Despite the fact that we’re in the open, Dmitry presses a kiss to my spine and then pulls my pants up. I let him, desperate for any kind of closeness, for any brush of contact between us.
Too soon, however, he hands me over to the Tiger, and I’m taken away from him and back to the shipping container.
It takes me hours to fall asleep after my encounter with Courtney and the Tiger, so when my alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., I hit the snooze.
Breakfast is always the same, anyway. Some variation of oatmeal and pastries cooked from prepackaged mixes. Nothing Jake and the other cooks can’t handle for a bit while I try to feel less dead.
When I do finally make it down to the kitchen, the normal hum of conversation has been replaced by silence. Everyone is going quietly about their work, and no o
