Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Mama raised an eyebrow at me. “Which were?”
“First, I’m not old enough to drink and had never drunk before. I thought I was prepared but I grossly underestimated the atmosphere. The first time, in a bar, by myself, was not the place to experiment with alcohol, but I liked the guy and wanted to fit in. My second mistake was also because I’m not old enough to drink and I had to rely on someone else to purchase my drinks. Which meant accepting something intentionally mind-altering from a man I didn’t know, that I couldn’t verify hadn’t been laced with something.”
She stared at me for several seconds before I spoke. “That’s a bunch of lessons.”
I huffed out a breath. “You know what I mean!”
“Of course, I do. So he did drug you.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You… don’t know?”
“We were at that bar for hours. He kept ordering me drinks and I kept accepting them. We laughed and flirted. I’d indicated I’d be interested in sex, but he hadn’t taken the step to take me outside. Probably because I was nowhere near drunk.
“After a while, he got agitated. I thought he was mad at me and told him I thought it was best if I leave, but he smiled and said he’d had a stressful day at work. He did a double shot of whisky and soon after was back to his charming self. Anytime I thought he was going to lose his temper, he’d take another drink.
“I caught him stirring my drink with his finger once. He said they’d shorted me on the alcohol, and he’d topped my glass off with some of his and was mixing it so it would blend properly. Again, I should have been suspicious, but I was having fun. It was the first time I’d ever been to something like that party and I wanted to experience all the moment had to offer.”
“You’re too reckless with your own life, sweetheart. You need someone to have your back.” Mama sat on the edge of my bed and took my hand in hers. “What happened then?”
“We just… kept drinking. He was matching me drink for drink after a while. After he’d touched my drink before, I watched him closely. I knew I wasn’t going to get drunk, judging by the fact this guy was about to fall off the barstool and I was starting to seriously believe I’d been drinking the foulest tasting water known to man. Because I’ve decided I’m seriously not a fan of whisky. It burns. And I still wasn’t drunk.”
“I think I see what you mean. You said this was the night they took you. How did they get you out of that bar and to their compound?”
“Three more guys approached us after that. I got up to pretend to go to the bathroom so I could bolt, but two of the men dragged the first guy off while the biggest of the three clamped a hand over my mouth and pulled me around the corner of the bar and out the back, then one of them hit me in the head and knocked me silly long enough to get me inside their van.
“They shot me up with more drugs in the back of a van on the way to the place Gunnar found me. I kept fighting and they kept shooting me up. It took them five tries before I was finally incapacitated. I heard them complain while they held me in that place how keeping me drugged was going to seriously eat into their profits if they had to hold on to me long.”
Mama looked equal parts pissed as shit and slightly amused. “Impressive. Did they keep you drugged the whole time you were there?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think they could have. Every time they drugged me, the more it took to put me under. At some point, I’m sure I’m going to withdraw from whatever they gave me. At least, I guess that’s how it works. I don’t feel the need to have more, and I’m really glad the fog is lifting. The conversation with you helped to brush back some cobwebs.”
“Good. Now. Let’s see if we can get the worst of the grime off you before putting clean clothes on.” She had a basin of warm, soapy water and a couple of washcloths. She took one and I took the other. I worked on my front while Mama was behind me working on my back. She let me do what I could, but I was still really weak, and in the end she had to help me finish. Once done, she brought me some soft cotton shorts and a T-shirt, along with an unopened pack of underwear. “Let’s get you dressed, then we can check on the boys before they start World War Three in my lobby.”