Chapter Three
Milah was chained to the bed.
It wasn’t her bed either, but Damon’s.
The breakfast maid had entered ten minutes ago and had plumped up her pillows.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
Milah looked at the young woman and didn’t know what to say to her. She felt weak and hated that she was once again at the mercy of Damon De Luca. Last night, she had heard one of the guards talking. She’d been locked away with the rats for three days.
Three days out in the cold with no food or water. She remembered the feel of the rats as they touched her. Their tiny feet digging into her body as they moved. The sharp pain of their teeth.
She had fought them off for the first day. The second was much harder. With no sleep and nothing to keep her strength up, she had fallen.
Weakness was something she couldn’t abide.
She didn’t know if anyone heard her scream for help, or her begs, but it had all fallen on nothing. No one had come.
For a brief moment, she had prayed for death. Wanted it.
Even now, she wanted to sink into her pit of misery at how useless her situation was, but she kept the tears at bay.
“I … I heard that Mr. De Luca dealt with those responsible for hurting you,” the maid said. “They won’t be here anymore.”
“Why?” she asked, finally speaking.
“They’re dead.” The maid nodded at her.
“What’s your name?” Milah asked.
“I’m simply Maid,” she said.
Milah shook her head. “No, it’s not. What is your name?”
“It’s Glory.”
“Hi, Glory,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Milah. Milah Russo.”
Glory took her hand. The other woman’s was nice and warm. “I know who you are.”
“Do you hate me too?” Milah asked.
“I have no reason to hate you.” Glory smiled at her.
“I’m a Russo. A sworn enemy of De Luca. Trust me, you won’t be the first person to hate me because of my last name.”
Glory shrugged. “I guess I’m not like most people. I don’t see the fight you all have.”
“Why are you here?” Milah asked. Maybe if she got one of the maids to like her, that might be her key to getting out of here alive. It was a long shot, but right now, anything would beat being locked up.
The darkness. The rats. The chains. It had all been too much.
She grabbed the cuff that was locked around her wrist. Even this one was too much for her to bear. She struggled to keep her panic from rising.
“I … I … was given a choice.” Glory dropped her head. “I could work here and be protected by Mr. De Luca, or I could sell my body to whoever wanted me, for however long.”
Milah closed her eyes. She knew of the whorehouses. The women who were bought and sold for the profit of men. She hated it.
Staring at Glory, she knew the woman would make a nice living, but she didn’t have what it took. Milah saw that.
She used to hide while her father would have these meetings. Where women would be forced to strip naked and he’d assess them. He would grade them on their beauty, and at times, even their ability to suck cock. Not his own, but a guard’s. It revolted her, but she knew the only way to truly survive was to know what she was up against.
It would seem De Luca was no different than Russo.
“Do you have any family?” Milah asked.