Page 40 of Psyop Kings

The bathroom Gareth brings me into is a carbon copy of all the ones I’ve seen in this place, except this one also has a clawfoot bathtub.

“Can you stand?” he asks.

“I think so.”

He carefully sets me to my feet. Since I’m feeling woozy, I automatically reach out to grab onto him so I don’t fall. His touch is soft as he holds onto my waist to steady me.

“You good?” His eyes burn into me as he looks over my face, causing heat to prickle at my skin. “Caius will kill me if I let you get hurt.”

Hearing that man’s name is the splash of cold water I need to break Gareth’s weird spell. I shiver again.

Slowly, Gareth releases me and then reaches into the bathtub to start the water. I stand in place, shivering violently as he finds a bottle of bubble bath under the sink and pours a healthy glob into the water. The scent of lavender and honey fills the bathroom as it mixes with the hot water.

“I’ll let you get undressed. While you do that, I’ll get you some food. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

I nod and watch him leave. Once the door is closed behind him, I quickly strip my soaked clothes off, eager to get into the hot water. With my eyes on the door, I step into the tub, wincing slightly at the temperature. I don’t dare turn it colder, though. The idea of sinking into the scalding water and soaking my achy bones is too tempting to ignore.

After several seconds of standing in the water, trying to get acclimated to it, I force myself to sit. The last thing I want is for Gareth to come back and see me naked. I still don’t trust these men. I don’t want to tempt him in any way.

I hiss when my butt touches the water and then again when it rests on the bottom. My feet, legs, and rear end are bruised from hitting the bottom of the pool. At least it’s not my tailbone and nothing is broken. Small victories.

By the time Gareth returns, the water has filled nearly to the top and the bubbles fluff out around me, hiding my nakedness. He doesn’t try to catch a peek, which is a relief.

“I got you a bunch of different things,” he says, crouching near the tub. “I know you hate olives, so I didn’t grab any of those.”

I hate olives.

I mean, I do, but how doesheknow that?

Frowning, I take the plate from him. It’s piled high with grapes, strawberries, salami, cheese slices, crackers, almonds, and a few baby gherkins. Since I’m ravenous, I start inhaling the food, barely aware of the fact he leaves the bathroom and returnsa few minutes later. He takes my now empty plate and hands me a chilled bottle of water. Greedily, I gulp it down.

“Can you tell me what city or even which state I’m in?” I ask once it’s gone. “Please.”

Gareth takes the empty bottle and sets it on the counter. “You should already know this, Ro. Think.”

I’m done thinking, though. I want answers.

“Maybe if you helped me piece together my past, I’d get back to remembering faster,” I bite out. “I thought you were my friend.”

I don’t believe a word out of my mouth, but he seems to.

He crouches down near the tub again, studying me intently. “If I do that, will you start trusting me?”

No.

“Yes.” I give him a shy smile. “I really want to.”

He flashes me a crooked grin. “There’s my girl.”

“Am I in New York?” I prod, eyebrows lifted.

A snort of laughter escapes him. “You hate New York.”

It’s disturbing how much he knows about me. When did he learn all this information? While I was being held captive?

Or, it could be that he really knows you…Ro.

“I do hate it,” I admit. “I like LA. Are we still in California?”

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