Neil White 3 Book Bundle. Neil White

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       Chapter Forty-Six

      John was outside the old man’s room. There were screams and sobs from upstairs, the sounds of Henry with Dawn, and people digging outside. Arni was on the telephone, and he heard what he said about the girl they had brought back with them, that her name was Donia.

      He pushed at the door so that it swung open gently. The old man didn’t look up, but the girl did.

      Donia was fastened to a metal strut on the bedstead, a chain wrapped around her wrist and made tight with a padlock. As John went over to her, she shrank back, her feet pushing against the floor, as if that would somehow help.

      ‘What are you going to do to me?’ she said, the words coming out as a wail.

      ‘I don’t think anyone knows yet,’ he said.

      Her breaths came in gulps. She tried to speak in a whisper. ‘Why don’t you let me go? I won’t tell anyone, I promise. I just want to go home.’

      ‘Henry has brought you here for a reason. I can’t stop that.’

      The old man moaned, but John ignored it. He had learned to do that.

      John knelt down to her level. ‘Just be patient, Donia. It will be all right.’

      ‘I haven’t done anything wrong to you,’ she said. ‘You can’t let them keep me. I’m scared. Let me go.’

      John shook his head. ‘I can’t do that. I have to wait for Henry.’

      There were footsteps behind him, and when he looked round, it was Gemma and Lucy.

      ‘Have you taken a fancy to her, John?’ Lucy said, laughing.

      ‘No, no,’ he said, looking at Gemma, flustered, suddenly embarrassed, standing up straight. ‘It’s not like that.’

      Lucy went towards Donia and stroked her hair. ‘Why not? She’s a pretty girl.’

      Donia pulled her head away, but Lucy grabbed her hair more tightly, making Donia cry out in pain.

      ‘He’s saving himself for you,’ Lucy said to Gemma, mocking him. ‘Isn’t that right, John?’

      He didn’t answer. Instead, he just blushed and looked down.

      Lucy gripped the collar of Donia’s jumper and pulled it back, making Donia’s chest jut out, Donia gasping.

      ‘She is very pretty though, John, don’t you think?’ Lucy said, and reached down with her other hand and pulled up the bottom of Donia’s jumper, exposing her stomach and her bra.

      ‘Do you like her now, John?’ Lucy said, her voice softer now, but it was pretence, because she was enjoying herself too much, a malevolent gleam in her eyes.

      John didn’t respond. Lucy had a close bond with Henry, and so he didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

      ‘Why don’t you party with her, like Henry is with Dawn?’ Lucy continued, pouting. ‘Gemma won’t mind.’

      ‘No, it’s not that,’ John said quietly, and then stopped himself from going any further. Don’t form bonds, that was the rule – because couples become apart from the group and start to look after themselves.

      Lucy yanked Donia’s jumper again, exposing her chest, small beads of sweat running down to the lace of her bra. ‘Final decision?’ she said, laughing. ‘If you don’t, I might.’

      There was a loud bang and they all jumped. As John looked round, he saw Arni there. He had hit the doorframe with his cane.

      ‘Leave her for now,’ he said.

      Lucy let go of Donia’s jumper, and she slumped back towards the floor, her head hanging down.

      ‘If that’s how you want it?’ she said.

      Arni nodded. ‘That’s how I want it.’

      John followed Gemma and Lucy out of the room, not acknowledging Arni as they went past, who was staring at the captive girl.

      As they went back into the hall, Arni didn’t shift his gaze away from Donia, and when he finally turned away, there was a smile on his face.

      He was keeping Donia for himself.