Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
My gaze dropped to my stomach. I wasn’t sure about the baby though. How would chloroform affect it?
Nausea began to roll over me. I walked over to turn on the large walk-in shower before stripping off my sundress and panties. I needed to wash this from me. All of it. Being touched by strange men. Sleeping in a bed I didn’t know. While under the spray of water that came from the ceiling like a rain shower, I checked my body for marks, then reached between my legs for any sensitivity to show that I’d been raped. There was nothing there.
I let out a sigh of relief, then tilted my head back and closed my eyes.
This was bad. Very bad. I needed a plan, but I’d never been taken before. Abused by a man I was married to? Yes. I hadn’t won that battle either. I’d been saved. Would King find me and save me this time? Could he? No one knew where I was, including myself.
Opening my eyes, I scanned the contents of the shower to find shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Both the shampoo and conditioner were the exact same brands I had used when married to Hill. A coldness settled over me. I didn’t touch it. Instead, I turned off the water and got out quickly. My fear was slowly turning into a panic.
Why was the special brand meant for curly hair like mine in here?
I dried while my heart raced in my chest, then looked over at the panties, black leggings, a sweatshirt, and some thick socks that were lying on the counter. I didn’t want to wear the clothes they had provided, but they covered me up more than the sundress I had been wearing. The desire to be covered from head to toe won out, and I took the things left for me.
Once I was dressed, I took several breaths and tried to push the nausea back while I focused on what I was going to do next. I had no options, except to face the man and find out what he wanted. My eyes swung back to the shower, and I shivered, thinking about the shampoo and conditioner. Hill was dead. King had helped kill him. This wasn’t him. This was something else.
The Insantos? Was that it? They’d found a way into the family through Oriel and taken me. As tiny as it was, there was a small thread of hope. If it was the Insantos, then King would know how to find me. Wouldn’t he? Didn’t they have that kind of power?
“Please, please, please,” I whispered before saying a prayer.
The next wave of sickness I couldn’t hold back, and I ran to the toilet to throw up very little. Mostly the water I had just drunk. After a few more dry-heaves, I wiped my mouth and stood back up. Going back to the sink, I rinsed my mouth out and slowly sipped some more water.
Running my fingers through my curls to attempt to control the mess it was, I took a deep breath, looked in the mirror, and calmed myself the best I could. I had to be strong. Get through this. Be smart. Protect the baby inside of me.
When I walked back into the bedroom, the man was sitting on the high-back velvet chair that sat in the corner. He looked up from the phone in his hand, and a pleased smile flashed on his face, as if I had done something right. I hadn’t showered to please him or worn these clothes to make him happy.
“I hope you feel refreshed. Let’s go on down to the dining room. The vomiting should cease now. Side effect of the chloroform.”
At least he didn’t think it was due to morning sickness. Leaving with him sounded like a bad idea, but I couldn’t stay in this room forever. Getting out was the best chance I had at an escape. I needed to see what I was up against. So, I nodded and waited for him to walk to the door before I followed.
I did my best to take in every detail. Anything that could help me get away. The hallway was wide, and there were other doors, but they were closed. The wallpaper out here was as over the top as the bedroom was. Dragons, monsters, in an Asian tapestry pattern that had gold all throughout with reds and blues on a black background. The staircase wasn’t wide and impressive, but I also felt as if I was being taken down a back set of stairs.
After heading down another hallway with yet more horrible wallpaper, we reached a large opening with a gothic-looking chandelier and red walls. In the room, there was the largest sofa I’d ever seen in a massive circular shape. It was a solid black velvet. The man didn’t slow until we reached two wide red doors that blended in with the walls. He opened them both, then moved back for me to enter.