Page 17 of Dancing With Redemption

Roxie pushed herself back up the wall and started to walk again.

As she paced the same route out across the room, Roxie remembered the day she left New York, headed for a new life. Aunt Katie had taken Lily from her with the promise that she would keep her safe, no matter what. Roxie knew that promise still stood. If the worst should happen here, Aunt Katie would continue to be there for Lily.

Small comfort, right now, but then there was Lincoln too. Lily would have those two to help her to grow up, to be the woman she should be. They would keep her from the kind of life Roxie had to live. They would make sure little Lily didn’t have to fend for herself, they would make sure Lily could be whatever she wanted to be.

What if she wanted to be a pole dancer? The thought cropped up suddenly, making Roxie smile. Lincoln would probably have a few choice words about that, but Aunt Katie? She’d tell Lily to follow her heart. She hadn’t judged Roxie when Roxie finally told her how she was making money. She’d just said she knew Roxie had to do what she had to do.

Lily had been so worried about meeting her dad, but he’d been so ready to meet her. Which reminded Roxie that there were still things she hadn’t told Lincoln. In a way, she was making the same mistake she’d made all those years ago. She’d run away to find answers this time though. That was the difference. She’d planned to go back when she had those answers. She’d planned to tell him everything, once she knew what had happened in the past. Well, she hadn’t actually got that far, but she had a vague plan to go back to Myrtle Beach. To claim her daughter back from the man who seemed to want to take over her completely. To tell him everything he needed to know.

Her hand went to her stomach, hunger gnawing away in there. She’d eaten plenty that morning, but it must be after five now. That meant she’d missed lunch, not something unusual for her. Still, she was hungry, but hopefully, it was just boredom more than actual hunger. Her hand remained at her stomach, cradling her fingers under her sweater for warmth.

Yes, there was at least one more secret to tell Lincoln. If she got the chance, that is.

Roxie went back to the wall and let her body slide down gently. She did some stretching this time, trying to keep another cramp at bay. It wasn’t easy with the chain around her waist, but she did manage to do a few stretches that should help.

When she’d completed what she could, she sat down on the cold floor. She was too tired to get up for more walking but she’d done a few dances, with a chain around her waist, which hadn’t been many, but even that was too much to think about right now. Sitting down could be a death sentence, but she needed to rest.

“Just a few minutes, then I’ll get back up,” she sighed out, even though there wasn’t anyone to hear her. “Why does it have to be winter?”

Of course, there was no answer, but she hadn’t expected one.

“What else can I do?” She wondered aloud, tucking her hands in her armpits, beneath her clothes. She tilted her head forward so her hair fell around her face like a curtain. She’d let it down earlier, when her ears got cold, now, she was trying to warm up her entire face. “It’s like a freezer in here. Shit.”

A tingle in her bladder made her get up again. If she sweated all of the water out of her body, she wouldn’t have to pee, right? That’s what she hoped anyway, as she walked quickly, trying to build up a sweat. She did not want to use that stupid bucket if she could help it. Who knew if it was even clean? Which, she knew, wouldn’t matter if her bladder became insistent, but still, it was gross to think about.

She finally admitted defeat when her bladder ached deeper, despite the slight sweat she’d built up with a good dose of walking fast. “I don’t need to add dehydration to hypothermia.”

She did what she had to do, not caring if she hit the bucket or not at this point, almost hoping she didn’t at the same time. Not because it meant someone else would have to clean it up but because she really didn’t want to be anywhere near that awful thing.

That’s when she heard a noise outside the room. A noise that sounded like people coming in. Was it rescuers or her kidnappers? Her pulse began to pound as she stared in the general direction of the door, waiting to see if this was over with, or just the beginning. Or maybe the end of it all.