Page 67 of Dark Consequences
“Miss?” It’s a woman’s voice. “May I come in?”
“Please go away,” I say loud enough for her to hear. “I’d like to be left alone.”
“I-I know, but…” she stammers, fear evident in her tone, which tells me exactly what I already know. She’s as much of a prisoner as I am. “I need to get you ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Dinner.”
I consider my options for a long moment. I could just refuse, but Xiao would no doubt send a guard, or worse…he would come get me himself. Backed into a corner, I wiggle my way out from under the bed and open the door.
A young Chinese girl stands on the other side, holding a garment bag in one hand and a metal case in the other. Behind her is a guard who looks at me with a stern expression, reminding me again that escape is impossible. So I step aside to let the girl in before slamming the door in the guard’s smug fucking face, enjoying it immensely when I hear him curse behind the closed door.
The girl sets her items down on the bed and looks back at me. With a tentative smile, she says, “My name is Sasha.”
“Lily.”
“I know,” she answers in a mousey tone.
“Do you know where my daughter is?”
Sasha shakes her head. “I haven’t seen her.”
“But she’s on board?”
“I believe so. But I’m really not sure. They don’t tell me anything except what to do.”
Knowing Xiao, he’ll use Mei as a bargaining chip against me, a way to control me like he’s done before. If I play along and do what he says, then I’ll get to see my daughter.
Sasha leads me across the hall to a bathroom, where she stands and waits for me to shower. Being under the water reminds me too much of Raphael, and the memories are painfully sweet.
Will he come after us? Does he even know where we are? What if Emilia concocts some bullshit story about me? Something like, I ran away to return willingly to Xiao. And what if Raphael believes her? Silly thought, I know, because he would never believe a single word out of her mouth…but the doubt still lingers. Mostly because if he believes her, then that means he won’t be coming for me and Mei.
After a quick shower, Sasha helps me into a skintight little red number that barely covers my ass and chest. Just how Xiao likes it. If he wasn’t so insanely jealous, I’d be naked all the time.
Sasha applies a stupid amount of makeup, another favorite of Xiao, avoiding my split lip as best she can and covering the blooming bruises on my cheek. After she blows out my hair and leaves it to hang in blond waves down my back, she steps back to admire my reflection in the mirror.
“You look beautiful.”
I don’t even bother looking and instead stand to slip on the heels she brought. “Thank you for your help.”
Outside, a guard waits to take me to wherever Xiao waits. As I slip by Sasha, she squeezes my hand as if to give me strength. Or maybe she does it for herself. Either way, I squeeze back.
The guard leads me to the upper deck. The sun is just beginning to set over the open water as Miami fades further from view. It’s a beautiful sight, and in any other situation, one might call this the start of a romantic and wonderful night. But to me, it feels like every mile we sail away is another knot on the noose around my neck.
“Mommy!”
My head whips around fast enough to cause whiplash. Mei sits at a cloth-covered table with a big smile on her face. She jumps down and rushes over to me. The white dress she wears flutters around her ankles, giving glimpses of her shiny black slippers. There’s a matching white headband holding her hair back.
When she collides with my legs, I bend down to physically put hands on her to make sure she’s really here.
“Hi, princess.”
“Doesn’t Mommy look pretty, Mei?”
I look up and see Xiao walking toward us. He’s wearing a dress shirt that matches my red dress with a black suit jacket over it. It’s like the sick bastard is trying to make this into some kind of romantic family date night.
“Yes!” Mei agrees.