“No, my doctor did a full inspection. All of her test results came back negative.”
“I will have to insist on a lower price due to the…obvious injuries. It will take time to get her back to full health for her new master to enjoy fully.”
“What do you have in mind?” Mankel asked.
“One-hundred thousand American dollars.”
Mankel scoffed, settling in for the haggle. “A girl like her would easily sell for a minimum of one-hundred seventy-five.”
Sven paused, as if in thought, but Mankel could easily detect the calculating gleam in his eyes.
“One fifty.”
“Deal.” The tense muscles down Mankel's back relaxed and he gave a mental sigh of relief. Celine Latimer had been an unwelcome intrusion on his plans, but as a sex slave to a Russian aristocrat, she would cause him no trouble. And had, in fact, fattened his bank account nicely. “Perfect, I'll have her escorted to your plane in the morning.”
“No, I will meet you here.” Sven handed him a piece of paper. “We will assume ownership of the girl at this location and you will receive payment there.”
“As you wish.” He cared little about what needed to happen to remove this dead weight off his back. The true plan ahead of him was what would demand his unerring scrutiny, and couldn’t allow another mistake the size of Celine Latimer to get in his way.
Chapter 7
“Miss Latimer,wake up. It's time to go.”
Celine stretched and cracked open an eye to see A’idah standing at her bedside, wringing her hands in front of her.
“It's okay A’idah, I'm up.” She needed to put the girl at ease. She always seemed to be looking over her shoulder, but for what, Celine hadn't figured out.
“I will lay out your clothes for travel while you shower. Can I bring you some coffee or juice?” A’idah stepped back from the bed and Celine sat up and swung her legs over the side.
“You don't have to bring me anything, A’idah.” Having someone at her beck and call had been nice, but now it was too much. She could take care of herself, just like always. “I can take care of myself.” She spoke it aloud, even if only to convince herself.
“Please, allow me to serve you –”
“Go get her coffee and for heaven sake, stop simpering and pouting like a whipped dog.” Solana strode into the room like she owned it, startling A’idah, who shot Celine a fearful glance and darted from the room.
Irritation chased the last bit of sleepiness from Celine and she stood, careful not to move too fast and strain her still sore muscles. A’idah might cower to Mankel's daughter, but not Celine. “You didn't have to be so rude to her.”
“She is a slave. Not that it will be your concern any longer. Transportation will leave in an hour. I am here to see that you are bathed and dressed properly.” Solana barked out her commands from behind the blue screen of her hood. The dress, meant to hide a woman’s shape, only made Solana seem more domineering.
Not that Celine had any intention of backing down. “I can bathe and dress myself.”
“Then hurry. We are on a schedule.”
A’idah rushed back into the room, carrying a large gold tray, and Celine bit back her retort. Instead, she spun and strode into the large, luxurious bathroom, shutting the double doors behind her and wishing for a way to lock them. But she'd discovered yesterday there was no lock.
She went to the shower and turned on the water with a sigh. She wasn't going to miss much about this place, but the bathroom, which was large enough to fit her entire apartment back home inside. The shower was completely made from glass and took up the center of the room, almost like a masterpiece. She eased the satiny low-cut nightgown off and stepped inside. The deep V of the gown had clearly exposed the deepening bruises on her chest, but she hadn’t cared. Merely wearing something that felt like home had been worth having to fight to ignore the evidence of her near rape.
That thought spurred her into motion and she washed quickly. No matter how much she wanted to savor the hot water, she wanted to go home more. When she emerged, wrapped in a towel, Solana stood waiting. “I've brought your clothing for today. You must keep yourself covered from the moment you leave the room.”
Celine glanced at the blue garment laid out on the bed and cringed. “No way. Your dad brought me new clothing to wear today.” She glanced around for the fashionable jeans and blouse.
“You want to go home, then you put it on.”
“Where is your father? He said he’d take me to see Caroline.”
“My father has wasted enough time on you.”
“I'm not wearing that.”
