“Yes. Come here and sit down. Let me take a closer look at that eye.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He sits down and I put the bag of beans back on his eye. “Hold that there.” He lets out a moan both of pleasure and pain. That moan takes me back to the motel. I start touching his hair, still damp from the shower. My other hand is caressing his wet skin, but this time it’s not sweat. I look at his mouth.
I wanna kiss him. Badly.
He feels I’m getting closer and looks back at me.
I get closer and closer to those lips, slowly and steadily. He closes the gap quickly and kisses me, hard and sloppy. The bag of beans drops to the ground. He lays back and looks at me; his eyes are trying to tell me something I can’t quite get. He notices that.
“Sarah… I need to te—”
RIIING, RIIING.
Bruno’s cellphone is ringing.Again.
The screen reads “Carter.”Again.
He interrupts us.Again.
Bruno picks up.
“Do you have like a ‘cock-block’ app on that cell of yours? If you say ‘yes,’ I’ll believe you,” he says while still caressing my back. I can barely hear a voice on the other side, but I don’t need to hear what it says. Bruno’s smirk fades and is replaced by his game face. He stands up and runs to the kitchen without saying a word.
I’m right behind him.
Chapter Thirty-One
Greetings, Professor.
Bruno
Do you have a like a ‘cock-block’ app on that cell of yours? If you say ‘yes,’ I’ll believe you.”
“Greetings… Professor,” Asad’s voice coming through the speaker feels like a poisonous knife stabbing my eardrum.
Goddammit, Carter.
I utter no words. I walk away from Sarah, leaving her in the living room. I’m on my way to the kitchen. I open my laptop and start a trace on the call.
“There’s no need for you to trace this call, I’m going to give you the address… That’s why I called ahead instead of sending you his head,” he says calmly. Just like his father, trying to get under my skin. It didn’t work before, but this time he has leverage on me.
And it’s working.
“Where the fuck is Carter and what have you done with him!? I swear to God—”
“Relax, Professor. He’s with me… let’s say he’s ‘okay,’ for now. Not a very talkative guy, but little by little he will start talking. Somebody once told me ‘everybody breaks, you just have to poke the sticks where it hurts the most.’ Oh, that’s right, it was you who said that.” He chuckles; his weird, childish, twisted tone is getting the best of me. This is not the shy kid I once met; no, I’m clearly dealing with a deranged man. And to make matters worse, he has Carter with him.
“Just let him go, it’s me you want. You wanna kill me? I’ll give you your chance, just let him be.” I just noticed Sarah’s beside me. She reaches out and grabs my arm. Some tears are running slowly down her face.
“Oh, come now, Professor. There’s no need to be this dramatic over a simple phone call. I just wanted to have a good tea party. I’ll be more than happy to be your host.”
“Just name a place and a time, I’ll be there.”
“Fantastic! Oh… please extend this invitation to your… whore.”
“NO! She’s not a part of this, neither is Carter. Leave them out of this.”
