𝐕𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐃 ❷

𝟔. ✭ 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈 ✭

My father holds the door open for me with a smile, one that doesn't reach his eyes as I walk past him. "Before we go anywhere you need to take a shower." His eyes rake over me, the smile now gone. "You look like shit and you smell even worse." I make my eyes go to the ground submissively. He lets out a sigh with, "if I'd have known locking you up for a week and a half would make you behave I would've done it a long time ago."

A week and a half. That's how long I'd been kept in that cell. I'm itching to ask where my son is. I want to know if he's okay. I need to know. But I also do not want to automatically piss my father off.

"Come." He begins walking and I follow behind him. I have no idea where we are. To my knowledge, we still have to be in Vegas, or somewhere just outside of it, considering the drive in the van wasn't that long. Keeping me here wouldn't bode well for my father considering this is Malyssa, Luke, and Denver's home turf.

Yet, here I am.

After a moment he opens a door and I look up to see multiple shower stalls. It's all open. No curtains. No privacy. I see a fully suited man off to the left standing there. An uneasiness rolls through my stomach as my father begins talking to him. Apparently, this man has been tasked to keep an eye on me while I shower. Wonderful.

My father looks at me with a sly and yet sadistic face, one I've never seen before. "Since you do not mind my men seeing you naked I figured that this," he waves offhandedly at the guard, "would not be a problem." I swallow the uneasiness creeping up my throat as my gaze wanders in the direction of his hand. My dad had found a near replica of Torey size-wise but that was about it. Look-wise the man didn't have anything on him. Not that many men could.

I look back to my father not knowing what to say, not sure if he wants me to argue the point or not. "Whatever you think is best, baba." His eyes flicker with brief surprise, as if he thought I would fight him on this. Hell, I wanted to but I also want to see my son. If showering naked in front of a stranger gives me that opportunity then I'll do it.

His eyes graze over me one more time as he says, "make sure to wash yourself thoroughly, it's going to be a long trip home and I want you not only to look presentable but to smell it. Don't take too long." With that, he leaves me with the stranger.

I wring my hands out feeling extremely uncomfortable. I've only ever been naked in front of two other people before; Brooks and Torey. Whoever this guy is will be the third. Nausea rolls through my abdomen at how degrading this is, like I'm some common criminal.

"You heard what he said. Make it quick." The stranger deadpans, still looking straight ahead and not at me, which I'm thankful for.

I take a cautious step forward and then another until I'm close enough to the shower head but not in range for my clothes to get wet. Not that these clothes were salvageable after being worn for over a week straight. My father is right— I reek. I peel the t-shirt from my body and toss it on the ground next to me and then do so with my pants. My hands begin to tremble as I remove my other garments until I'm standing there just a naked, trembling mess of anxiousness. My feet take my quaking self to stand right underneath the shower head. I turn it on and am immediately sprayed with freezing cold water. I let out a loud yelp and jump back from the spray. My teeth gnaw the inside of my cheek as I can feel the stranger's eyes assessing me after my outburst.

After a few long moments the shower finally starts to warm up so I step beneath the steady stream. The near-scalding water on my skin would feel refreshing if I didn't have company. I close my eyes, trying to forget my current circumstance. I roll my neck around to ease my tension but it's of no use. With a sigh I open my eyes and reach down to grab the washcloth and soap that has been left for me, aware that my whole ass is on display as I do. I make quick work of scrubbing my body down then wash my hair. A whimper of a noise leaves me when I notice the suds near my feet are tinged a reddish pink. That's when I realize I'm washing blood out of my hair. My fingers run over my scalp and when I find the healing wound there I hiss.