“O-oh, okay,” I stutter, not sure what else to say. That was the last thing I expected.
“Can she set up in here?” he asks, sounding unsure.
I nod. A massage right now is the last thing I need, but I can’t do anything until nightfall, so I guess it can’t hurt either.
“I’ll show her in,” he says, leaving me alone again.
My stomach sinks, and I’m not sure why. I shouldn’t feel guilty knowing I’m about to take off. Or that Cruz isn’t looking at me the way he used to. I have to protect myself from these assholes before they do whatever it is they are planning on doing to me. There is no room for letting feelings get in the way. It was all an act, Daisy. This is still all an act to keep me here thinking it’s my choice. Don’t be that dumb girl who gets herself killed because she was blinded by what can only be lust. It’s not anything more, even if my heart thumps a little harder whenever one of them is near.
A nice lady, probably in her mid-thirties, appears in my room holding a folded-up massage table and a bag. She’s in a neat uniform and has her hair up in a bun, looking very professional. “Hi, I’m Macy.” She smiles sweetly. “The boys said you have been working your butt off this week getting ready for a dance audition.”
The audition. My stomach drops. If I run, then my dream is gone. If I don’t, my life might be. I fake a smile. “Yeah, my body is paying the price.” I try to keep my voice light, pleasant even, but it’s almost impossible with the anxiety now thumping through me.
“I’ll have you fixed up in no time.” She flicks the table out and straightens it, pulling a towel from her bag. She smooths it out then pops one of the pillows from my bed on there. “I’ll set this up, then you can get changed out of your clothes. I’ll leave some towels. Just lie face down for me and I will come back in once you’re ready.”
“Thanks.” I try to smile again, but even I know it looks forced.
When she closes the door, I get my dress and bra off and hop on the table with the towel covering most of me and my face down, trying to get my erratic breathing under control.
A light tap comes on the door. “Are you ready?” she asks.
“Yes,” I mutter through the face hole.
She walks back in the room, and some relaxing music plays. “Cruz was most disappointed you had to miss your appointment this morning. It was so sweet of him to reschedule for you.” Her hands come to my back, all warm and lathered with massage oil that smells of lavender.
“Ha, yeah.” Sweet! Not how I can see him after what I witnessed this morning.
She applies heavy pressure to my back, firmly kneading the muscles like they are dough. “He must really like you, going to such a fuss. I don’t normally make house calls.”
“Maybe,” I mutter, not sure what else to say. Yesterday I would have agreed with her, but yesterday I was naïve. I couldn’t see the truth right in front of my eyes.
“You’re very tense,” she comments, digging her fingers in.
“It’s been a rough week.”
“With all the dancing?” she asks, and I feel like she’s trying to get more out of me than just polite conversation.
“Yes,” I reply, keeping my answer short, even though part of me is almost desperate to have someone else to talk to about this situation. A massage therapist who works for them is not a smart idea. And from now on, I need to be smart about every decision I make.
“Close your eyes and try to relax, I will have you fixed up in no time.” Her hands press in between my shoulder blades. The pressure she’s applying is perfection. It’s hard not to relax with her magic hands ironing out all my tension and with the soft music playing through the air. Lavender overwhelms me in the best way, and she stops talking, and before I know it, I’m sleepy.
An hour later, Macy softly rocks me awake. “Your massage is over, sweetie.” Her soft voice brings me out of my haze.
I’m on my back now and went in and out the whole time she was massaging me. “Thank you.” I smile back at her, slightly embarrassed. I fell asleep for most of it.
She squeezes my hand. “Why don’t you go have a shower while I clean up in here,” she suggests, motioning to the bathroom.
I nod, still trying to get my body to move. When I can, I sit up, wrapping the towel around myself as I run a hand through the bird’s nest of my hair. Yeah, I need a shower. Who knows when I will get the next one?
“It was nice to meet you, Daisy.” She smiles sweetly as she packs away her things.
“Thanks, you too.” I stand and walk into the bathroom almost like I’m floating. My body feels better than it has in so damn long. It was a sweet thing for Cruz to organize for me. And I know he does have this kind side, but he’s also a total psycho. Who apparently kills for a living. I can’t help but wonder how many lives he’s taken. The thought is nauseating.
I shower quickly and wrap a towel around myself, trying to psych myself up to survive my last night with them. I have no idea how I’ll act normal around them, but I have to because I don’t want to arouse suspicion. I have to just slip away in the middle of the night.
When I open the bathroom door, Macy is gone and my room is clear. I move through to the walk-in closet, looking for something to change into, and freeze, my heart kicking up a beat. What the actual…
There, where I left my duffel bag earlier, is now a big empty space. A white-hot sweat instantly beads on my forehead. In a panic, I rummage through the rest of the closet, but it’s gone. I quickly chuck on the first dress I find and a cardigan, then burst back into my room, looking for my phone to call my brother. It can’t wait. If that bag is gone, I’m in deep shit, because they have worked out my plan. Myphone was on my dressing table when the massage started, but the dressing table is now empty. Fuck!
