Alexei said in heavily accented English. “Off. Now.” Quinn glanced around the tiled room, which was like a crappier version of his high school gym locker room. Besides him and Mara, three of the other women had been transported to this place via a van with blacked-out windows. All of the women were exhausted, beaten down, but not one of them moved. They all looked toward him, as if he had all the answers. He lifted his still-cuffed hands. “Handcuffs,” he said, mocking Alexei’s accent. “Off. Now.” Alexei just grunted in response and walked over to a hose coiled up on the wall. Well, it had been worth a shot. Now that his body wasn’t contorted, he could theoretically break out of the cuffs, but he wanted to save that little party trick until he really needed it. Until then, he’d have to live with them on. He gazed over at the women and nodded. “Do what they say.”
