Chapter 4

Kaylee awoke slowly. The bed was very comfortable and for a moment she thought she was in her hotel room. When she remembered where she was, the blonde teenager sat up quickly.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” said Carmen. She was sitting in the armchair holding a coffee mug. “What would you like? Orange juice, coffee or hot chocolate?”

Remembering that the woman had slept in the same bed, Kaylee wondered if she’d been molested during the night. Surely she would have awakened if anything had happened, wouldn’t she?

“Hot chocolate, please.”

“Muy bien. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Carmen left the room. Kaylee went into the bathroom to relieve herself. Seeing her naked body in the bathroom mirror brought back the horror of the previous night. The welts were turning black and blue.

She found the robe she’d worn the night before and put it on, then brushed her teeth.

Just as she finished, Carmen returned with her hot chocolate and a croissant. “Sit here,” she said, indicating the armchair.

Kaylee realized she was hungry. She took a bite of the croissant and was amazed that it was as good as or better than the ones she’d had in Paris last year. She took a sip of the hot chocolate. “This is delicious!” she said.

“I’m glad you like it. We are not monsters, you see.”

Kaylee could only stare at her in response. She thought that beating a helpless girl and forcing her to be used by three men was pretty monstrous. She said: “Are you going to take me back to the hotel now? I’m sure the police are looking for me.”

“Yes, I’m sure they are, but they won’t find you. We are very careful.”

“Why did you take me? What do you want with me?”

“That will become clear in time. Just remember that if you do everything we ask you will be treated well. If you don’t ... well, you have seen what can happen.”

Carmen picked up Kaylee’s plate and mug and headed for the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of sight, Kaylee made a run for it, out through the French doors and into the garden. But when she reached the door to the street, José from the garage was standing in front of it. He grinned at her. Kaylee turned and ran in the opposite direction, looking for another way out. The wall around the garden was much too high. She ran back in the house.

Carmen was waiting for her. “Ah, there you are, little princess. I hope you enjoyed your walk in the garden. You wouldn’t try to run away, would you? If you did, you would have to be punished. Is that clear?”

Kaylee nodded. Her disappointment was intense and she couldn’t help getting teary-eyed.

“Don’t cry, little one. You and I are going to have a wonderful day together.”

To herself, Kaylee said, “Yeah, right.” Aloud, she said nothing. Carmen handed her a box of tissues.

“Cheer up,” said the older woman. “We’re going to the beach. The weather is perfect.” She took Kaylee by the hand. “Come with me.”

She led the teenager to the bathroom and handed Kaylee a bottle of sunscreen. “Put this on. When you’re finished and I’ll do your back.”

Kaylee tried to compose herself, but she was scared and confused. What are these people up to? Those horrible men beat her and used her for sexual gratification. And then the woman had kissed her and had treated her kindly.

She slipped out of the robe and looked at herself in the mirror, just as she had done at the hotel two days earlier. “I was so dumb,” she thought. Then, she had been mystified that a handsome older man was checking her out. Now it made perfect sense. He was no different than the creepy boys at school.

The welts were still a little tender and sunburn would surely make it worse. After first tying her hair atop her head, Kaylee applied the sunscreen liberally. When she had covered all the skin she could reach, Carmen appeared in the doorway as if on cue.

She took the bottle from Kaylee’s hand. “Turn around, please.” Carmen spread the cool lotion gently but thoroughly over the teenager’s back. It didn’t take long. After a minute or two, though, her hands strayed down over Kaylee’s buttocks.