I moved my head up and down and stared into my green eyes in the vanity mirror. I should have been offended by her backhanded compliment. But I wasn’t. All I could think about was the next client. My next client. I stiffly moved off the stool and went back to the cot.
I turned to Lily. “It’s in the woods?”
“Yeah.” She pulled a dark blue dress off a hanger and held it up to herself. “Like five miles away. It’s such a long walk.”
Phoebe shook her head. “It not that far.”
Lily pressed her full lips together. “Well, it feels that far. I hate walking through the woods in heels.”
I chewed on my lip. “Why is it hidden in the woods?”
“Some people are paranoid,” Lily explained. “They like don’t want their cars seen at the house, so Nate put a trailer in the woods.” She shrugged and put the blue dress back, trading it for a low cut, black sequined tank top.
“How do they get there?”
“I don’t know.” She went to the dresser. “They’re already there when I get there.” She extracted a neon green push-up bra. “There are plenty of toys in the cabinets above the bed. Use them,” she suggested.
My head moved up and down but nothing actually processed in my mind. I slowly blinked, trying to rid myself of the residual dull headache that had clung onto me since I woke up. I flattened my sweaty palms on the tight shorts I was wearing. The fabric was stiff and itchy, and the waist was a size too small. It dug into me every time I took a breath.
Along with doing my hair and makeup, Rochelle had dressed me again. She picked out a pair of white, tight shorts and a midriff-showing black tank top with a pair of over the knee, black high-heeled boots to complete my ‘outfit,’ but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her size seven shoes to fit my big feet. She gave up and tossed my sneakers at me, saying it didn’t matter since I was going to take my clothes off anyway. My makeup was layered on to the point where I could scrape it off with my fingernails. I resisted the urge to wipe it off with my hands.
My heart skipped a beat when the deadbolt shot back. All four of us looked when the basement door opened, waiting to see who would emerge at the bottom of the stairs. I counted each heavy footstep that reverberated off the wooden steps. Jackson stopped at the base.
“Adeline.” His eyes landed on me. I knew that was my cue to get up, but I couldn’t move. I just sat there, perfectly still, yet internally screaming. “Adeline?” he repeated.
Someone moved behind me. I startled when a hand landed on my back.
“Go,” Phoebe whispered. “I no want you get hurt.”#p#分页标题#e#
I nodded again, thinking she meant Jackson would hurt me, and looked at Jackson. I didn’t want to get hurt just as much as I didn’t want to go to the trailer. I knew I had to, one way or the other, and I’d rather walk than be dragged. My legs shook. I pushed my shoulders back, trying to hide the fear, and crossed the basement.
We excited the house from the family room, emerging onto a large patio. Lights in an in-ground pool gave off a murky glow beneath the crystal clear water. Wicker lounge chairs with fluffy, red cushions surrounded an outdoor bar, and a built-in fireplace and grill occupied each corner of the patio. Like the rest of the house, it seemed to have been cut and pasted out of a Better Homes and Garden magazine. Though it was still early in the season, red and white flowers spilled over stone planters, leaving me to believe that someone had spent a lot of time and money having this place landscaped, manicured, and groomed to perfection.
But why?
My eyes swept the lawn. The entire thing was lined with a tall white iron fence. I knew right away that I wouldn’t be able to climb it fast enough to get away. I was outside … so close to freedom. I had to do something. I was out of the basement—out of the house. The open air and distant buzzing of crickets reminded me that there were other people out there. Other people who could help me. My shoes scuffed the cement patio around the pool as I slowed. I looked at the surrounding land. There was nothing, absolutely nothing but untended land around the yard. I felt trapped all over again.
“Could you take any longer?” The sound of Zane’s voice sent a jolt through me.
I ground my teeth and pulled my arms close to my body. Zane was standing off to the side, concealed by shadows. He gracefully pushed off the shed he was leaning on. “Hurry the fuck up, you slow-ass whore.”
“Don’t touch me,” I said through gritted teeth when Zane grabbed my arm, yanking me forward. I pulled my arm back, trying to break his hold. I wasn’t strong enough. All I ended up doing was causing the first layer of skin to twist and tear.