Chapter 47
The environment of Margot’s captivity included comforts and securities that Luke’s did not.
Rather than a cell, Kate was confined to a posh bedroom equipped with a queen-sized, four-poster bed adorned with silk sheets and a thick comforter.
Bars covered the windows, deterring any escape attempts, though Kate enjoyed the view into the woods through the metal and glass.
An oak wardrobe contained a supply of clothing, and her room provided its own bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub.
The likelihood that Kate could turn the faucet and draw a hot bath was slim.
However, the warehouse had managed to get the showers running, even if the water was cold and smelled of rust. There were even soaps on the tub’s edge, which nudged her toward believing the tub was functional.
She was meant to be a product, sold to some unknown consumer.
Margot would want to advertise her product in a way that appealed to buyers.
As Kate stood in the bathroom doorway, she listened to the din of the manor. Footsteps sounded up and down the halls in intervals. Conversations in the form of inaudible murmurs drifted through the walls. On occasion, a door would open and shut.
Kate wondered if Avery’s room looked like hers. The young girl was probably terrified, and Kate could think of nothing else but whisking her away from this place.
When she twisted the knob of the tub, water poured from the faucet.
After letting the water run for a few minutes, she dipped her hand in to find it scalding.
After a week of cold showers, the prospect of a hot bath sent her excitement into overdrive.
She adjusted the temperature and laid in the basin while the tub filled. She smiled and sighed.
The rose-scented soap enveloped her senses as she cleaned her body.
After giving her hair a thorough wash, Kate sat back against the cool porcelain and closed her eyes.
Despite the bleak predicament she was in, everything moved to the back of her mind for the moment.
The only thing life consisted of was torrid water and rose petals.
After the bath, Kate dried herself with a towel so soft it felt like it was melting against her skin. She wrapped the towel around her, just beneath her armpits, and stared into the mirror. The Kate she viewed had deep circles beneath her eyes, and her face was drawn from the lack of a proper diet.
She cracked open the medicine cabinet. The shelves were cramped with various containers of makeup—eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, lipstick, foundation.
Of course, Kate thought. Everything Margot would need to paint her captives up pretty and sell them.
Kate plucked several of the makeup vials from the shelves and closed the cabinet. How she looked for a potential buyer did not matter to her. Yet, she could not pass up the opportunity to recreate herself; beauty was out of reach these days.
When she was finished, her eyes were outlined with a dark, smoky ring.
A nude, creamy shade covered her eyelids, and her cheeks were painted with the slightest hint of rouge.
A spritz of perfume clouded the air in an overbearing floral scent.
She traipsed toward the wardrobe and found exquisite gowns within.
She pulled a red and black dress out and nestled her cheek against the chilled satin fabric.
As she sifted through the gowns, Kate noticed there were various sizes to accommodate any body type.
With Connor, her calorie intake was never impressive.
After escaping, hot meals were few and far between, which caused her to lose even more inches of her waistline.
The red and black dress she admired was sized small.
Months ago, it would have been too tight.
As she pulled it over her head, she found it fit well and even hung a bit loose in some areas.
Kate looked down and smoothed the dress over her torso.
The neckline dove gently toward her breasts without revealing an uncomfortable amount of cleavage.
The waistline hugged at her middle, then spread out in waves that ended just above her knees.
She twirled and watched the edges of the fabric take flight around her.
With a clean body, a painted face, and an elegant gown, Kate made her way back into the bathroom. She stood before a floor-length mirror that sat against the farthest wall. The woman staring back at her was nearly unrecognizable. There was confidence and radiance. There was strength.
The turmoil Nick must have been enduring struck Kate with an unyielding blow.
Her arms collapsed to her side, and her poise caved in.
Nick was probably scrambling to get back to Fort Vanguard, collect gear, and rescue her.
His mind was likely fried and his body running on little sleep.
Yet here Kate was, parading around and playing dress up.
Kate extracted a tissue from the vanity and started to clean off the makeup when soft-heeled footsteps approached her door. After several locks disengaged, the door opened, and Margot stepped inside.
Kate stood and backed away toward the farthest wall.
Margot stepped in front of Kate, her eyes moving up and down over Kate’s frail and bruised body.
The gown she wore suddenly felt acidic and incongruous against her skin.
Kate glanced at the door, noting it had not been closed, only to find two armed guards standing in the opening.
“Hmm,” Margot said as she observed Kate. Though the sound was barely audible, it was heavy with disapproval.
The woman was older than Kate, perhaps in her late forties.
She towered over her, wearing ankle boots with heels.
Her gloved arms were crossed in front of her chest, projecting a cold and merciless authority.
Silver wisps of hair fell from a precise updo, and her harsh eyes sent chills through Kate.
Margot took a step, closing the distance between them. Her eyes hardened into slits, and she took a sharp inhale of Kate’s aroma. Margot’s nose crinkled as though she could smell Kate’s blight buried beneath the soap and perfume.
“Ugh, what is your name, girl?” Margot asked in an icy tone.
“Kate,” she responded softly.
“Kate,” Margot repeated as though the word were a slur. “My clients expect a certain level of quality. You, my dear, are far too damaged for their taste. Guards, take out the trash.”
As Kate’s ego cracked and shattered into a million pieces, the armed men encircled her. Each grabbed an arm and hauled her across the floor. She did not even fight back. Margot’s words left Kate feeling exactly the way she felt she deserved. Unworthy.
After Kate escaped from Connor, she drifted through the ruins of society, surviving on what little strength she had left. The time she was forced to spend with him depleted her confidence and left her a withered shell of a woman.
Then, Kate met Nick. Despite being certain she would never trust or love or feel beautiful again, he turned her sad little world upside down.
Kate had tried to stay distant and explain to him that she was not worth the trouble.
Nick saw through it, convincing Kate that she was a person deserving of protection and adoration.
With a simple glance, Margot detected Kate’s scars and the adversity rotting within her.
Take out the trash. That’s all that I am.
Kate walked alongside the guards, certain they were preparing to put a bullet in her head like a racehorse with a bum leg.
The armed men directed her down the grand staircase.
Before arriving at the front door, they turned her toward an elegant dining hall where they strapped her to a chair.
They turned and left without a word. Kate sat staring at an ornate wooden table decorated with maroon napkins and refined silverware.