Page 71 of Love Me in the Dark
How did we get it all so wrong? My initial panic had given way to a bone-deep dread of what would come next. We’d all heard stories of girls who had been taken, only to return years later, if at all, as shells of themselves. Whispers of prostitution and slavery had seemed like bogeyman stories until they circled endlessly around my head as I stared at the concrete walls. Thethought had never occurred to us that this was anything other than a respectable firm.
The lock clicked, and the door opened. I rushed to my feet, but dizziness made me sway. Charlotte appeared dressed in a different pantsuit, looking just as well put together, and a jolt of loathing rolled through me.
“Come with me.” Charlotte wrinkled her nose.
“Where’s my sister?” I demanded.
She waved a hand, and two dark-haired, heavy-set men appeared, carrying guns.
I shrank back against my cot, bracing my arms against the thin mattress as my pulse raced.
“You can come with us quietly, or we can take you by force,” she said.
The larger man took a menacing step towards me, levelling his gun at my chest. What choice did I have? I trembled, stumbling forward as Charlotte walked swiftly away. One man fell into step behind me, and the cold barrel of the gun pressed into my back, causing the hair to rise on the back of my neck.
We walked through the warehouse but took the door on the left before the doctor’s office. Charlotte led me into a bare shower block. The tiles were yellowed with age, and four shower heads lined the far wall; the exposed pipework glinted in the light coming through the high, narrow windows.
“Get washed up and put on these clothes.” Charlotte gestured to a small pile of material next to a thin grey towel.
One of the men leered at me, licking his lips, and a shiver shot up my back.
“The Stefanovs won’t appreciate you sampling their product. Go and stand outside.” She barked at the guy, and he followed behind her with a lingering glance, closing the door.
Shaking like a leaf, I sank to my knees onto the cold tiled floor, a sob ripping from my throat. How did this happen? Ididn’t want to undress with those men outside, but they had guns and I didn’t want them returning to force me.
Stumbling towards the showers, I snatched the towel and turned the spray on. The freezing water forced a gasp that echoed around the empty space. I darted my eyes to the door. The water wasn’t heating, but I raced to undress, dropping my clothes and towel on a raised ledge beside my chosen showerhead.
Cold water slammed onto my skin, and I gasped for breath. Panting, I forced my spine straight and grabbed a bar of soap. Lathering it quickly, I washed my body. Surprisingly, shampoo and conditioner containers were attached to the wall, and I used them quickly.
Shivering violently, I turned the water off and wrapped the towel around me. It turned out to be tiny and threadbare, so I used it to wipe off the water and held it in front of me. My teeth chattered as I held up the “clothes” Charlotte had indicated.
The material was a thin white slip and a white thong. Fear closed over my throat as I imagined why I needed to put these on. Voices outside the room forced me to pull the slip over my damp skin and yank on the underwear. I pulled my shoes back on and wrapped my coat around me, goosebumps rising on my exposed legs.
There was no brush for my hair, so I finger-combed it roughly. I startled when the door opened and Charlotte returned.
“Lose the coat.” She clicked her fingers.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked as the two men reappeared in the doorway, guns drawn.
I peeled my coat off and crossed my arms tightly over my chest to hide the outline of my cold nipples through the fabric.
“Someone will do your hair. Follow me.” Charlotte swept out of the room, her heels clicking on the floor.
One guy slipped out of the room after her, but the second one remained, partially blocking the doorway, his eyes crawling all over me.
“Come on,” Charlotte shouted.
The guy smirked at me as I squeezed by him, trying not to brush against him. He smelled like tobacco and liquor. My heart raced painfully in my chest.
Shivering at the chill in the air and my wet hair, I followed Charlotte. We approached another door, and she turned to face me.
“This needs to stay on at all times.” She pulled out a large sticker and peeled the back off, pressing it roughly to my middle.
“What is it?” I glanced down, and the number read 873.
“Your number.”
“Where is my sister?” I asked, my voice catching.
