adrenaline I used to feel from a performance races through my veins. But I'm snapped back into real life when his thug grabs me and locks me in the bedroom.
Penelope doesn't come back for several days. I pace the room all night, and the next day. Every night, I have to perform. When I'm on stage, I see her sitting next to Santiago. When she finally comes back, she won't tell me where she's been, but I also don't push her.
Several nights, I sing and am allowed to wear clothes. On these nights, Santiago's brother Nicolas is present. They sit at the same table, and the daughter of the U.S. President is with him. She sits next to Penelope, and they talk throughout the evening.
I question Penelope about it, but she once again doesn't want to answer.
Life becomes a routine that I fall into. Santiago is the Master. I am his slave and do whatever he tells me to. In some ways, it's easier than when I was with Jonas. Most of the time, I only have to shave, look good, and perform on stage.
But it's a mistake to get comfortable. A long time passes. It could be a year. I'm not sure, and neither is Penelope. One night, Santiago's men storm in our room and drag Penelope and me out. We take nothing. They shove us into a vehicle. We drive for days, and when we finally stop and get out, we're in the jungle.
A teenage boy slides a ladder into a hole. "Get in." His voice cracks from puberty.
We climb down into our new home. The pit is cold and dirty, but when I get to the bottom, a woman throws her arms around me. "Zoe, thank God. I thought you were dead!"
She must be a fan.
Poor woman. What did she do to get on Santiago's bad side?
"I'm okay. And you are?"
"I'm Julietta."
I stare at her in the darkness.
"You don't remember me?"
This is embarrassing.
"I'm sorry. Were you backstage at one of my concerts?"
Her eyes widen, and a mix of hurt and disgust fills her face.
Crap.
"I'm sorry. I have a lot of performances and meet dozens of people a night after each show. I hope you're okay...since you're here and all?"
A deep line forms between her eyes, and she frowns.
Penelope clears her throat. "I'm Penelope. But we've met before. You probably don't remember me. I was on—"
"The flight to Guatemala. Yes, I remember you. I'm glad you're alive too."
"You two were on the same flight? What a coincidence!" I beam.
Julieta tilts her head. "You were on several of my flights as well."
"I'm sorry?"
"I'm a flight attendant."
My chest tightens. I close my eyes.
You must have been too high to remember.
"I apologize. I...I—"
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Julieta walks over to the wall and sits.
Penelope and I follow.
"How long have you been here?" I ask her.
"Not sure. Several months."
"In this pit?" I cry out.
Her voice lowers. "Yeah. But it's better than being with Jonas Torres."
7
Dirk
Present Day
When Zoe and I return to camp, my mind is spinning with everything she revealed to me, but I also want to know what she isn't disclosing. People have hurt her. I'm assuming they are all men, but I could be wrong. Either way, I want to kill anyone who laid a hand on her.
I stop at the edge of the woods. Her face is only inches from mine. She looks at me how she gazed at me in the middle of the night and I contemplate kissing her, wondering if she’ll freak again, but there’s shouting that pulls me out of my trance.
There isn't any time to think about it because Ryker and Hunter are about to throw punches and kill each other. I set Zoe down and step between them.
They fill us in that Vanessa had a panic attack, and Julieta and Hunter got into an argument.
Zoe briefly smiles. "I understand how Julieta gets. She and I have gone head to head before. But she's dealing with things we aren't."
"Like what?" Ryker asks.
"You'll have to get that information from her. I don't know any details."
"Of course, you don't. No one will tell us anything, so none of you should expect any help," Hunter barks.
Zoe crosses her arms and tilts her head. "Does that include Vanessa?"
That's my woman. Put him in his place.
She's not your woman. Don't even try to take advantage of her again.
"You don't need to answer that." Zoe pats me on the cheek. "Your stock just went up, country boy."