Page 8 of Haze of Obedience
When they unbuckle the belts and drag me out of the car, I barely take in any detail on the large compound. But when Santiago Gómez steps in front of me, the sinister smile on his face makes me freeze.
"Zoe Diego. What a surprise." He takes a step back and scans my body. "You've not been taking care of yourself."
He can give me a hit.
"Please," I whisper. "I need a line." The tears fall as I beg him.
His eyes turn to slits, and he shakes his head as if I disgust him. "That's the difference between your boyfriend and me. He's new to the game. You don't snort what you sell. And you don't take the talent and feed them their vices." He turns to the long-haired man who drove the vehicle. "Detox her and clean her up. Don't bring her back until she's the lady she should be."
Detox? Oh God, no. I need a bump.
"No," I yell as I'm picked up, and Santiago walks away. "Don't do this to me. Please!"
I'm carried room to room, but nothing registers. I sob into the man's shirt, in pain, needing a jolt, and unsure how to get it.
The sound of metal scraping fills my ears. He sets me down on a mattress.
"Meet your new roommate," he growls.
The door slams, and I slowly glance up.
A beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes stands in the corner of the room. She's tall and is wearing an evening gown. Slowly, she approaches me. In a British accent she says, "You're shaking. Are you sick?"
I reach out for her arm. "Please. I need a hit. Can you give me one?"
Her eyes widen. "I'm sorry. I don't have one."
I sob harder, and she puts the blanket over me then rubs my shoulder, but I scream at her to stop. Her hand feels like razors on my skin.
She removes her hand and kneels next to the bed. "Are you Zoe Diego?"
"Whatever is left of her," I mumble.
"I'm Penelope."
I can't reply; my tears are choking me.
"Would a shower help?"
"I...I just need one hit. Just one."
"You have a lot of blood on you. Can I help you shower? Or maybe a bath would be better?"
"So cold," I sniffle and try to wrap the blanket tighter around me.
"Let me run you a hot bath, okay?"
I nod, more tears fall, and I grasp her arm as she gets up. "Please get me a hit."
