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This was normal for them—to wake up in here. But what was the rest of their lives like? Did Carlos come and take one or more of them away to rent to someone? Or to sell?
Her head pounded, and her stomach cramped with hunger. How these girls had endured for as long as they had, Charlotte was terrified to contemplate. It was her fate now as well.
The room collectively flinched when the lock turned and the door opened. Then, they relaxed when they saw it was Kelly. She carried a bucket that she clanked with a metal mug. When she saw that some hadn’t stirred yet, she banged harder.
“Come on.Agua. Drink up.”
Each of them lifted a cup except for one woman who hadn’t yet woken.
“Hey.” Kelly kicked her foot, but she didn’t respond. She addressed the other women. “Muerta?Is she dead?Tú.” She pointed at a girl. “Check.”
The girl grabbed the woman’s shoulder and shook her but got no response.
Kelly sighed and stuck her head out the door. “Carlos? We’ve got a dead one in here.”
Someone shouted from the other room, then Carlos entered, muttering as though removing the dead woman was an inconvenience. He uncuffed her and then let a couple of his guys drag her out by her feet. Her skirt caught on the floor as she went and exposed her.
The indignity of it sent a wave of fury through Charlotte, and she shifted onto her knees. “Stop! You animals! How dare—” Her stomach lurched, and the next word came out a dry retch as she heaved a small amount of bile onto the floor.
“Shut up,” Kelly hissed at her. “You want to makemoretrouble for yourself? You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Charlotte collapsed back against the wall. “Being killed wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”
“That’s not what they do if you step out of line.”
“What do they do?”
“You don’t want to know. Just keep your mouth shut.” She held up the water bucket and filled the rest of the cups.
“Here.” She tossed Charlotte the mug she was carrying and tipped the bucket to fill it.
“I can’t drink this water. It will make me sick.”
“It’s all you’re getting.”
Charlotte held the cup with both hands. She was thirsty enough that it hurt to keep the water away from her lips. She’d have to drink eventually, and it would likely give her dysentery.
“Do you know Will Fitler?” she said. It was stupid to ask, but it would bother her if she didn’t, and it distracted her from her thirst.
The bucket slipped from Kelly’s hands, spilling across the floor. It sharpened the smell in the room, and Charlotte’s stomach threatened a revolt again. She pulled her shirt up to cover her nose, but it didn’t make any difference.
Kelly snatched up the bucket. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her face had paled and now looked jaundiced in the yellow light.
“Youdoknow him?” She strained forward. “You know Will?”
“How do you even know that name?”
“I can’t believe it. Kelly, Will has been looking for you for years.”
Kelly shook her head. “No. I don’t know anyone by that name anymore. I won’t listen to this.”
“Please. You need to know that he never stopped looking for you.”
“Oh yeah? Then where is he now?”
Charlotte hadn’t thought that far ahead. For a moment, her heart skipped with a spark of excitement to tell him about her discovery. But in her haste, she’d handed Kelly a thread of hope that she was about to steal away again. Kelly was right. Having hope made it hurt more when you found out you had none. “He—He’s dead.”
Pain rippled across Kelly’s face but quickly disappeared behind a veil of indifference. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t know who you’re talking about anyway.”
