Hunter slides the magazine of his Ruger LCR. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 48
SAVANNAH
Wincing at the drumline that has taken up residence in my head, my consciousness swims through the dark fog holding me down. My eyelids are weighed down with exhaustion, but I manage to force them open. A loud clap causes me to grimace.
“Ah, good. You’re awake,” someone says all too loudly.
Finally able to concentrate, I take in the situation. My hands are tied behind my back with coarse rope, and my torso is tied to a chair that creaks when I try to move.
The room I’m trapped in looks like it’s falling apart. The paint is peeling from the walls, dust and dirt lie on every surface, and bars cover the windows. There’s even a hole in the floor on the far side of the room.
A familiar face comes into focus.
Jeremy Milton. John’s lawyer. He’s leaning against the grimy wall, wearing dark clothing and holding a gun in his hand.
Then I recall everything that happened before I passed out. I ran into Slicer when I left the penthouse. Jeremy shot Slicer, then Jeremy took me.
He kidnapped me.
The clarity of understanding settles in my mind.
Jeremy is the copycat.
“What’s going on?” My mouth is dry, making it difficult to speak.
Jeremy snorts. “You can’t be that dumb.”
My retort is sardonic. “I’m not.”
“Good. I’d hate to have underestimated you.” He beams his charming smile in my direction, and a chill races up my spine.
“Why?” I croak.
He frowns, but a playful spark emanates from him. “You mean, why not?”
“No. I meant what I said,” I reply sharply.
It isn’t a good idea to provoke the man with the gun, but if this is how I’m going out, I’m not going to take it lying down.
Jeremy pushes off the wall, stalking toward me. “Feisty. Just how I like them.” He stops right in front of me, leveling the barrel between my eyes. “We’re going to have so much fun together.”
He whirls away and heads for a dark lump of something in the corner. I hear the sound of a zipper, then some rustling.
With his back to me, I take the opportunity to pat my pants, searching for a knife. I always have more than one on me, and I’m mentally crossing my fingers in hopes that he didn’t take them all. I find my slim folding knife in my front right pocket. With my eyes on Jeremy’s back, I squirm and wiggle as quickly and quietly as I can until I have the knife in my hands. The metal is warm from my body heat. As I move my hands behind me, Jeremy gives me his attention again.
He stalks toward me with a few items in his hands. He places them on a small table that I didn’t notice before.
A whip, a can of gas, a lighter, pliers, a hammer, shears, and a box cutter.
Behind my back, I slowly open the blade. I begin a slow, measured up-and-down motion with the knife, cutting through the rope.
This is going to take a while.
Scrutinizing the items, I say, “You’re nothing like John the Baptist.”
“Oh, right.” He changes his voice, so it sounds like he’s giving a sermon, “Damn, you harlot. Repent now. How dare you…” He trails off, laughing manically. “Yeah, I can’t even fake it. I don’t give a shit whether or not you have a virgin pussy.”
