Page 18 of Love Bleeds Red
He leads me to the bathroom where we’re normally supervised and allowed to use a few times a day. Riffling through the cabinet, he pulls out various bottles and a bar of soap,arranging them on the edge of the tub. A hot shower will be a small blessing in this cruel place. But is he going to watch me with those emotionless eyes?
He twists the knob and the pipes groan from inside the wall. Steam envelops the small space quickly as he tinkers with the temperature. “You have five minutes.”
“Please… where are we going tonight?” I ask again, more desperate to know the answer.
He ignores me, but something flickers in his eye and he bends to reach into the cabinet again. A razor in hand, he says, “Ten minutes.” His eyes stray to my legs and slowly back up to my face. “Shave everything.”
He doesn’t have to say what’s going to happen tonight. That one command tells me enough.
As he hands me the razor and steps into the doorframe, I glance at it, weighing every possibility. Could I somehow hide it, use it as a weapon? Terrible thoughts swirl through my mind. How I could end it all. Make it quick. Die by my own terms.
He must notice because he stops and narrows his eyes on the razor too. “Undress. Now I will stay.”
My heart sinks, but a part of me expected no less. As my filthy shirt hits the damp bathroom floor, and Yuri’s eyes stay fixated on the razor still in my clutched hand, I realize I’ve lost that chance. I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed. Probably numb.
Yuri doesn’t touch. He barely looks at me as I shower away caked-on grime from my skin. I wish I could say I feel clean. I still feel just as dirty. No amount of scrubbing will take away what King’s done.
I drip dry for a few moments until Yuri hands me a fresh white T-shirt from under the cabinet and leads me back to my room.
He hesitates in the doorway as I stand there, shaking from the cold with water dripping down my back.
“I will bring clothes.” He sighs, then adds, “You will entertain tonight.”
I nod, but he’s already left.
CHAPTER SEVEN
BAILEY - BEFORE
Cat,Jasmine, and I get loaded into a van by a few of the men that work for King while Yuri watches with a sharp eye. Goosebumps cover my limbs and I can barely control the full body shakes that began the moment I finished showering. None of what I’m going through compares to how Jasmine is looking. She’s inconsolable. They slapped her, drugged her, and now she’s barely coherent other than small sobs that escape her lips every few seconds. She huddles close to Cat, who stares ahead with a blank expression.
While the two men in the front seat talk animatedly, I lean closer to Cat and whisper, “Where do you think they’re taking us?” A blink and sniff are the only signs she heard me. “Are you okay?”
Her bloodshot eyes find mine, and even in the darkness, I can make out the shadow of a bruise around one eye, poorly concealed under caked foundation.
“Do I look okay?” she says through gritted teeth.
My first instinct is to feel hurt, but words don’t sting like they used to. “It was a dumb question, I guess.”
Jasmine shudders, and Cat pulls her closer, whispering something in her ear. I can’t help but feel jealous of their obvious closeness. I’d give anything for an ounce of comfort in this nightmare.
“She’s lucky to have you,” I say. “Did you know each other? I mean, before.”
The van drives over a pothole and I lurch to the side. Through the windshield, I catch blurred highway signs.
“Lucky?” Cat says with a sarcastic tone.
“I just meant?—”
“I know what you meant.” She moves a piece of hair from her eyes and checks that our captors aren’t paying attention before speaking again. “She’s my cousin. My baby cousin. I promised my aunt I’d look out for her when she moved to the city.”
“How old?” I ask, straining to see her features in the darkness.
“Fifteen,” Cat says, disgusted.
“Oh God.”
“Yeah. Except her new ‘boyfriend’ got to her before I knew what the fuck was going on. She left a note.Be back in a couple days.” Her voice lowers. “I looked for her... Three months later, I end up here too.”
