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In the bedroom upstairs, Vanessa sat on the king-sized bed. Aside from that, the room was bare—no clothes, no bureau, no clock.
She hated to think what Durant had used this room for. She didn't have to try hard to imagine. She only had to grope her own memories. She was sure the girls who made it into Durant's videos had also all seen the inside of this room.
Nausea rose, and she rubbed her stomach. "You, little one, will never be treated like property." She whispered the words like a vow. She would see to it or die trying.
She'd been banished to this awful room after they'd returned with Eric Nolan. Banished to wait where she was safe.
She didn't even have Mateo to blame it on. This was all Carlos's doing. Mateo was outside the cabin where Kelsey was hiding, which they only knew about because of her.
She'd expected to hear something coming from the basement, but either this place was more soundproofed than it looked or Carlos had chosen not to hurt Eric. Vanessa wished she knew his plan. Then perhaps she could help, could offer some insights.
Of course, banished to the bedroom, she could do nothing.
She couldn't stand it any longer. She crept to the door, turned the knob. Unlocked, because Carlos knew she would do what he'd told her to do. And she would. Normally, she would. But her entire life hinged on what happened tonight. If she couldn't prove herself helpful, how would Carlos ever come to depend on her, ever make her an equal partner? And now that Kelsey was coming, Vanessa needed to prove her worth more than ever.
Because what if Carlos decided he didn't need her anymore. What if he replaced her with Kelsey, sent her down to live with the girls?
She thought of that place, the tiny locked closets for the girls still being broken, the odors and screams. The dorm where the compliant girls slept. The filth and drugs and despair. She couldn't go back there. She wouldn't.
She had to stay with Carlos. She had to prove her worth. She would find a way. She just needed more information.
She turned the knob and stepped into the dark hallway to listen.