The Alex King Series, A BATEMAN [good books for high schoolers .TXT] 📗

around her, and she felt vulnerable once more. She heard a knock at the solid oak door, looked around and then pulled the sheet from the bed over herself. The door unlocked, then opened. The door had no lock or handle from inside, and the sound had been like that of a bolt and padlock.

The man looked at her impassively. She had not seen him before. He seemed a little embarrassed. He dropped a pile of clothes on the bed, held out his hand.

“Your toiletries,” he said.

“I might want another wash,” she replied.

“You smell clean now,” he said, but he seemed embarrassed and hastily added, “The soap is strong.”

Caroline looked at the man. She figured he was in his early twenties. He did not look the same as the brute who had touched her, or the two East-Europeans who had driven her here. “I am Caroline,” she said softly. “Thanks for the clothes.”

The man nodded. “I know who you are,” he said. “I am to take your toiletries away,” he repeated.

Caroline reached out to the table, struggling to keep herself covered with the sheet. She picked up the bag and handed it to him. “Here,” she said. She looked him in the eye. She could see there was something there, something less cruel than the rest of her captors. She had been trained to make the most of every situation. She smiled again, “What is your name?”

The man hesitated, then said, “Michael.” He had no real accent, not that Caroline could make out, at least. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Famished!” she exclaimed. “Oh, please, could you get me something to eat and drink?”

He nodded but said nothing more as he backed out of the doorway and closed the door behind him. The bolt slid home with a heavy thud. Ominous, final.

Caroline looked at the clothes. Nothing much, and a little calculated. Plain white cotton underwear more on the skimpy side than Bridget Jones, and a white linen dress. She put them on, pleased that the dress covered her knees and that all were a good fit. She looked out of the window, saw from the position of the sun that she was looking northwest. There was a distant mountain range ahead of her. The terrain looked like farmed pastures, with many knolls and clumps of trees, but otherwise open ground all the way to the mountains. She would guess the mountains were twenty miles away. Any escape on foot in that direction would be a fruitless task. Too much ground to cover, nowhere to hide and besides, what would she do if she reached the mountains? Cold, high and deadly. Not the best terrain for a summer dress and bare feet.

The bedroom windows were barred also. Again, she opened the window and pulled at the bars. They were solid. She left the window open, the cool early summer breeze felt good on her flushed skin after the hot bath.

There was a sharp knock on the door, then the sound of the bolt opening. Michael stood in the open doorway with a tray. Caroline went to walk forward, but he said sharply, “No. Stay there. I will put it on the desk.”

Caroline shrugged, like it was no bother, but she knew that he had been briefed to take no chances with her. She knew that if she were to escape, then it was better attempted in the first few hours of a new location. But she also knew that her stomach was almost touching her spine and she had never felt so hungry, nor had lost weight so quickly. She looked at the tray of food and knew she would never chance escaping until she had eaten. The thought annoyed her, like she was becoming submissive, reliant on her captors, but she was a realist. She hadn’t given up, she just needed to bide her time.

Michael stepped back, and Caroline hustled forwards. She picked up a chunk of bread and bit down. There was a satisfying crunch as she bit through the crust and she chewed quickly, then dipped the bread into a large mug of soup. She took another mouthful, but this time her mouth felt the explosion of flavour from the onion, garlic and beetroot. She knew it was borscht and that narrowed down her location a little. The flavour was overwhelming, and she knew it was only because she had not eaten in so long. There were slices of cold sausage on a tin plate next to the soup and she ate these quickly. She looked at Michael as he made to leave. “Thank you, Michael. It’s much appreciated,” she paused. “Please, stay,” she said, taking a sip of the tepid soup. “I haven’t talked to anybody in such a long time…”

“I am not allowed,” he said. “I have to get more food…”

“Just a minute,” she said. “I’ve been so scared. You look like a kind person, Michael. I can tell that. You look a bit like my brother,” she said. “I miss him terribly. He’ll be so worried about me…”

The young man looked at his watch. It was a cheap, plastic digital model. He wore gold rings on his fingers and was fiddling with one subconsciously. “I can’t,” he said.

“Where am I?” she asked. “I was travelling for hours, days even.”

Michael shrugged. “I can’t tell you,” he said. “Now, I must go and get food for the others…”

“Others?”

“I can’t tell you!” he snapped. The change in his expression shocked her, and he could see this, and his face softened. “Now, I must go,” he said.

Caroline looked sadly at him. “Okay,” she said. “But promise me you’ll come and see me when you’re done. You could bring more food,” she smiled.

The young man nodded, and Caroline caught him staring at her legs as she tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into