Page 38 of The Devil of Hollywood

But David didn’t come. Not after what felt like an hour. Not after two. My stomach growled. I collapsed to the cot, feeling my eyes grow heavy. I wasn’t even sure what time it was anymore. I slept off and on. I never truly got more than an hour or two at a time. I felt disoriented. My mind was changing and something darkly twisted scraped my sanity. A deep-seeded torment was eating away at my calm. At my control. Each minute that was getting me closer to being sold left me feeling even more desperate for escape. I went to stand so I could check the door again, but I knew it was locked. I was trapped. Maybe even forgotten.

More time.

A heavier darkness edged in as I dozed off, and I felt myself floating through restlessness.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

“You’re not just anyone, Marian. You’re special, but I can make you so much more than that.”

“I don’t want to be special, Momma, I just want Drayton.”

“Stupid girl. So stupid. You have so much to learn. Do you know how important your future is? A marriage can make you or break you, Marian. Our world is nothing like what you think.”

My mother’s voice came wisping through like a cold draft, here and gone, but not without making an impact. I shivered at her words, falling deeper into sleep. Had she known about this? The Unavowed hinted as much. My mother was one of them. My mother would have probably loved this place.

“Someday, you’re going to see that everything I’ve done was for us. For our family. And when you have your own, you’ll do the same.”

Evil.

Cold.

I’d never sink this low. I’d never support a place like this. I wasn’t like my mother… yet, hadn’t I used her persuasion on Drayton when we first met? Hadn’t I used the same trick to hook David? I softened him and used the sway to mess with his mind. She would have done that. She would have done everything in her power to flip her role, and she would have succeeded. Hell, she would probably have already been free. As much as I hated my mother, I envied her. I wanted to be her right now. I wanted her tricks if it meant I’d get free.

“Don’t look at me like that, Marian. I told you to stay away from Drayton. That’s what you get for not listening. Hate me if you want. You’ll get over this, and when you walk down that aisle to someone deserving of you, you’ll be thanking me.”

“I do hate you. I hate you!”

“For now… Wait until you need me. You’ll love me again.”

Keys jingled and metal creaked and groaned as my door opened. I blinked through the blurriness, sitting up as a man I’d never seen before headed inside the room. He had sandy brown hair with freckles on his face. He looked younger than me at almost-thirty, and he was lean and tall. He was dressed in the typical dark blue uniform, and he held a tray of food. I stood, watching as he headed inside. When he got halfway in the room, he stopped, letting his eyes rake over my body.

“Clothes off like a good girl and you’ll get to eat.”

My lips parted, and my head shook.

“I… uh, no.”

“I was told you haven’t eaten in days. You want to starve?”

“I’m not taking off my clothes.”

He shrugged, turning.

“Wait!” I couldn’t deny how much my mouth was watering. It had been so long since I had had food. I could smell the aroma, and my stomach growled because of it. “Where’s David?”

A smile tugged at the man’s mouth as he came back to face me. “He’ll be here in a minute. You ready to drop the dress?” He looked down, lifting the lid free, intoxicating the room even more with the aroma. I shifted on my feet, glancing at the door. Would David have done this? I didn’t think so. He was rough, but he’d let me have the food without humiliating me for it.

“Do you know where he’s been? He didn’t come back last night.”

I reached for the tray, but the guard kept hold with a death grip.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Dress off.”

“I don’t see a drink. Do I get more water? I’m really thirsty.”