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“Yes. I already gained approval to take you outside. Little by little, I will work on some of the other things we discussed.”
Her hand reached for her light brown hair and she closed her eyes, shaking her head quickly. “I should shower.”
“Okay, do you have clothes to change into?”
Talia looked down and, for the first time, seemed to realize she was sitting there in the same clothes as last night. Her arm covered her breasts, and she looked up at me. “Yes, there should be some clean clothes in there. I haven’t used much.”
I stood and crossed the room to the small dresser and pulled out undergarments along with a t-shirt and a pair of leggings. “I’ll start the shower for you.”
Without waiting for her to respond, I went into the bathroom and ran the hot water. I placed her clothes on the vanity and opened the drawers until I found a toothbrush, toothpaste, and comb. I looked up in the mirror and could see her watching me set everything up for her from the doorway.
“If you need help with your hair, let me know. I’ll wait out there until you are ready.”
She nodded her head and moved into the small space. I stepped back, giving her the space she needed, and went to clean up her room while I waited for her. I wasn’t the best at straightening up, but I could at least make her bed and clear some of the trash from her room. Not only had they locked her away in here, it appeared that other than feeding her, their intentions were to just leave her to rot away.
Not long after I left her, the door to the bathroom opened, and Talia stood in fresh clothes and a lopsided smile and her hand in her hair. “I don’t know if it’s worth saving, but I don’t have scissors to cut it off. I thought maybe I’d let you try it.”
I motioned for her to come to me. To say I felt like I had won the first battle would be an understatement. Talia needed to trust me if we had any chance of getting her out of here. She sat on the bed and sat behind her. She handed me the comb, and I got to work.
“I’m sorry, but this may hurt a little.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure it won’t hurt as much as anything else I’ve endured since showing up in this hellhole.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
I worked my way through her hair in small sections. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was doing, but I didn’t want it to end. Her body was tense when I began, but slowly she relaxed, which helped me do the same. I wanted to run my hands over her shoulders and down her sleek neck. I wanted to do things to this woman that extended far beyond keeping her alive, and the only thing that kept me from doing that was knowing the trauma she had likely experienced since her arrival here.
I heard a key in the lock and dropped the comb as I stood and reached for my gun, only to find a small woman entering with a tray in her hands.
“Leave it there,” I said, pointing at the table.
“I need to make sure she takes her medicine first.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“But I…”
“I said I’ll take care of it.”
“If I don’t, then he will see,” she said as she looked up to a camera in the room.
I felt Talia’s hand on my arm. “It’s okay. I’ll take them.”
The girl rushed forward with the cup and glass of water. I watched as Talia dutifully downed the two white pills in the cup and gave her a small smile.
“Thank you,” the girl whispered before rushing to leave.
I looked down at Talia. “Why did you do that?”
“I won’t be responsible for something bad happening to her just because I didn’t follow his rules.”
“Has that happened before?”
“Yes, I haven’t seen the girl since, but when I refused to eat, he brought her in here and beat her nearly to death in front of me. I realized then that I had no choice but to comply. I keep telling myself five years, but the truth is I know I won’t make it that long.”
I nodded and took my seat again, except this time I didn’t reach for the comb. Instead I leaned forward and whispered into her ear. “Raven sent me.”
