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“Affection?” I ask. “What does that mean?”
The silk robe barely comes to my mid-thigh, and when I tie the belt around my waist, the slit goes high enough that you can see the black lacy underwear I have on. I try to adjust the material to cover more of my body, but it is useless.
“Kissing,” she says. “At first. Then sitting on his lap, massaging his thighs, straddling him. When I tried to refuse, he would tell me that I’d do anything for him if I loved him. He would question my devotion.”
“That isn’t fair,” I say.
Kari nods and opens her mouth to say something else, but just then, the bathroom door opens and Luka steps out. A billow of steam wafts from behind him, and I realize he took an incredibly fast shower. I was so distracted by Kari’s story that I didn’t even notice the water turning on or off.
“All yours,” he says, stepping aside to wave an arm into the bathroom.
Kari clams up as soon as Luka is in the room, pressing herself against the wall.
Luka dresses slowly, and I clear my throat. When he turns around, I nod to the door. He gets the message.
“Let me get dressed and then you two can have the room to get ready,” he says, quickening his pace.
Kari is a silent statue until Luka pulls me in for one chaste kiss on the lips and then leaves to head down for breakfast. As soon as the door closes, she turns to me. “You two arereallycomfortable together.”
I gesture for her to follow me into the bathroom. “Keep telling your story while I get ready.”
“Well, I did everything he asked, but over time, his demands grew more and more uncomfortable,” she says, leaning against the bathroom doorway. “First, he wanted me to have sex with him in our bedroom while we had guests over. Then, we had sex in front of people.”
I gasp. She nods sadly. “I know. But at the time, it all felt so normal. I knew it was strange, but everyone around me acted like it was commonplace. I thought maybe I’d just gotten involved with a relaxed group of people.”
“He was grooming you?” I ask, taking a guess.
Instead of answering, Kari keeps talking. “Then, he wanted me to have sex with his friends. I tried to refuse, but he told me it was rude to walk around in the skimpy clothes I wore and tease them without offering them a little taste. I wanted to deny him, but he threatened to leave me. And by that point, we were living together. I didn’t have a job or a house or any money. And I was afraid what my family would think of me if I told them. So, I did it. I thought maybe it would just be the one time, but it happened over and over again. Sometimes, multiple times in the same night.”
Tears well in the back of my eyes, but I try to hold them in. I have a feeling Kari doesn’t want my pity.
“By the time I realized Edgar was part of the Cartel, I was already in too far and—”
“Edgar?” I gasp, clapping a hand over my mouth.
Kari’s face turns a deep red, and she nods. “I guess I gave it away.”
“Edgar was your boyfriend?”
She nods. “I thought so, at least. Now I realize I was just a stupid girl who he fooled into loving him. He never cared for me. Our relationship was all for the Cartel.”
“And you can’t leave?” I ask.
She lowers her chin, looking up at me from beneath pale eyebrows. “You saw what happened to the woman who tried to leave yesterday. Do you think I want to end up facedown in the lawn in a puddle of blood?”
“Good point.” I twist my hair back in a low bun and smudge eyeliner around my eyes, stepping back from the mirror. “I’m ready.”
When I get to the bathroom door, Kari stops me. “I’m telling you this because I want you to be careful.”
“Too late,” I say. “I’m already up for auction.”
“Be careful with your guy,” she says, pointing to the bedroom. “He may be sweet now, but things can change in an instant. Protect your heart.”
I want to tell her the truth—give her some sliver of hope that maybe Luka and I will be able to do something about the Cartel once we are on the outside. But I can’t risk it. So instead, I thank her.
“I do have a good feeling about him,” I admit. “But I won’t forget your story.”
“That’s all I ask,” she nods. Then, she leads me out of the room.
