Chapter Twenty Six
The desire to succumbto the deep slumber that threatened her body nipped hard at Aria’s heavy lids.Wake up. Her numb mind beckoned against the onslaught of perpetual darkness she’d gladly slip into given a minute chance. Only, thoughts of Jay kept her from this much-needed surrender. His twisted mind, and the danger lurking there. She forced her eyes open and blinked profusely to clear her blurred vision. A thin stream of light peeked through a window covered by thick curtains. She rotated her head and scanned her surroundings. The slow movement, however, detonated a series of explosions inside her skull. Aria gasped. She clutched the top of her head. God, what had the man given her? She sincerely believed he’d hit her with her skillet. As the thought left her, images of a concerned Reece filled her mind. She bit back the urge to cry and wished for his warm embrace, words of comfort.
Mechanically shoving aside thoughts of Reece, she pushed up on one elbow and instantly regretted her decision. A wave of nausea forced her back down. After a few deep breaths, she sat up slowly.God, where am I?She didn’t recognize the sparsely furnished bedroom. Its bleak emptiness matched her inner turmoil. The pale gray walls, cement floors, single bed, and a small stainless steel cupboard reminded her of a prison cell. She barely made out the toilet in the corner. Given she wasn’t there of her own free will, the room was certainly fitting.
A dull ache persisted at the back of her head. She begged her shaking legs to hold her body and stood. Upright, the room spun. She grasped the closest wall. Her stomach clenched at the acrid taste in her dry mouth. Aria swallowed a few times to rid her mouth of the vile tang. Whatever he’d given her, held hectic side effects.
Cool air chilled her arms. She looked up.Air conditioning in winter?Puzzled, she glanced down at her body. Another gasp left her lips. The heaviness of the warm parka Jay made her wear before he forced her out of the cabin was replaced by a translucent white sleeveless blouse. Her skin crawled at the thought of the man touching her body while she slept. He hadn’t changed her jeans, though. Relief washed over her before she eyed the dark blue marks on her arms where Jay had held her when he forced her up to the cave.
Ignoring the pounding head and queasy stomach, she edged toward what looked like the door in the semi-darkness. Slowly, Aria searched the room then stilled her movements when her left foot connected with something. A soft moan drew her gaze to the floor.Oh, God, no.She made out the shape of a body, and another wave of nausea hit. Aria dropped to her knees. The prone figure belonged to a woman dressed in nothing but a transparent negligee.
“Hey.” She tapped her gently on the shoulder. The woman’s skin felt cold and clammy. At the touch, she jerked upright and scooted away. Aria gulped. Her gaze roamed the woman’s face then drifted down to her hands. Fear clasped every cell, as Aria recognized Jay’s handiwork. Hair in tangled disarray, the woman’s face, and arms were crisscrosses of knife marks similar to those on Aria’s back, only fresher. At least Aria had been spared the agony of having her face disfigured. This poor woman would live with a constant reminder every time she looked in a mirror. Aria’s skin prickled. Her gaze fell on the reddish-blue marks around the woman’s neck, and her blood splattered negligee.
So, this was the entertainment for which he’d returned home? “God, what a sick bastard.” She shook her head in disgust and reached out a hand. The woman flinched. Traumatized, the woman didn’t recognize a friendly gesture. “Hey, I’m Aria. What’s your name?”
The woman cowered in the corner; her legs pulled up tight to her body. Curled into herself, she resembled an abused animal. Scared and hiding. Uneven pants escaped from between her split lips. She stared continuously at the ceiling as though lost. The angle of her wrist against her chest told Aria it was either broken or severely injured. Her other hand lay cuffed to a long chain, the end drilled into the wall in the middle of the room.
“Listen, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you,” Aria whispered. “I was married to Jay. He’s sick.” At those words, the woman turned away from the wall and looked at Aria.
Her large brown eyes rimmed with tears, her bottom lip trembled, but she said nothing.
“I’m sorry for what you must’ve gone through. What’s your name?”
The woman seemed to contemplate Aria’s words then sat up. She rubbed her throat lightly, then pointed away. Aria followed the direction of her finger. It indicated a small sink at the other end of the room.
“You want some water?”
She nodded. Aria stood and walked over to the sink. She rinsed out the single glass on the shelf above the sink, filled it with cold water then went back.
The woman took the glass and gulped down the water as soon as Aria handed it over. How could Jay keep her chained with no access to water?What a pig.Judging by the length of the chain, it didn’t reach the tap—God, what cruelty.
“Would you like more?”
“Yes, please,” her words were barely audible.
Aria refilled the glass and handed it over. While she drank, slower this time, Aria studied her. She put the woman in her early twenties. Aria’s stomach churned. Another woman’s life ruined. Fortunately, Aria had picked up and moved on. She silently wondered how many women Jay had scarred and why he hadn’t disfigured her face.
“Thank you,” the woman whispered. She set the glass on the floor.
“What’s your name?”
“Leila.”
