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I feel the anticipation building in my belly as I re-adjust my outfit for the tenth time in three minutes, prepping myself and smoothing my hair before I open the door.
When I open the door, though, the only person I see is Akim.
“Where the fuck is Delilah?” he barks, immediately entering the apartment and slamming the door behind him.
“What the fuck? Get out of my house!” I shout. “I’ll call the cops if someone else doesn’t!”
He laughs to himself. “You think I’m scared of the fucking cops? The cops work for me, sweetie. Now I’m going to ask again. Where is Delilah?”
He knows something is up.
But how?
“I don’t know where she is either! She hasn’t come home in days!” I shout, trying to force tears from my eyes to sell the performance.
He rolls his eyes. “I already know that you know. If you don’t cooperate, this will only get worse for you. So, tell me where she is, or I’ll have no choice,” he growls.
I consider just telling him everything to save myself, but this would likely only anger him further. I basically sold his girlfriend for thirty pieces of silver.
I open my mouth to protest, but before I do, another man comes through the door and stabs me with a needle.
I stumble back at first, shocked by the sudden attack.
Akim says something, but his voice is distant.
Then, the room turns upside down, and I’m out cold.
24
Delilah
I’ve gotten into a sort of routine here. Along with my newfound ability to tell time, I’ve had to play the part of the stupid, helpless girl who has no idea how to fend for herself.
Luka was angry after I tried to escape, of course, but he didn’t show it all at once. The longer I’m here, the more it becomes clear how much of a monster he truly is. I didn’t think my opinion of him could become any lower after what I’d learned about that foreign woman’s baby.
But it has.
He’s gotten more vindictive as time wears on. Even though it feels like I’ve been here for years, it’s likely only been a little over a week, maybe two. Every time he sees me, he finds some excuse to slap me across the face or shout at me. Some days, it’s because I’m not standing up straight. Other days, it’s because I was breathing too loudly or with too much scorn.
It’s become obvious that Luka is insane. At first, I thought that he was just bored and spoiled with a hint of evil and greed. Now that I’ve seen him angry, I know there’s something irredeemably wrong with his mind.
Just like every day, I’m awoken to the familiar sound of pounding on the peeling wood door that keeps me and the other women separated from the living world outside.
Luka knows he doesn’t have to pound loudly to wake us up. It’s not like we were getting quality sleep in a musty basement. He does it because it lends him even more control over us, putting our fear in his hands where he can shape it however he pleases.
“I have something extra special for you ladies today,” he sneers as he comes into the room, his smug expression clear even as my eyes adjust to the tiny amount of light let in by the door.
He’s followed in by two men instead of the one he usually keeps around for protection, and already my senses are on fire with caution, boiling under the surface into hysteria. Why would he needtwomen? We’re already chained up. What could he possibly be afraid of?
“I’m going to give one of you the chance to escape right now,” he continues, leaning casually against the door frame as the men behind him stand at attention.
Even though some of the women don’t even speak English, I can hear surprised gasps throughout the room.
I understood him perfectly, but I don’t trust him. Every word he says ties a knot in my stomach. Something here is very, very wrong.
“What I’m going to do first is pick one of you at random,” he says, pointing to one of the tan-skinned girls near the door.
“How about… you,” he says, pointing directly to me.
