‘But you made tears with no sounds.’ Simon seems curious about it.
‘I wasn’t going to give him that.’ Her voice rasps with anger.
‘He hurt you for it.’
‘You think he needed an excuse?’ Her eyes are open now, but her vision won’t focus.
‘You scratched and bit – how strong you were! You had disadvantages, though. The threat of hurting the other girls made you compliant.’
With a last, violent effort, Emma struggles awake. ‘I nevercomplied. I neverconsented.’
‘No,’ Simon allows, ‘you were forced to submit. But you maintained control. Do you remember our discussion about control? Hold and release – in the face of Huxton’s brutality, you still had the power.’ He moves his head so the light falls on his expression just so. ‘Do you feel shame, Emma? There’s no need. I admired you, for the way you battled and endured.’
‘You fucking shit.’ Heartsick, she stares Simon full in the face. ‘You watched avideotape. Don’t assume that means you know me.’
‘Oh, Emma.’ Simon’s shadow looms in the cell, and when he smiles, his teeth are ivory-sharp. ‘I believe I know the real you better than anybody. And you know the real me. We’redrawntogether, Emma – murderer and victim, predator and prey. We understand each other in ways others can’t.’
Her cheeks feel cold. The sound of cawing magnifies inside her head, a buffeting maelstrom.
Simon pauses, considering. ‘Huxton formed that connection, so I must give him some credit, I suppose. Although his video skills were of the crudest sort. No artistry at all.’
Emma stiffens. Carefully managing her anger when she first arrived, now she hears the leash snap off her rage with a clear, crystalline ring as she steps forward. ‘You son of a bitch.’
‘He did, after all, have a wealth of material to play with.’ Simon grins, his eyes alight as she comes closer. ‘All those interchangeable girls.’
‘Don’t you say that,’ she whispers. She’s shaking, control disintegrated.
‘But your appearance is the highlight, Emma. No wonder Peter is so obsessed …’
‘DON’T YOU SAY THAT!’She takes another unguarded step, her face contorting.‘Don’t you say—’
‘EMMA.’A strong grip on her shoulder, a familiar scent: crisp notes of amber and orange and bergamot. Travis Bell wrenches her backward, holds her firmly, his arm wrapping around her collarbones.
She did not hear him come. His body presses against the length of her back; the warm contact immediately makes her want to cry. Vision swimming, she sees the white aisle marker on the floor, and Simon’s grasping hands, finally realizes how far she strayed over the line. Simon looks at her and grins.
She can’t breathe. There’s fabric against her cheek. Over her shoulder, Travis’s other arm extends as he aims a Smith & Wesson Model 13 revolver at Simon’s forehead.
‘Back off.’The sound of the gun cocking in the stone corridor is loud, and Travis makes the action look very smooth. ‘Right now.’
‘Mr Bell.’ Simon transfers his attention, sneering. ‘What a nice surprise.’
‘Don’t you start.’ Travis’s face is more stone than the granite around them. ‘Don’t you even fucking start with me.’
Simon’s grin is thinner now. ‘I see you’re no longer wearing Daddy’s suits.’
‘They should’ve just shot you on arrest.’ Travis’s lip twists with revulsion before he exerts control, eases Emma closer to his side. ‘Okay, come on, Emma. Come on now, let’s go.’
She’s shaking hard, terror and fury still thumping through her blood. Her limbs feel like they’ve seized up. She hears the quick steps of the station box officer coming their way.
Travis squeezes her, while his eyes stay glued to Simon. ‘Emma, focus. Breathe now. It’s time to go.’
She breathes once, twice, unsteady. Manages to squeeze back at last. The station box officer is calling out. Travis lowers his right arm away, holds the hammer of the revolver with his thumb andreturns it to a safety position. Once the gun is clear, he slides it into the pancake holster under his jacket.
‘Okay, we’re done here.’ He turns them both abruptly and starts walking with Emma back up the long corridor.
After a few steps, her legs are more cooperative. She flinches when Simon’s voice sounds behind them.
‘Goodbye, Emma. See you in November…’
