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She finished the Gatorade and set it carefully down on the table, her swollen wrists catching his eye. They’d found her handcuffed to a concrete wall, her arms stretched out to either side, her legs weak from standing. She’d burst into tears at the sight of them. Now, she blinked and a fresh volley ran down her cheeks.
Agent King waited a beat before speaking. “If you can start at the beginning, we need to know as many details as you can remember.”
She nodded, her fingers carefully passing over an open cut on her wrist, the damage caused by the cuffs. He noticed and motioned to the woman next to him, who rose to fetch a paramedic.
“I was in the bathroom of 44th Broad. Washing my hands at the sink. Someone came up behind me and put something over my eyes, and my mouth. I struggled, I tried to fight, but everything just … went out of me. I couldn’t move, I forgot what I was doing. I got so heavy…” She looked down at the bottle. “Can I have more Gatorade, please? I’m really thirsty.”
He nodded. “Sure. We’ll get you some more. Please keep going.”
She shrugged. “Then I woke up and I was chained up. I struggled, but couldn’t get loose.”
He made a notation on his pad of paper. “And you’ve been in that room ever since? He didn’t move you at all?”
She looked up sharply, a bit of greasy blonde hair falling out from behind her ear. “Oh, no. This was before. This was at the first place. The warehouse.”
The door of the trailer swung open, and the paramedic stepped in, followed by the female agent. Agent King held up a hand, signaling them to wait. “A warehouse?” He watched her closely, seeing her eyes jump from him to the paramedic.
She nodded. “Yeah. A big one. You know. Where all the other girls are.”
The female agent locked eyes with him, the tension in the room spiking. “Katy, we need you to tell us everything you can about the warehouse and as quickly as possible.”
Seventeen
BELL
I dipped the bowl into the soapy water and heard the living room television turn on. The sponge was slimy, and I added more soap to it, rubbing the stiff side over the ceramic.
“Your dad is just going to need some time to adjust to things,” Mom spoke quietly, turning on the faucet to drown out our conversation. “He’s never liked your boyfriends, you know that.”
She was right. Even sweet, perfect Elliot. He had picked me up for our first date, and Dad had slunk into their bedroom and hadn’t talked to me for three days.
Mom continued. “Plus, Dario is much more man than you’ve ever dated. That’s hard for your father, looking up at a man bigger than him. He can’t intimidate Dario, and—this last week—he’s felt helpless in terms of reaching or protecting you.”
“I know.” I passed her the bowl and reached for another. “I just wanted one part of this to go smoothly. I was hoping this would be it.”
She pulled the dirty bowl from my hands and set it in the sink, turning me to face her. I looked up into her face and noticed, for the first time in years, that she was getting old. She had new bags under her light brown eyes. Her hair, which she’d dyed blonde for as long as I’d lived, was streaked with silver. She wasn’t that old. Fifty-three. Too young to be looking at me with such old eyes.
“What’s different about him?”
It was a steep question, one that would take a week to answer. I met her eyes and gave the best answer I could. “Everything.”
It was true. Everything was different about him. Some of it I didn’t want, some of it I loved. But everything about him—the issues, the sincerity, the passion, the love … it was all authentic. I trusted him. That was the biggest thing about him. I lost my breath when he looked at me. I swooned when he reached for me. I loved him, even if I didn’t fully understand it. Even when I hated him.
She pulled me into her soft chest and wrapped her arms around me. I melted into the embrace. She turned her head, her lips against my ear, and spoke quietly. “We just want you to be happy. And safe. We worry, with everything that has happened with him, that he’s putting you in danger.”
I pulled away and kissed her cheek. “That’s all done, Mom. I promise. And he’s still wanting to drown me in security. So, don’t worry. I’m safe.”
“Your heart, too?” She smiled, but I heard the concern in her voice.
I smiled back. “My heart too.”
THE ONLY
Robert’s arrest changed everything. She had read the news ticker and headed for The Majestic. Used her access codes to get into the executive garage and behind the wheel of an SUV. By the time she’d started the engine, his shooting was all over the radio.
