Page 10 of The Harbinger
But curiosity got the better of me, and I touched everyone I could reach.
An enormous bruise along my outer thigh and another small one on my rib just below my right breast. The fresh bruises from Ivan along my upper arm and one I couldn’t see but felt on my collarbone.
What kind of horror had I escaped from? What did they do to me down there?
“How did you find my men?”
My muscles constricted with a frightening jolt as his deep, smooth voice rocked through my searching thoughts.
I let the hot water scald my skin as I kept my back to him, my arms firmly over my chest. “At the station.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I asked many people today.”
Jenny and I sat at the gas station for two hours that day, asking people as they bought cigarettes and booze or filled their cars. A few took the bait, giving us a few bucks here and there, but none pulled up in the expensive SUV that Sacha’s men had. And they certainly didn’t look like the woman who’d stepped out of it.
The man I now knew as Ivan had exited the vehicle with a raven-haired woman in high heels and a tight charcoal dress that hugged the bottom of her butt. She disappeared into the station, and I sat back and watched, waiting for the right opportunity.
When Ivan disappeared into the station, I approached the other man, Vlad.
I wasn’t supposed to be here, though. They were supposed to take me back to Jenny. She must be worried sick. Instead, they brought me here. Why?
Were they going to throw me out the side of the plane?
If they allowed me another bump, I might not even mind the long fall and bone-crushing splat.
“Why my men?”
“They had money.” I picked the soap back up and scrubbed between my legs, armpits, and feet for the third time, hoping the scent would stay with me.
“And who did you ask?”
I rinsed my body off and turned toward him. “The big guy. Vlad.”
Sacha gave a sharp nod, pulled a folded towel out of the cabinet, then opened the shower door and held it out, his gaze lingering as he shut off the water.
“What do you remember before meeting my men?”
A chill settled around me from the cool airplane air as I ripped the towel from his hands, then stepped out, covering myself. He handed me another one for my hair.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Sachatsked. “You don’t get the luxury of denying me. I ask you a question. You answer.”
Wrapping the towel around my head, I twisted it and secured it on top.
“That’s not how you do it.”A familiar, tiny female voice pierced the thick tension between us. “Let me show you.”
I flicked my middle finger against my thumb three times. It was a habit I’d discovered after I’d escaped every time her disembodied voice disrupted my reality or things became overwhelming.
“Mia?”
“Hmm?” My head jerked as I focused my attention back on the question.
“Where did you just go?”
“What do you mean?” I shook my head. “I’ve been right here.”