Page 145 of Capuleto

Seated at a table, with a steaming cup between her fingers, was Cheng, staring at me intently.

"You?" I coughed; my throat was dry.

She set the cup down on the table, went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, and brought it to me.

"Here." I looked at her distrustfully; at another time, I would have thrown the glass in her face and used the shards to cut her throat. Now, I couldn't do that, or at least not yet. I needed to assess the best option and understand where I was. "Relax, it's not poisoned," she insisted. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it while you slept."

I had no doubt about that. I drank and felt relieved after a minute.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Let me take out the IV. The doctor said you needed to stay hydrated until you woke up."

"Are you a nurse now? When did you get your degree? I can do it myself. You know it's not safe to be near me when there are needles around."

I carefully removed the IV and the line and tried to stand up. As soon as I made the attempt, my legs trembled, weakness overtook my body, and I fell back onto the sofa bed.

"You're still weak..."

"I'll decide that. Move aside if you don't want me to turn you into a pincushion like last time."

"You only have one."

"One is more than enough."

I took a couple of deep breaths, and this time I managed to stand. My muscles felt sluggish, and a slight tingling swept over me. I moved slowly towards the bathroom under her watchful gaze. I realized I was wearing an oversized short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants.

"Was there nothing more horrible to put on me?" I asked irritably.

"You and I don't share tastes or sizes, so it was either that or the hospital gown covered in rat filth and decay." I felt a wave of nausea at the mention but managed to control it.

I opened the bathroom door and held onto the handle. I was already tired and had only walked a few meters.

"Do you need help sitting on the toilet?"

"If I need you to wipe my ass, I'll let you know." I needed a minute alone to gather my thoughts.

I had so much fluid in me that I was sure I would weigh three kilos less after emptying myself. I washed my hands and face, and when I saw my reflection, I almost screamed. I looked like a strange fusion between the Corpse Bride and a bird's nest. For the love of God, how much time had passed? Where was my brother? Why was there not a single window in this place?

I needed to get out of here before Yuri returned. The problem was that, with the strength I had, I wouldn't even make it to the corner bar, if there was one, which I doubted.

I had lost a lot of weight and looked deplorable. It was better not to look in the mirror.

The first thing was to be a bit more cordial with the Chinese woman. If I wanted information, I couldn't keep going for her jugular with every answer. I needed allies, not enemies, and I had some information about her that I could use to my advantage.

First, I had to understand the situation and see what I could do to escape quickly from this place.

I poked my head out and continued studying the area. There was only one way in and out, a door that I had no idea if it was locked or unlocked.

Cheng had returned to the table and was sipping from her steaming cup. Her gaze was scrutinizing.

"What time is it?" was my first question.

"Four in the afternoon. Do you want to eat?" I should have, but I had no appetite. I shook my head. "I imagine you have several questions."

"You imagine correctly."

"Go ahead, I have nothing else to do." I cautiously approached and took a seat in one of the chairs.