They passed open doors, and there was no attempt at discretion. In one room, a woman lay naked and suspended, wrists and ankles bound, her body stretched into an arch that looked cruel. A man sat before her, a canvas propped on an easel. He painted as if she were a landscape. As if her breathing body were still life.
Behind closed doors came sounds she couldn't quite separate. Screams threaded with moans, pleasure tangled with pain so tightly they were indistinguishable. Vee pulled her coat tighter around herself.
Luca walked steadily beside her, his presence solid, dangerous. Every few steps, someone glanced his way and quickly looked elsewhere.
They stopped before a heavy door. A simple sign screwed into the surface.
BASTARDI.
"Wait here," Luca said.
The door closed behind him.
And suddenly, Vee was alone.
The absence of him was startling. She wrapped her arms around herself, her heart thudding too fast, her thoughts spiraling.
This is what would have happened to you.
