Will she be in the same room as me?
Are we both destined for the same thing?
Then she talks. Her voice is sweet and innocent. “They took me at night. I was walking home from a party. I didn’t even hear him come up behind me.” She looks down to the tiles, the water running over her feet. She doesn’t understand, I think she knows this place is not where she should be.
“Where you from?” I ask her.
Her eyes don’t lift when she answers me, “Darwin.”
I gasp. Could he have lied to me? Did he sell me? Because I have a strong feeling that this girl was collected by either himself or Quinn. “Do you remember what he looked like? The guy who took you?”
She nods her head. “He was tall, dark hair, dark clothes. He had a slight stubble. He was intense. Scary as shit.” She’s talking about Quinn. When women look at Ryken, they don’t use words like scary to explain him. He’s intense, yes, but attractive is usually the first words to leave a woman’s mouth to explain what Ryken looks like.
“How old are you?”
She looks up from the floor. “Eighteen in a month.”
Oh Jesus! My heart breaks for her. “I’m sorry.”
She doesn’t understand my words because so far I’ve done nothing wrong. But I have a feeling her being here is in some way related to me. Maybe he’s trying to supply girls to get me back, but that’s not something I’d want to happen. Another girl’s life, yeah, that’s just as important as my own. If I could free this girl right now, I would. But I don’t know the way out of this place. So, instead, I do what’s been asked of me. Because I like my head exactly where it is and not under Amy’s shoe.
“What will they do to me?” she asks me like I know. I have a feeling whatever’s happened to me. Whatever it is about to happen to her is going to be worse, though. I shrug my shoulders and stand back, turning off her shower. Passing her a towel she covers herself. When I turn to go back through the door, Scott’s standing there.
“Dress?” I ask him. He looks at me with pity in his eyes when he nods his head. She walks behind me to the room I’m currently staying in.
“You stay here?” she asks me, looking around. Shutting the door behind her, I pull out a dress that I know will fit her. She isn’t crying, she isn’t screaming, she isn’t even trying to run.
Would she even have anywhere to run to if she could?
If this were me, I don’t think I could be as placid and compliant as what she is right now.
“They want you dressed.” She hugs the towel wrapped around her body. “Please, it’s easier if you listen.”
“Is that how you got the bruises?”
I haven’t looked at my face, but when I lift my hand to touch it, I can feel it’s starting to swell. I shrug my shoulders. She drops the towel, listening to me, and grabs a dress from my hands and pulls it on. Food is on my bed, and I offer it to her. I don’t know how long they’ve had her for, but I bet they haven’t fed her. It can’t be too long, as she’s not that weak. I was so weak I could barely stand, after being starved for days. I quickly change as well, knowing I don’t want to go around dressed like this with these blood stains all over me. We sit in silence as she eats until Scott comes back to the door.
“It’s time. Take her to the Arena.” He walks away, and she looks to me.
“What’s the Arena?”
“It’s a nightclub.” I half conceal the truth from her. What’s the point of telling her the truth, when it will scare the shit out of her? She will have enough of that when the time comes. When she stands, I pass her some heels which she puts on without an argument.
Am I about to walk her to the devil’s den?
I surely hope not, but she doesn’t fight or ask any more questions. Not even when I open the door to the Arena and men are seated around a large stage. The same one I’ve seen fights happen on. She won’t be fighting, though.
“I’m scared.” I want to touch her to reassure her, but my hands stay in place because Amy’s staring at me. The minute we’re seen, we’re waved through. I stay right beside this girl’s side, at least until I’m told to leave. A few guys’ heads turn to us as we walk past to the stage.
Cecilia is there, I recognize her straightaway. She seems surprised to see me. Her eyes fall on the girl next to me. Cecilia steps forward, taking the girl’s hand and pulling her toward the stage. The girl looks worried, she looks back to me as if I can help her. But I can’t. I can’t even help myself. I notice Antonio, he’s seated right next to Amy. He’s watching me, studying me, just like she is. Can she see the bruises she’s left all over me? Can he? He didn’t seem to like it when I was marked last time unless it was him doing the marking.