“No!” Kate shrieked and started toward Connie when Nick grabbed her around the waist. Margot’s eyes shot toward Kate with anger and disapproval. Kate wriggled against Nick’s grasp, trying to pry herself free.
The guards pushed Connie down to her knees and moved those nearby away from the woman. A guard pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the back of the woman’s head, burying the barrel in her hair.
“Please, don’t!” Kate screamed, and Nick twisted her around to face him.
“Stop!” Nick barked, and Kate shoved her palms into his chest, attempting to create distance between them. His sturdy stance and overpowering strength kept Nick rooted in place.
“They can’t just kill her!” Kate whined. Nick clapped a firm hand on her forearm to prevent further attempts at escaping his grasp.
“You need to stop before you get hurt,” Nick shot back at her. It came off like a threat; Kate recognized the warning underneath. Though fury and sorrow tunneled through Kate faster than she could process, Nick’s words prevented her from trying anything else. If Kate continued to protest, she would only end up as another dead body.
Kate turned away from Nick just as the guard pulled the trigger. The bullet blasted through Connie’s skull with force. Bone shattered, and blood spattered across the pavement.Connie’s body fell limp as the life instantly rushed from her body.
A whimper escaped Kate’s lips, and she hung loosely against Nick’s arm as his firm hold remained intact.
“Put the rest in holding,” Margot ordered and walked into the house.
“Move.”
“Let’s go.”
Margot’s guards herded the prisoners toward the giant house. Nick’s grip around Kate did not loosen, and his breathing quickened as he realized this was the moment he would have to let go.
Kate started to peel his arm away from her body. She wanted to collapse into his embrace. She longed to run away with him and deny this risky plan she had committed to. It was too late. And if she showed even an ounce of uncertainty, it would break Nick into pieces.
Finally, Kate removed his arm and looked up at him with the most confident expression she could muster. She nodded to him, then followed the other captives into the house.
Nick stood frozen in place as he watched Kate walk away, knowing this was where his control over her safety ended. Panic coiled inside him until he was ready to implode. Inhaling a deep breath, Nick watched the door to the home close and steeled his nerves.
Chapter 47
The environment of Margot’s captivity included comforts and securities that Luke’s did not. Rather than a cell, Kate was confined to a posh bedroom equipped with a queen-sized, four-poster bed adorned with silk sheets and a thick comforter. Bars covered the windows, deterring any escape attempts, though Kate enjoyed the view into the woods through the metal and glass. An oak wardrobe contained a supply of clothing, and her room provided its own bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub.
The likelihood that Kate could turn the faucet and draw a hot bath was slim. However, the warehouse had managed to get the showers running, even if the water was cold and smelled of rust. There were even soaps on the tub’s edge, which nudged her toward believing the tub was functional. She was meant to be a product, sold to some unknown consumer. Margot would want to advertise her product in a way that appealed to buyers.
As Kate stood in the bathroom doorway, she listened to the din of the manor. Footsteps sounded up and down the halls in intervals. Conversations in the form of inaudible murmursdrifted through the walls. On occasion, a door would open and shut.
Kate wondered if Avery’s room looked like hers. The young girl was probably terrified, and Kate could think of nothing else but whisking her away from this place.
When she twisted the knob of the tub, water poured from the faucet. After letting the water run for a few minutes, she dipped her hand in to find it scalding. After a week of cold showers, the prospect of a hot bath sent her excitement into overdrive. She adjusted the temperature and laid in the basin while the tub filled. She smiled and sighed.
The rose-scented soap enveloped her senses as she cleaned her body. After giving her hair a thorough wash, Kate sat back against the cool porcelain and closed her eyes. Despite the bleak predicament she was in, everything moved to the back of her mind for the moment. The only thing life consisted of was torrid water and rose petals.
After the bath, Kate dried herself with a towel so soft it felt like it was melting against her skin. She wrapped the towel around her, just beneath her armpits, and stared into the mirror. The Kate she viewed had deep circles beneath her eyes, and her face was drawn from the lack of a proper diet.
She cracked open the medicine cabinet. The shelves were cramped with various containers of makeup—eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, lipstick, foundation.
Of course,Kate thought.Everything Margot would need to paint her captives up pretty and sell them.
Kate plucked several of the makeup vials from the shelves and closed the cabinet. How she looked for a potential buyer did not matter to her. Yet, she could not pass up the opportunity to recreate herself; beauty was out of reach these days.
When she was finished, her eyes were outlined with a dark, smoky ring. A nude, creamy shade covered her eyelids, and hercheeks were painted with the slightest hint of rouge. A spritz of perfume clouded the air in an overbearing floral scent. She traipsed toward the wardrobe and found exquisite gowns within. She pulled a red and black dress out and nestled her cheek against the chilled satin fabric.
As she sifted through the gowns, Kate noticed there were various sizes to accommodate any body type. With Connor, her calorie intake was never impressive. After escaping, hot meals were few and far between, which caused her to lose even more inches of her waistline. The red and black dress she admired was sized small. Months ago, it would have been too tight. As she pulled it over her head, she found it fit well and even hung a bit loose in some areas.
Kate looked down and smoothed the dress over her torso. The neckline dove gently toward her breasts without revealing an uncomfortable amount of cleavage. The waistline hugged at her middle, then spread out in waves that ended just above her knees. She twirled and watched the edges of the fabric take flight around her.
With a clean body, a painted face, and an elegant gown, Kate made her way back into the bathroom. She stood before a floor-length mirror that sat against the farthest wall. The woman staring back at her was nearly unrecognizable. There was confidence and radiance. There was strength.
