Talon started testing keys, first in the lock chaining Anna.
No dice. He tried the keys on a few of the other girls. Again, nothing.
My heart was breaking for these women, one of whom I’d cared for very deeply. None of them deserved this fate.
“I told you they wouldn’t work,” the boxer-clad smartass said. “This isn’t my territory.”
“We’ll take them all, then.” I looked around but then let out an anguished sigh. “They’re chained to a bolt on the wall.”
“We’ve got to move,” Raj said.
“Listen,” I said, still holding Anna’s hand. “I’ll come back for you. I swear it.”
She nodded solemnly, but her eyes told a different story. She didn’t believe me. She had given up hope.
Talon had talked about giving up hope. About how at first he’d thought about escaping but hadn’t the strength. After that, he never tried again. He only got weaker the less they fed him and the more they brutalized him. That had been for a period of two months. Anna had been missing for nearly two years, as far as I could tell. God only knew what she’d gone through.
Then I looked into my brother’s eyes, and I saw a glimpse of the tortured Talon. He knew. He was reliving it right at this moment.
“Hey.” I squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry the keys didn’t work. I will be back for you.”
“Yes,” Talon said. “We will be back. Somehow, we’ll shut this thing down.”
Raj jiggled my shoulder. “We’ve got to go. It’s still early, but people will be coming around anytime now. We’ve got to find a place to hide and figure out our next move.”
I called upon every ounce of strength I possessed to let go of Anna’s bony fingers. “I’ll be back,” I whispered, hoping I wasn’t inadvertently lying to her.
I stood, along with Talon, and turned to Raj. “Now what?”
He poked his gun into the man’s temple. “You tell us. Now what?”
“Now we—”
A blaring siren permeated the corridor.
Chapter Twenty
Ruby
“Marabel said we had guests,” the woman said. “I wanted to come welcome you.”
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. “I’m Ruby. Thank you for letting Juliet and me stay here.”
“You’re most welcome. I love having visitors. Usually it’s just me and Angela here alone all day. The boys are at camp.”
I opened my mouth to reply, though I didn’t know what I would say, but fortunately Marabel came walking briskly toward us from the direction of the kitchen.
“Goodness, ma’am, you shouldn’t be out of your room. Where is Jocelyn?”
“She went to check on some formula for Angela.” The woman turned to me. “I nursed my boys, but Angela would never take the breast.”
Marabel took the woman by the shoulder. “Let’s get you back. Angela needs her nap.”
Angela was an extremely quiet baby. I hadn’t heard so much as a gurgle out of her.
“I just wanted to welcome our guests, Marabel.”
“Of course. I understand. But let’s get you situated back in your room, okay? Come on, dear.”
Was this the “lady”? I had no idea. Something in her eyes seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it.
Marabel led her down the hallway, past the kitchen, and down another hallway, which I knew led to the master suite of the house where Talon and Jade lived in the original. Marabel led the woman into that very room.
An eerie feeling of unease swept over me. I turned toward a rustling. Juliet appeared to be fighting something in her sleep.
“No!” she shouted. “No! No! Don’t take Lisa!”
I ran to her and nudged her gently. “Juliet, shh.” I tried to make my voice as soothing as possible. “It’s just a dream.”
Her eyes shot open. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the nice house, remember? It’s me. Ruby.”
She sat up, looking over one shoulder and then the other before clutching her chest. “My heart is beating so fast.”
“It was just a bad dream. You’re safe here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
She fell against me. “I can’t believe I’m here. Out of there.”
“You are. And we’ll get the others out too.” I rubbed soothing circles onto her back.
Then another knock at the door. I didn’t want to let go of Juliet, so I said, “Come in.”
Marabel entered. “I’m sorry about the lady. She’s not quite right in the head. I can’t believe her nurse left her alone.”
“It’s okay. If the baby needed formula—”
“The baby is fine,” Marabel said. “If you and Miss Juliet are ready, I have breakfast for you. I can bring it in here if you’d like.”
I nudged Juliet away from me. “Do you want to have breakfast in here?”
She nodded but then changed her mind and shook her head. “No. I want to get out of this room. I want to feel what it’s like to be able to go into another room.”
My heart broke for her all over again. I stood so she could get out of bed, and together we followed Marabel to the kitchen.
I’d been in this kitchen before. It was identical to Talon’s, where I’d sat at the same kitchen table with the Steels and their spouses, discussing strategies for bringing my father down. Little did any of them know, my father appeared to be a regular visitor at an exact replica of their home.
Was I starring in a horror movie? Everything about this place brought out spooky feelings in me. The skin on the back of my neck prickled, and I expected the Psycho violin screech at any moment. But I had to allay my fears. They would rub off on Juliet, and she was already scared enough.
We each took a seat at the table. “Eat slowly,” I told her. “You haven’t had any decent food in a while, and your stomach might rebel.”
She nodded and put a glass of orange juice to her lips. Then, “Ow!” She set the glass down harshly, spilling a bit.
“What’s wrong, ma’am?” Marabel asked. “I squeezed that fresh just for you girls.”
I touched Juliet’s forearm. “What is it?”
“It hurts. Stings.”
I sighed. “Open your mouth for me.”
Several ulcers covered her tongue and gumline. Canker sores. Common enough among people with vitamin deficiencies and stress. Juliet no doubt had suffered both.
“Maybe some milk, Marabel,” I said. “Does that sound good, Juliet?”
She nodded, and Marabel brought her a glass of milk a minute later. She took a long drink.
I took a sip of my juice, and it was delicious. But knowing Juliet couldn’t drink it hampered my enjoyment of the citrusy beverage.
Marabel had fried some potatoes and peppers for us and had topped each mound with two eggs over easy. I was hungry—I’d lost most of the shitty food I’d eaten when I vomited on my father’s desk—but I had a hard time eating. Ryan was somewhere close, and I was still worried about him.
Plus, this house… The woman and the baby… What the hell had Juliet and I walked into?
Juliet finished a little less than half of her breakfast and then stopped. “I can’t eat any more.”
“That’s good for now,” I said.
She nodded. I ate about half of mine as well, hoping we wouldn’t be insulting Marabel by leaving food on our plates. She cleared our dishes without saying a word.
“Would the two of you like to go out on the deck for some fresh air?” she asked. “It’s a beautiful morning.”
What I really wanted was to get out of here and start my search for Ryan. At the very least, I wanted to find a cell phone or laptop so I could do some research. But fresh air would do Juliet’s pale skin some good, and right now, she had to be my priority.
“That would be nice,” I told Marabel.
I stood and strolled to the deck. Juliet followed me. Marabel opened the French doors for us. Again, an exact replica of Talon’s deck, right down to the wrought iron and glass table and the Adirondack chairs and chaises longues.
In the distance, the guesthouse stood.
The guesthouse where Ryan lived in the original.
He was here somewhere. My father hadn’t lied. I was almost sure of it. He’d come for me, and I wished he hadn’t. I had no idea what awaited him here—no idea what awaited me, for that matter.
Fear gnawed at my gut. Fear for Ryan. For Juliet. For all the other poor souls being held here.