As we went inside, I saw a hot spring pool. Beside the pool, there were many transparent glass-made cubicles with nude women being locked inside.
“What are they doing?” I felt uneasy at the sight.
“Getting cleaned,” Danny replied two words and spoke no more.
The women were fully conscious, so when they saw people coming, most of them would crouch in the corner.
Nonetheless, there were also some women who were bold enough to show their curvy figures to us and winked at Danny.
Their action was understandable. If they could get into his favor, at least they might have a chance to escape from here.
However, Danny was completely uninterested in them. He did not even give them a look and headed straight to the next hot spring pool at the other side.
“Scarlett!” Before I found any of my friends, I heard someone calling my name.
Turning towards the voice, it was them. I was shocked to see that their long hair had been cut off and they were now locked inside one of the cubicles.
The clothes were gone as well. They turned towards me in unison with their eyes brimming with tears. “Scarlett, please help us to get out of here.”
Looking at them, I wanted to go near them to check if they were alright, but I was stopped by Danny.
So, I could only talk to them across the hot spring. “I’ll find a way. Don’t worry.”
Nora stood behind the glass wall and looked at me with her red-rimmed eyes. “Scarlett, if I die, can you go to my hometown and find my mom there? Please don’t tell her that I’m dead. If she asks, just tell her that I’ve gone somewhere far away, so I won’t be back in a while.”
Tears pricked my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.
Later, Tabitha and Laurel conveyed similar messages as well. On the other hand, Tessa seemed to be reciting philosophical quotes under her breath again.
I wanted to reassure them that they would be alright, but I could not bring myself to make false promises.
Hence, I said, “ Take care of yourselves. I-I’ll figure out a way to save all of you.”
“Ms. Stovall, I’m afraid you’re overconfident.” All of a sudden, Dante’s voice came from behind.
He was gone a while ago and now he reappeared with a few brawny men. Looking at me, he said, “You should take care of yourself first, Ms. Stovall. Even though Mr. Abe is wary of the Murphys, it doesn’t mean that he is afraid of them. Therefore, if you don’t behave yourself, Mr. Abe might send you into the cubicle as well.”
Then, he turned to the men behind him and said something to them, pointing at Nora and the others. My eyes widened in shock and I shouted at him, “What are you doing?”
He glanced at me and scoffed. “Did you think Mr. Abe send you here for sightseeing?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, scowling at him.
He snickered. “Although I can’t hurt you now, I guess I can still make you suffer by letting you watch your friends get hurt. After all, you care a lot about your friends here. Am I right?”
My face turned pale instantly when I saw those men walking towards the cubicle.
Holding onto Dante’s sleeve, I pleaded, “Please don’t hurt them, I beg you. They didn’t do anything wrong. They…”
He sneered, “Donna took care of you for several days, but she still got punished because you were the one who was late. Don’t you think that she is innocent, too?”
Just then, I realized the woman who was on the stretcher just now was Donna.
I was rendered speechless, but I began to panic when I saw the men getting nearer to my friends. “Mr. Dante, I’m sorry. It was my fault. Please don’t hurt them. I…”
“You want to take their place?” he cut me off and smiled sinisterly.
I shook my head instinctively.
He cackled. “Ms. Stovall, you can only be a saint when you’re unharmed. But when it’s you who are targeted, you hesitate right away. This, Ms. Stovall, is human nature.”
Blood drained from my face, and I had no idea what to say because what he said was true.
But I did not want them to suffer.
I racked my brain for words to protect them. “Mr. Dante, only one of your friends was hurt. But you’re going to hurt four of my friends now. Isn’t that unfair?”
He thought for a while and arched his eyebrow. “So you’re saying that you want to choose one of them to receive the punishment?”
I could not reply to his suggestion and I certainly did not dare to look at Nora and the others.
When he saw my reaction, he laughed hysterically. “You know what, Ms. Stovall? That works, too. You are going to choose one of your friends, so it’s going to be fair.”
I remained silent.
Seeing that I refused to answer, he spoke, “It seems like you want all of your friends to be punished.”
“No!” I exclaimed. My heart raced.
“Then, choose one!”
Nora and the others went quiet and looked at me incredulously. Their gaze tore my heart out.
I did not dare to look at them or face them.
