If only Mina could be so lucky.
Annette looped an arm in Mina’s and steered her from the group. She’d seen Annette around the house, though they hadn’t spoken. Right now she behaved as if they were best friends—something Mina found solace in.
“I have to escape,” Mina whispered when they stepped outside into the snow.
Annette shook her head and signaled for her to be quiet. Mina glanced around, wondering if there was surveillance that might catch her words. She’d thought being outside that it was okay, but they were still close to the house. There were hedges back here. Listening devices could easily be hidden. Either Annette knew of such devices, or she suspected.
Mina followed Annette through the yard until it seemed they were going off the property.
She jerked her arm back. “I can’t. I’ll get zapped.”
“This is still safe. I know where all the property lines are.” Of course she did.
They walked for what felt like forever before Annette finally stopped in the woods.
“The electric fence ends just before you get to the tree line in most places, but here, you can go into the woods for a bit.”
“How do you know how far?”
“I marked the tree.” She pointed at a tree a distance off with white paint on it. In the snow it was barely discernible. They stopped just before the painted tree.
“This is far outside the range of their spying equipment. Sometimes when I need to think and have some peace and freedom, I come out here. You’re the first person I’ve brought here. I thought you might need a place like this, too.”
“Do you ever think of escaping?”
Annette shook her head. “No. I’m happy here. I love Anton. He’s good to me. And who wouldn’t want to live in a place like this? Plus, it’s not like I never get to leave. He takes me to the ballet and the opera. He’s got friends from St. Petersburg in the ballet.”
Perhaps off of Mina’s desolate expression, Annette stopped herself and said, “Uh, but, I mean… I understand why you’d want to leave. If our situations were reversed…” she trailed off. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
“Help me find a way out. I can’t be here. Not with him.” She braced herself against the tree while she fought to keep her breath. There were no paper bags out here to stop it if she hyperventilated again. She felt unsteady on her feet, the cold woods spinning around her.
“Whoa. You need to sit somewhere,” Annette said.
Mina leaned against the tree and tried not to think.
“Do they know you know about this place? Do they know this is inside the perimeter?”
“I have no idea. Anton’s never said anything.”
“What if I run through the barrier and just kept going? What if I pushed through far enough to get out of range?”
“It wouldn’t work. The range of the fence is far enough that you wouldn’t be able to withstand it. You’d go unconscious and they’d find you, assuming you survived that long.”
“What about a key?”
“It’s a code. They all know it by heart. It’s not written down anywhere, and I’ve never been allowed close enough to see one come off.”
Mina felt the tears begin to freeze on her face. “There has to be a way out. I… I can’t go back.” She recalled the look on Brian’s face when he’d had her alone inside his room before he’d been called away. Something terrible would have happened if the intercom hadn’t come on.
Even if he managed self-control today… what about tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the next? Eventually he’d hurt her. Badly.
Mina tugged on the bracelet as if it would come apart if she pulled on it the right way.
“You should talk to Lindsay.”
“He won’t do anything,” Mina said, defeated.
“Well, you’d better figure out a way to appeal to him. He’s your only shot. He brought you here. He accepted Brian’s bid—at least that’s what Anton said. The others stayed out of it. Lindsay is the only one with the power to set you free. Well, except for Brian, but I doubt that will happen. Just go talk to him.”
Loud beeps went off, causing Mina to jump, convinced it was Brian calling her back, but it wasn’t her bracelet.
“That’s Anton. I have to go. Remember what I said. If you want out, you have to work on Lindsay.”
It was Sunday, so Lindsay was at the house, instead of at his office in the city.
“What is it?” he said when she knocked.
She pushed the door open a crack and popped her head in.
“Mina.” His voice held resignation. “Come in, and close the door.”
Seething rage curled off her. He’d betrayed her. If she hadn’t been so disoriented when Brian released her to wander, she would have come straight to the doctor and screamed at him for being such a fucking liar.
“Lindsay, I hate you. You are fucking filth for doing this to me, and I will never forgive you as long as I live.”
It wasn’t the way out of here, but she’d already begged and pleaded for him to keep her himself, and that had fallen on deaf ears. Not that she wanted to be his anymore after the myriad ways he’d hurt her. She’d already asked to be released. The answer had been no. There was no reason to think his decision would change now.
He reeled back as if she’d hit him. It took him a moment to gain his composure, and then his expression hardened. She knew now that his civilized facade was perhaps the weakest in the house. Even Brian had managed not to yell at her yet.
“Sir,” he gritted out.
“No.” At least with her master’s order, Brian was the only one who could do anything to her. Not that that was much comfort.
“I’m sorry… No?”
“Brian said not to give anyone else any formal address and that no one here has any authority over me but him.”
“Dr. Smith, then,” he said after a long, disgruntled moment.
“No. He said first names only.” She watched as the doctor struggled to push the rage down.
“Very well, then.”
“You lied to me. You said you would sell me to someone kind. You said I would be happy and safe. And then you give me to the biggest psycho you know?”
“He swore he’d honor the contract.”
“And you believed him?” Wasn’t Lindsay supposed to have some vague understanding of human behavior? Was he even licensed? Did he have a real degree?
“Has he hurt you?”
“He hasn’t had time yet. He was called away. But there’s nothing to stop him.”
“I know this is hard to understand and accept right now, but I believe he needs you. I believe he truly means you no harm. Just try to take a step back. Take a moment to think about what sorts of things might make a person become like Brian.”
“What are you trying to say?”
He shrugged. “That’s the point. I can’t say. He’s spoken to me in confidence. I can schedule an appointment to check in with you daily to ensure you are safe if it will make you feel better.”
“And what if I’m not?” There was silence while the doctor looked down at his hands. “You know you can’t stop him. You just gave me to a sadist because he gave you enough money to sooth your conscience.”