Page 252 of Bad for Me

His door bursts open, and a very pissed-off looking Danilo Pierino stands in the doorway. “What the fuck, Raul?” he demands.

Raul looks at him, impossibly calm. “Hello to you, too, brother.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Danilo hisses without even looking at me. “There’s no way four kids weredefective.”

I try to keep my body relaxed, but my mind is racing. This is the kind of information I’m here to collect.

What does that mean,defective? I glance between Raul and Danilo, trying to get a better read on them.

Neither of them seems to be paying any attention to me now, too caught up in their conversation to worry about a single slave overhearing.

“They weren’t suited for sale,” Raul says, shrugging. “I got rid of them after making sure they hadn’t heard anything incriminating.” His eyes narrow. “Are you questioning my judgment now?”

“Of course I am,” Danilo snaps back. “Dad and I now have to explain to four very pissed off potential buyers that their product is no longer availableandscramble to restock.” He storms over and grabs Raul by the shoulder. “And if those kids weredefective,you should have killed them. If one of them blabs?—”

“They’re not going to fucking blab,” Raul says, getting up and grabbing Danilo’s wrist, forcing his brother to let go. “And if they do, blame your own goddamn security team for being careless in front of them. They’re not supposed to hear anything, remember? There should be zero risk in transporting that sort of cargo.”

Interesting. So Raul let some kids go? I check their expressions closely, but there’s no indication that this is all an act. Danilo is genuinely pissed off at his brother, and Raul is radiating frustration.

Danilo lets out an annoyed sound. “You don’t know! Jesus fuck, if the feds come sniffing around, I’ll know it’s because of you.”

Raul rolls his eyes. “There’d be less to sniff if we stuck to older product.” Then he sighs loudly. “I don’t know why you’re worried. What are some kids on the street going to do? Most of them will probably die before the month is out anyway.”

“Like I said, you should’ve just killed them, then. Christ, Raul, at least I don’t torture them before they go.” Danilo shakes his head. “One more incident like this, and Dad’s taking you off quality control. You hear me?”

Raul gets in his brother’s face. “Excuse me? I kept us from being embarrassed. Not having stock is better than the stock being fucked up beyond repair becausesomeone’sguards were too lax with them.”

I don’t know how much of this is truth versus lie, but they seem genuinely hostile toward each other right now. Some of what they say is encoded, but Danilo is so angry that he keeps dropping it.

“I’m serious, Raul,” Danilo warns. “One more time like this…”

“Yeah, whatever,” Raul says, but despite the dismissive words, I can see where his hands have balled up into fists at his sides. “Now fuck off.”

Danilo huffs loudly. “If we have to comp anyone, it’s coming out of your accounts.” He storms off, slamming the door behind him.

I should be very concerned about everything they’ve said, but right now, I’m finding myself much more curious about Raul’s reaction. Maybe he’s not as hardened as he pretends to be.

“Did you really let them go?” I ask tentatively.

He flinches, not looking at me. “Are you thirsty? I have water for you.”

“Yes, please,” I say obediently. I wait as he unscrews the cap to the sports bottle and holds it up for me.

I drink, not caring what I must look like. I need the water. The food helped, too, calming my body and letting my mind settle.

Letting me properly think.

If Raul is the kind to let kids go, maybe I can work with him. Maybe I can get him to help me after all.

It’s not only the prisoners who end up growing close to their captors, after all.

He screws the lid back onto the bottle and sets it aside. “Come on. I didn’t mean to wake up so early. Let’s lie back down for a little bit before the day officially starts.” His lips twist into a sneer. “A good start, at least.” He beckons to the bed. “Will you behave if I only shackle one hand to the bed?”

I snort. “I’ll appreciate getting to sleep in a warm bed.” After a beat, I add, “Master.”

To my surprise, Raul’s smile seems almost affectionate despite my sass. He swats at my shoulder then helps me up, leading me over to the bed. With practiced ease, he gets me shackled to a hook on the bedpost, and for the first time in far too long, I have almost complete mobility of my limbs.

“Say it like you mean it, and maybe I’ll get you a special treat later today,” Raul coaxes me, getting onto the bed.

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