Dark Moon Read Online Free PDF Page B

raised her chin. “There’s only one exit to this salon. Wait at the door.”
    There was a moment when Karen wasn’t sure who would win out, the big man or the petite woman. Finally the man shrugged. When he and his companion exited the room, the two attendants exchanged glances.
    “Which of us is going to stay with her?” Allison asked.
    Anna shrugged. “It’s all the same to me.”
    “Then you do it. I want to take off my polish and redo my nails.”
    “Fine.”
    The blond stepped into another room, and the Asian woman held out her arm. “Come with me.”
    Karen’s mind was spinning. The guard had said, “Mr. Del Conte.” A couple of times, she’d been in the office and heard her father mention that name with either a snarl or a sneer in his voice. He was a business rival, she thought. Someone Daddy detested.
    Was he the man who had spoken to her earlier? When she was in that cage. She shuddered.
    Anna interrupted her thoughts.
    “The master wants you to look your best.”
    “The . . . the master? That’s Mr. Del Conte?”
    “Yes,” Anna answered.
    “What does he want from me?
    “He doesn’t confide in me. I just manage the salon. And you are not here to ask me questions,” the woman said sternly.
    “We’re on a ship, right?”
    ‘Yes.”
    Before she could get any more information, Anna said, “Come. We have limited time, and I will be punished if I do not complete my assignment. ”
    Karen glanced back toward the door. The two men were out there. She might knock out this woman, but then what? Allison would probably come running.
    Maybe Anna saw the expression on Karen’s face because she fixed her with a steely look. “No,” she mouthed.
    Karen answered with a small nod. It looked like her only option was to cooperate for now—and hope she could escape later.
    Anna led her down a short hall to a large, marble bathroom with a shower.
    “I’m sure you’d like to clean up,” she said.
    “Yes. Thank you.”
    “You will have ten minutes to shower and wash your hair.”
    Anna leaned into the shower and turned on the water, then stepped toward the door.
    “Get undressed. Throw your ruined clothes in the trash. Then take your shower. When the timer rings, get out and dry yourself. I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
    Karen quickly took off her wrinkled clothing and stuffed it in the trash receptacle, feeling self-conscious. Someone could be watching her on a hidden camera, but there was nothing she could do about that. Anxious to get clean, she stepped into the shower.
    It was wonderful to stand under the hot spray. As the water poured out of the shower head, she raised her face and closed her eyes, grateful to be alone for a few minutes.
    Or was she?
    A low grating voice made her jump. “No matter what you hear, don’t turn around. Keep on with what you’re doing. Some of us are preparing to escape. Maybe we can help you.”
    Karen’s throat clogged. She wanted to turn, but she obeyed directions.
    In a moment, the door closed, and she knew she was alone again.
    Who had spoken? It had been a woman. Most likely Anna or Allison, but she couldn’t be sure which because the voice had been disguised.
    As she washed, she tried to figure it out, but she simply couldn’t.
    At least the hot water helped ease some of her tension, and when she opened a bottle of shampoo, grapefruit scent wafted toward her.
    She longed to stay in here for hours, washing off the fear and humiliation of the past few hours, but she had no doubt that she must conform to the time constraint.
    Quickly she washed her hair and applied cream rinse. She was almost finished when the timer rang. With a shudder, she stepped out, turned off the water, then dried herself with a fluffy towel, tucking it around her body as Anna came back.
    “Come on. This way.”
    Taking a chance, Karen asked, “Did you speak to me in the shower?”
    “Certainly not!” She pointed to another doorway, and Karen saw a treatment room beyond. In it