Primary Valor by Jack Mars (booksvooks TXT) 📗

Number 21 loves her master, and wants toplease him. Number 21 has no other purpose.

Darwin was an avid student of manytopics, including human psychology. He had used this technique again and again.It was fascinating to him how well it worked.

“They keep me in a dark room,” thegirl said now.

See? She had already hit a brickwall with the name, so now she moved on. Look how quickly it happened! Textbook.That was a good sign.

“The window is blacked out. There’sno light. I have to knock when I want to use the bathroom. Then these men comewith guns and walk me to the bathroom. I’m so afraid, the way they look at me. I’veseen some other girls, but they aren’t friendly. They don’t even speak to me. Thewoman, Elaine, hits me with a stick for no reason.”

Darwin ignored her new complaints.It was important not to validate complaints, or even acknowledge them. She hadno right to complain. She had no right to her own being. Anyway, what the girlthought of as unpleasant was actually for her own good. It was the start of hertraining.

That was life in the Tombs. TheTombs were on the first floor, in a part of the house shaded by denseoverhanging trees. It was down near the laundry room. That area hadn’t beenrenovated, by design. The windows in the rooms were blacked out. The onebathroom was a disgrace. The girls down there had no freedom of movement. Itsoftened them up quickly, living in the Tombs.

Instead of fielding complaints,Darwin got right to the most important question.

“Have the men touched you at all?”

His orders were that no one touchedthe goods. Of course no one ever would, unless he said so. The thought ofdisobeying Darwin’s orders… Ha! A breath of air, almost like a laugh, escapedhim at the thought of it. He lent the girls to some of his important visitors,at times, but the help? It would never happen. If he heard of such a thing,everyone involved would die.

“No,” she said. “None of them havetouched me.”

Darwin nodded. “That’s good. Unfortunately,we are in a high-security situation, and we need the gunmen here to keep us allsafe. But you say your stay hasn’t been that great so far?”

“It’s been awful. I want to gohome.”

“Well, you might as well get overthe idea of going anywhere else. You’re already home.”

She closed her eyes and began toweep again. She was silent, her body shaking.

“I want you to be happy here, 21. Letme ask you a question. Do you want to get out of your dark room and move to abetter one? Maybe even one up here on this floor, with an ocean view? Plenty ofsunlight, fresh air. Look around. It’s lovely up here. It’s perfect.”

She opened her eyes. She gave hima sideways look. She didn’t trust him, of course. But he was dangling somethingdesirable in front of her, and she was already learning how to navigate her newworld. He liked fast learners.

“Look around,” he said again.

She glanced around the room. Hermovements were furtive, like a mouse would make. In her emotional state, sheprobably couldn’t soak in the extent of the opulence, the totality of it. Butshe could compare it to the room she stayed in now.

“Is it better?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you want to live up here?”

She hesitated.

“What do I have to do?”

He shrugged. “Simple enough. Youtake a vow to me. You become my consort, my servant, and in a sense, you becomemy slave.”

He raised a hand. “Don’t get stuckon that word. It doesn’t mean what you might think. It’s a good thing. Thegirls here, all of them are my slaves. And they enjoy it. You’ll see. It comeswith benefits. The first of which is you live in paradise. After a littlewhile, when we build trust with each other, you become free to roam thegrounds. The pool, the gym, the library, everything is open to you. It isunbelievable here, and I want you to enjoy it all. But the choice is up to you.No one has to become my slave.”

“And if I don’t?”

Darwin shrugged. He sighed. “Well,if you don’t want to, then you can go back to your room. But I can’t guaranteeyour protection down there. Some of these guards…”

He shook his head. “You know,these men are Hondurans, and there has been a lot of unrest in Honduras. A longcivil war, rebels, drug cartels, massacres, you name it.  It’s turned some ofthese men we hire into savages. Nothing can be done about that, I’m afraid. It’sjust all the murder and death. People lose their sense of humanity. They’reliable to do anything. They see a pretty young girl, living in the dark, allalone, unprotected…”

He shook his head again. Hewatched the calculations going on behind the girl’s eyes. He had presented herwith a new problem. Not only was it dark and dreary in the Tombs, it was alsodangerous. It was a basic math problem, very simple, and he didn’t have to waitlong for the answer.

“I want to stay up here,” shesaid.

He paused. “Okay. Good. For now,you’re going to stay where you are downstairs. You have to earn your way uphere. But in the days ahead, you’ll get the chance to do just that. Just focuson it. Focus on the opportunities that come your way.”

Her disappointment was written allover her face. Disappointment was a mild word for it. It was heartbreak. It wasdespair. It was terror. All of those words and more, wrapped into one. Already,she would do almost anything not to go back to the darkness. But she had towait.

“Can you do that for me? Can youfocus on the opportunities that come your way, and grab them when you get thechance?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“I demand complete obedience,” hesaid. “That’s what will get you out of your dark room. Can you give me thatgift? The gift of obedience? Doing what I say, when I say it, without question?”

“Yes,” she said, barely more thana whisper.

“That makes me very happy.”

Darwin felt his grin go nearly earto ear. The promise of complete obedience—it was music, sweet music. Of course,it was a hard promise to keep, but he