Jesus. He was losing his grip on reality and once he did, there would be no way of reconnecting with the decent person inside. And there was a scared little boy begging for someone to love him.
Not that I gave a damn.
“Where is the other girl? The attorney? What did you do with her?”
He laughed as if it was all one big joke. “Not far away. She’s not as special as you are but I picked her out in honor of you. An attorney. Just like you. “
“Why did you kill the other girl? Why?”
His huff drove a stake into me. “To get your attention. You ignored me. You didn’t care. You changed your fucking number! How dare you do that.”
“I’d like to see the other girl.” I had to try to keep him calm.
My statement confused him. “Maybe if you’re a good girl I’ll go get her.”
“Is she far?”
The faraway look in his eyes returned. “No. Not far. She’s safe from the elements.”
She was either in another building or… Wait. His car. I’d heard something in the trunk. I was certain of it. I sucked in my breath, trying to control my breathing. I had to keep fighting to get away.
“What about your brother. Why would you hurt him?”
I was certain my question would infuriate him. Instead, he turned away, leaving only his silhouette that I could see clearly in the blinding light. Tears were slipping down his cheeks.
“It’s better this way. Samuel is special. So fragile. He wanted to be with me every day. He wanted to be me. Then he killed that girl and… He did it for me.”
“What girl?”
“She was blonde. Not like the others. Not like you. He brought her to me. A gift, he told me. Then he…” Even with the machete in his hands, he fisted his face, groaning from the memory. “I tried to protect him. I did everything in my power. He was special. He didn’t deserve to suffer. Don’t you see? Don’t you?”
I continued scraping the rope, realizing that he was near the end of his. Things were about to spiral out of control. The rain had picked up in intensity, the sound masking some noise inside. I used it to my advantage while trying to keep him from knowing what I was doing.
“Don’t you?” With two long strides, he was in my face, his features contorted.
My God. All the girls who’d been held captive with me had dark hair. Except for one. Lily. That’s why he’d left that night so long ago. That’s why I’d survived. That’s why he was reliving the moment. Because his brother had interrupted him.
“I told him that I’d keep him safe and he fucked it up. They were going to find him. They were going to hurt him. Just like my parents. Just like…”
The moment he shoved the edge of the machete against my neck, a flash of my life rolled in front of my eyes. Where before there’d been tears in his eyes, he now wore the same grin he’d used. When he leaned in, the scent of bourbon mixed with the woodsy fragrance of his aftershave. A far cry different than so many years before.
Yet everything was the same.
“Don’t do this. Please don’t do this.” My voice was small, but I tried to maintain eye contact. He was enjoying himself, carefullyshifting the tip of the blade along the side of my neck, trailing his actions with his heated gaze.
“Do you know why I never touched you? Because you were so special. You were going to be all mine.” His features softened, his eyes indicating confusion once again.
He backed away but only after slitting the bottom of my dress. Then his features hardened and he lost control, swinging the machete back and forth.
“He doesn’t care about you like I do. But I underestimated him. And you. Why the hell did you look for him? Why? Why? Why?”
There was no time to waste, his rage overpowering all sense of rationality.
My arms ached from exhaustion and the awkward angle. I gritted my teeth, using the last of my strength while twisting my wrists.
The rope snapped and I didn’t hesitate, pitching myself toward him. Steven was shocked by the movement, and the moment I body slammed him, he dropped the machete, stumbling backwards and over something on the floor.
Down he went, hard enough I could tell the air was knocked from his chest. Gasping, I pressed my hand across my mouth, almost tripping on piece of lumber. Grabbing a board, the moment he moved I smashed it across his face, knocking the light askew as I did.
