CITI
Shaking iswhat wakes me up. I’m shaking so hard I’m half convinced it’s someone doing it to me until I realize how cold I am. My tongue feels thick and too big for my mouth, and I can taste blood. My whole body feels like a bruise, but it pales in comparison to the thumping in my head. I lift my hand to touch my temple, and my fingers come away damp. I squint my eyes open to see, and even though it’s dark, there’s enough light for me to confirm my suspicions. It’s blood.
A shuffle jolts me upright, and I swallow a scream at the sudden movement. I gaze around, confused as to where the hell I am. A cave of some kind? But that’s ridiculous. Why would I be in a cave?
“I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore,” I mutter as I try to stand.
“Ah, sleeping beauty awakes.”
I jump back at the sound of the overly loud voice and lose my footing. I fall back with a scream, landing on a rock that stabs into my thigh.
“Michael?” I whimper as fleeting memories flit through my mind.
“To you, at least. Sorry about the less-than-stellar accommodations, but we do what we have to do for our loved ones. Isn’t that right, Citi?”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, I imagine you don’t. It’s a shame, really. None of this is personal. You were just a means to an end. In another life, though…Anyhow, I digress. I have places to be, people to see.”
“You’re Lil’s husband? You’re the man chasing her?”
I hear him move before he comes into sight. He walks closer, and I swallow. The sight of him on two legs instead of in his chair brings a new wave of fear to me.
“Well, that’s a tangled web to unweave.”
“She’s dead. They have proof. The dental records are a match for a Jane Doe.”
He backhands me. For once, I’m glad I’m on the ground already, or I’d have gone flying. “She’s alive. I know it.”
I hold my jaw, trying to alleviate the pressure as tears spill over my cheeks. “Then how do you explain it?”
“Tricks. All fucking lies cooked up by your MC to keep my wife from me. You think I don’t know what they’re like? I know everything. They think they’re so fucking clever, but they can’t see the forest for the trees.”
He leans over me, his nose a half inch from mine. “Everything is so easy when you have the right motivation. I came to your house, thinking that scarred motherfucker lived there. Imagine my surprise to find you and your little girl there instead. This was all their fault, you know. They’re the ones who put you in danger. I would have happily left you out of it if they had done the same.”
The acid in my stomach churns as bile rushes up the back of my throat. I swallow it down, trying to keep a clear head. Panicking won’t get me anywhere.
“I should have noticed, of course, the first time I was there. The picture on the fridge, the children’s books on the bookshelf, but I was focused on Kruger and the bullshit he was spilling. When I came back and found you and Star, I was intrigued enough to switch up my plans.” He leans closer, his forehead pressing against mine. “Do you know how easy it would have been to draw my knife across your throat while you slept?”
I shudder but keep my mouth shut, the thundering of my pulse in my ears making me feel lightheaded.
“Instead, I stumbled upon your daughter. Precious little Star. I sat in her room and watched her sleep, and nobody was any wiser. I left before the sun came up and thought about what to do next. Never let it be said I act rashly.” He grins as if this were a conversation about Saturday night football.
“You took Star that night.”
He nods, pleased. “I did. After listening to you, all your hopes and fears for your daughter, I couldn’t help but prey on them a little. You already told me you lived alone, so when I came back I waited for the neanderthal to leave for the night, and walked right in. It took moments to knock Star out and carry her to the truck out front. The anticipation I felt knowing when you woke up and found her gone would have the MC scurrying like ants. Fuck, it was almost enough to make me come.”
He stands back up, I think mostly because he likes lording it over me.
“A little fear is a good motivator. Just ask my sister. It wasn’t hard to force her hand. She’s just pathetic enough to make her compliant. Of course, it helps that she loves her kid. She hated it, of course, but her morals have always been fluid.”
I frown in confusion. He laughs. “Lauren was an addict when she gave birth to Rebecca. I took custody of her. Heck, she’s been with me so long she thinks I’m her dad and Lauren’s her aunt.”
“You blackmailed her. Told her to give me your card—told her just which buttons to push.”
“Blackmail is such a dirty word. She had a choice and she made it. I find kids make the best incentive. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Dillion?”
He steps back and points to the back of the cave. It’s too dark for me to see much of anything, but now that my eyes have adjusted, I can make out the outline of something, or someone, lying on the floor.
