Lion walks up to us, carrying a tray filled with toiletry items, a bottle of water, and the kind of disposable bedpan bowl found in a hospital.
“What’s that for?” I dare ask.
Beside me, Rook shifts, his breathing pattern changing as he goes from sleep to wakefulness.
“Thought you two might want to clean up a little.”
I narrow my eyes, suspicious. “Why?”
“Do you want to or not?”
I really do. I eye up the bottle of water with renewed thirst. I haven’t had anything to drink since I gulped some of the water in the tub they tried to drown me in. Plus, my mouth tastes disgusting.
“Yes, but you’ll need to untie me first.”
He chuckles. “Nope. I can do it for you.”
I shoot a look over to Rook. He still isn’t fully conscious. Fuck.
“Can I have some water? Can Rook?” I figured I might have a little bargaining power.
“Yeah, once you’re clean.”
Not waiting for my answer, he takes the toothbrush, pours some water from the bottle onto the bristles, and smears a blob of toothpaste on.
“Open wide, little lady.”
I don’t want him to be the one who brushes my teeth, but he grabs my face with his other hand and presses his thick fingers into my cheeks to hinge my jaw open. I try to yank my face out of his grip, but he shoves the toothbrush into my mouth and starts to brush.
The image of what Ginger did to Rook roils my stomach,but Lion doesn’t spit at me, or in my mouth, thank God.
He pushes the toothbrush too far in, hitting the back of my throat and making me gag. He only laughs. When he’s done, he instructs me to spit into the empty bowl, then gives me some water to rinse with and tells me to spit again.
“I need to use the bathroom.” I haven’t been at all since I woke up here, and it’s damn near painful now.
Lion shoots a look over to Ginger and shouts, “She wants the bathroom. Are we allowed to take her?”
“You don’t want her pissing all down herself, do you? Not considering what we’ve got planned.”
I don’t like the sound of that. Is that why they’re cleaning me up? They can’t stand to touch me as I am. Perhaps I should piss myself, just to keep them away? But I can’t bring myself to do it.
Ginger hasn’t finished. “Blindfold her before you take her out, though. Wouldn’t want to give her any ideas.”
Ideas about what? Does that mean there’s something out there that could help us escape?
“Let me finish with the other one first,” Lion says.
He squats in front of Rook and grabs his face. Rook groans and tries to pull away, but Lion squeezes his jaw open and scrubs the brush over his teeth. He’s a lot rougher than he was with me, and Rook’s eyelids flutter. Lion finishes with the toothbrush and then uses the bottle of water to tip some into Rook’s mouth. Rook coughs and splutters and comes instantly alert.
“What the f?—?”
Lion taps him around the face in what might have been a friendly pat, but that is just a little too hard.
“Freshening you up for tonight’s fun and games.”
Rook turns to me. “Camile…”
“Just go with it, Rook,” I beg him.
