Blood Diamonds Tallinn Chapter 7

Veiled Greed

Emma opened her eyes to darkness and the smell of damp stone. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Then it crashed over her—Liina’s body falling, the spray of blood on the back door, the gunfire, the woods, the hand over her mouth. Her chest tightened, breath coming in short, panicked gasps.​

She sat up slowly, wincing at the ache in her muscles. The room was small, lit only by a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were bare concrete, the floor cracked and uneven. A metal chair sat in the corner, its legs bolted to the floor. The air was cold and stale, the scent of mildew and something metallic—blood?—filling her nostrils.​

Memories flooded back in a torrent. Liina’s laughter in Kalamaja, the diamonds on the table, the robbery in Kopli, the shooting. Emma’s vision blurred as tears spilled over. “Liina,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I’m so sorry… I should’ve… I should’ve…” Her words dissolved into sobs, her body shaking uncontrollably.​

The door creaked open, a sliver of light slicing through the darkness. A figure stepped in, silhouetted against the hallway. He was tall, broad-shouldered, his face shadowed. Emma’s heart pounded, fear freezing her in place.​

“Where are the diamonds?” the man demanded in accented English, his voice low and menacing.​

Emma’s breath hitched. “I… I don’t know,” she stammered, her voice trembling. “Please… let me go. Help me.”​

The man stepped closer, his boots echoing on the concrete floor. “Don’t lie,” he growled. “You have them. Give them to me.”​

Emma shook her head, tears streaming. “I don’t… I swear… I don’t have them.”​

The man’s hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat. Emma gasped, clawing at his fingers. “Last chance,” he snarled. “Where are they?”​

Panic surged through Emma. She reached into her innerwear, her fingers brushing the cold, hard stones. “Here,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Take them… just… let me go.”​

The man released her, his hand snatching the diamonds. He counted them quickly, his eyes narrowing. “Where are the rest?” he demanded, his voice rising. “Where is the rest?”​

Emma’s mind raced. “The rest… the rest is with Miko,” she said, her voice shaking. “I don’t know where he is.”​

The man’s face twisted in anger. He backhanded her across the face, the impact sending her sprawling. Pain exploded in her cheek, blood filling her mouth. “You lie!” he shouted in Russian, his voice booming. “Where are they? Where?”​

Emma’s vision blurred, tears mixing with blood. “I don’t know,” she sobbed. “I swear… I don’t know.”​

The man grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to the metal chair. He shoved her into it, her wrists and ankles bound with rough rope. The chair creaked under her weight, the metal biting into her skin.​

“Stay,” he growled, his eyes cold. “I’ll be back.”​

He left the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Emma’s heart pounded, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The diamonds were gone, Liina was dead, and she was tied to a chair in a dark, cold room. Fear consumed her, but beneath it, a spark of determination flickered. She had to get out. She had to find Miko. She had to survive.​

Emma’s eyes scanned the room, searching for anything she could use. A nail jutted from the wall, a shard of glass lay near the door, a loose bolt in the chair’s leg. She shifted her weight, testing the ropes. They were tight, but not unbreakable. She began to work at them, her fingers numb with cold.​

Time crawled by. The door remained closed, the man’s footsteps echoing in the distance. Emma’s mind raced, memories of Liina’s laughter and the diamonds on the table warring with the fear of what would happen next. She focused on the ropes, on the nail, on the shard of glass. She had to get out. She had to survive.​

The door creaked open again, the man stepping in with a smirk. “You think you can escape?” he sneered. “You’re mine now.”​

Emma’s heart sank, but the spark of determination burned brighter. She would find a way. She had to.