The man had come to the door cursing, reeking displeasure. He was sweating and seemed keen to avoid eye contact, as if visitors were somehow contagious. When he did eventually look up, his expression was full of suspicion, as if the courier were here to rob him, rather than deliver the goods thathehad ordered.
The courier held out the package and asked the man to sign for it. As he did so, he looked over his shoulder, curious to see what sort of hole this guy inhabited. It was a bomb site. Broken furniture, cardboard boxes, dust sheets, discarded pizza boxes. The tall Victorian property had presumably once been a rich gent’s town house; now it was a stinking hovel. The courier jumped at the sight of a rat scurrying out from among the pizza boxes.
He raised his gaze to find the man staring right at him. His piercing aquamarine eyes silently chastized him for his nosiness.
“Good-bye,” the man said, offering an abortion of a smile. Always polite, the courier didn’t respond for once, simply turning and hurrying away as the front door shut firmly behind him.
Inside the house, the man listened to the van depart, peeking through the dirty curtains to check that he had really gone. Then, sweeping some old newspapers off the sideboard, he set the box down. Ripping off the tape that bound the lid together, he delved inside. He had cursed himself for his stupidity, for his oversight, but the precious contents of this box would rectify matters.
And his new friend would thank him for it.
16
The pain was horrible. It coursed through her eye sockets straight into her brain. Her nerve endings screamed in protest; her head throbbed violently. She buried her face in the bedsheets, praying that it would end.
She had been lying in bed when it happened. The approaching footsteps had not alarmed her, as they had before. She was ravenously hungry and wanted company—even his company—after a long and cold night. The wicket hatch slid open, then shut, and Ruby had expected to hear the key turn in the lock next—already a strange kind of routine was developing.
Instead, she was suddenly and unexpectedly blinded. The main lights in her small cell snapped on without warning. She had clamped her eyelids shut, but the damage had already been done. Her eyes, which had grown used to the darkness, were suddenlyassaulted by the three heavy-duty sodium lights that were fixed to the ceiling.
Her eyes crept open, clamped shut again, then very slowly opened once more. Weird shapes and lights danced in front of her as her startled retinas scrabbled for some kind of focus.
He was standing over her.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“No. I bloody froze to death, you stupid freak. I’m going to die down here. Is that what you want?”
“I’ll get you an extra blanket.”
“Please let me go home.”
“Get up.”
He barked out this order, his tone suddenly impatient and unfriendly. Ruby realized that she knew nothing about this guy or how his mind worked. Could he turn violent? Could he be reasoned with? Was he insane?
“Take off your clothes.”
“Please...”
“Take off your clothes,” he repeated, raising his voice.
He wouldn’t look at her. Oddly, his hands were trembling. Ruby tried to speak, but her heart was beating too fast, making her breathless and panicky.
“I don’t want to,” she managed eventually.
“Do it now or God help me...”
As he took a step toward her, Ruby scrambled off the bed.
“I’m doing it. I’m doing it.”
Still, he wouldn’t look at her. Sobbing quietly, Ruby took off the thin cotton pajama top that he’d given her in place of her own night gear. She hated the feel and the smell of it, but it kept her fromfreezing to death. Now she shivered, her naked skin exposed to the cold air. Hesitating, another sob escaping her, she removed her pajama bottoms, placing them on the bed next to her.
She felt intensely vulnerable, naked in front of a stranger, her gaunt frame illuminated by the overhead lights. She looked ghostly, her pale skin framed by the darkness of her tresses and pubic hair. She stared at the floor, refusing to meet his gaze.
She could tell he was looking at her now, appraising what he saw.Go to hell,she thought, but her empty bravado did little to cheer her. She was exposed and powerless here.
