Page 52 of The Puppet Master
A minute passes until I decide—with certainty—that it has nothing to do with me.
“Did something happen?”
He doesn’t answer, which makes me think that something did. When his hands move water over my arms, my nails sink into my thighs.
“I have to tell you something,” he finally says. He gathers my hair over one shoulder and glides his fingertip along my flesh. I shiver, both at his mysterious words and at his touch. Every movement is smooth, absent-minded, pornographic, confusing.
He goes on while scooping water onto my upper back and lightly scrubbing.
“I’m not gonna be here much longer… And I don’t think you’re going to acclimate to the culture here. I think you should start working on an exit strategy.”
When his fingers run up the back of my neck, I lower my head and let him massage my scalp. Little bits of pleasure roll through me despite his cryptic yet obvious words.
“Is that what you were doing tonight? Looking for a way out?”
He dips his hand in the bath to bring more water to my hair. “Yes, and I found one, but it only works for me. You’re going to have to find your own way.”
He found a way out.
He found a way out?!
“How?” My spine straightens as I grip both sides of the tub to sit up. “How are you getting out? And… I mean, are they keeping you here? Why can’t we just leave together tonight?Now.”
My palms splay on the porcelain as I take in a steadying breath. “Are you messing with my head again?”
“No,” he replies with a sigh. “I’m not… You can just forget I said anything if you want.”
“If you want to leave, why are we not leaving? Why…” Water splashes onto the floor as I fully turn to face him. “Why are you still here?”
He brings his knees up to rest his hands on them and takes his time answering. My eyes naturally draw to the scar on his chest, and I’m glad in a way because it keeps me from looking lower. He doesn’t even appear fazed to be naked with me. He looks… I don’t know how he looks. Worn down. Dazed.
“I came here for something, and I’m not going to leave until I get it. I can’t take you with me because I’m using someone’s help, and they aren’t going to let me bring along another woman.”
“Whose help?” I squint at him.
He actually found a way out. In one night, he found a way out.
How could it be that easy?
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of courseit matters.” I huff. “Sawyer,please. I?—”
“She’s a woman. You need the help of a man… It’s not as hard as it seems. You just need to get close to someone sympathetic to your situation, then?—”
“Get close to them,” I repeat. “You mean sleep with them.”
Sawyer hesitates but then nods.
“So that’s what you went to do after you tortured me then left me passed out on the floor. You went to have sex with someone.”
He runs his hand through his hair and collects a piece of leaf in the process. Looking down at his hand, he shakes it away into the filthy water. “I didn’t leave you to go get laid. I just needed to…” He looks up as he thinks, his mouth open. He gives up and shakes his head. “What does it even matter?”
“You just needed to what?” I wrap my arms around my knees while searching his face for the answer. Something happened. I can tell something happened.
He scrubs at day-old stubble before lowering his hand to his knee. “I was out scouting the woods, and I ran into a problem I needed to fix. Trust me, you do not want to know the specifics. Just… Take my advice or don’t. It doesn’t really make a difference to me. I felt compelled to warn you. Maybe I shouldn’t have.”
“Warn me…” I scoff. “You wanted to warn me that the kidnappers who want to rape me are fucked up. Thanks, Mr. Human Trafficker. I guess I’m caught up to speed.”
