got me killed, I have nothing but admiration for you."

"'Deceived you?'" Ava found herself repeating again. "I was doing my job, Katya. It wasn't personal."

"That's where you're wrong." Katya practically whispered, now less than a foot from the agents. She reached out and gently took hold of Ava's chin, lifting it slightly upwards as she looked deep into Ava's emerald eyes. "From the second I saw you, I knew you were different. Why do you think I invited you to dinner the first night you were with us?"

"Being dragged from a cell to a chair by a pair of drunken trolls isn't exactly an invitation." Ava saw something flash in the woman's eyes, as if offending the men that worked for her was a bad idea. However, the blonde simply continued to stroke her cheek as she held her gaze.

"Regardless, I had never done that before." She admitted. "I'd seen a hundred, if not a thousand, girls- each more beautiful than the last- but I never once cared to meet them."

"Why, too afraid you'd feel guilty for selling them like cattle?"

"Not in the slightest." Katya replied quickly. "You and I both know I'm not capable of that. I haven't been for a long time."

"What happened to you as a child is not an excuse to-"

"I didn't come here to discuss that." The blonde's grip on her chin tightened slightly. Ava had almost forgotten that JJ was still there until the woman's hold on her arm increased in warning.

"Then what did you come here for, Katya?" Ava said, her voice low. "Why go through all of this trouble when you were free?"

"'Is a lion in a zoo free?" Katya asked softly, almost sad. "No, he only has the illusion of freedom. He has a meadow and rock, maybe even a stream, but they're all fake- all put there to trick him into believing that he's somewhere else. And I will not be tricked again." Ava couldn't help but swallow hard, beginning to understand just how deeply her perceived betrayal had hurt the woman.

"Katya," she started, "I'm sorry you feel like I tricked you. What you were doing- what you are doing is wrong. Someone else would've stopped you if it wasn't me."

"But it was you." Katya tilted her head, her eyes scanning the woman before her. "You're not sorry…but you will be." She released the woman's chin, turning to step away from her.

"I'm not sorry I stopped you." Ava said quickly, sensing that the conversation was drawing to a close and afraid of what came after it was over. "But I am sorry about what happened to you." Katya stopped, turned slowly on her heel, and glared at her. Her teeth were clenched, grinding against one another in frustration, as she fought to control her anger. Realizing that there was no reason to, Katya reached out and grabbed JJ by the hair, yanking her forward and away from Ava's grasp. Both women cried out suddenly, Ava in fear and JJ in pain, as the criminal dragged the blonde towards the barrel that had been brought in minutes before.

"I have a…what is it called," Katya searched for the correct word as she ignored Ava's cries to let the blonde go. JJ clawed at the woman's hand and wrist, digging her nails into flesh to no avail. Katya's grip was iron, almost like she couldn't even feel the pain. "A pet peeve, I believe it's called. I hate being lied to. Can't stand it."

"I haven't lied to you! I never wanted you to get hurt, I just wanted to stop you from hurting others!" Ava promised, regretting her words the moment the Russian's eyes met hers.

"Wrong answer." The woman hissed. Before Ava could even open her mouth, Katya tossed JJ to one of the men. He caught her effortlessly and, over Ava's pleas to let her go, wrapped a hand in her hair and shoved her, face first, into the barrel. The blonde gasped as freezing cold water surrounded her almost to her shoulders. The man's grip on her head was far too strong to fight and she knew that her chances of surviving were better if she conserved her energy. Seconds passed in silence as JJ did her best to keep from panicking. However, after a minute, she couldn't help it. She started choking, shaking her head in a futile attempt to free herself, as the burning cold water entered her throat and lungs. Despite knowing that she shouldn't, JJ couldn't help but scream, the sound traveling nowhere. She could faintly hear Ava's cries as the brunette undoubtedly begged for her life but soon, even those were clouded. JJ thrashed about, desperate to draw even a single breath as her lungs and heart pounded painfully against her chest. Just as she was sure she would drown, the man yanked her backwards, allowing her to fall flat on her back as she sputtered, heaved, and coughed. Ava was by her side at once, pushing strands of hair out of her eyes and telling her that she would be ok but JJ could barely hear her over the blood rushing past her ears. Her lungs still screeched in protest as the frozen water drastically brought down her already low body temperature. Subconsciously, she huddled closer to Ava, the closest source of warmth.

"You don't have to do any of this." Ava shook her head as she tried to comfort the shivering blonde. "Please, just let her go. I understand why you're angry with me but JJ hasn't done anything to you."

"That may be true," Katya acknowledged, "but how else am I going to entertain my friends? Besides, I won't lie to you, it's rather fun watching the little mouse suffer." She laughed wholeheartedly, joined shortly after by the two men who towered over the agents. Ava rattled her mind to come up with a response- a reason for Katya to let JJ go. She had nothing.

"You're sick." She spat at the blonde, glaring up at her from the ground. "And if you think anything you do to her will change what you are, then you're just as stupid as you are psychotic."

"Careful, Ava." Katya warned. "My affection for you only goes so far. Don't make me hurt you to prove a point."

"What point?" the younger woman scoffed. "I've known how crazy you've been since before we met. I don't think there's a need to prove that to anyone. Tell me, did you lose your sanity before or after Daddy let his friends have their way with you for the price of a Kit-Kat bar?" Ava knew all the woman's buttons and just how to push them. She also knew that nearly drowning JJ was the least of what Katya wanted to do to her. However, if she made the blonde angry enough, she would take her anger out on her and be too spent to waste time hurting JJ. The Russian never did have control of her temper anyway.

"You insolent, little bitch!" Katya shouted, taking two large steps to cover the distance between them. She grabbed Ava by the collar of her shirt and, at seeing the smirk on the younger woman's lips, completely lost what little hold on her temper she had. As she pummeled the agent with fists and kicks, she roared, "I'll break you soon enough and once I'm through with you, you'll be begging me to end your miserable life!" 'Seeing stars' wasn't an adequate enough description for what Ava saw as Katya's well trained punches landed hard on her face and body. She curled into a ball, feebly trying to protect her head and ribs, as the woman continued to hit her. Only when a boot caught her in the back, landing directly on her right kidney, did she finally cry out. The sound seemed to sedate the Russian seeing as she stopped almost immediately after. Ava let her body go limp as the assault ended and cracked an eyelid to look up at her attacker.

"Вы не должны напрягаться в своем состоянии." One of the men mumbled quietly. Katya rounded on the man quickly, shushing him as she panted from the excursion.

"She speaks Russian, you idiot." The blonde chided the man who seemed to shrink back in response. She turned back to Ava and knelt at her side, listening to labored breaths. "Don't think I don't know what you just did, Avalona. You're clever but it won't happen again, trust me." Ava refused to let up her glare as the woman caressed her cheek briefly before walking out, quickly followed by both men. She felt JJ begin to stir at her side as the blonde slowly sat up. JJ let out a short coughing fit before collecting the battered brunette into her lap.

"Don't ever do that again." JJ almost snarled as she cradled the younger agent. Ava was too busy trying to decipher what she had heard to respond.

You shouldn't strain yourself in your condition.