Leah descends the stairs fifteen minutes later.
Emma is a champ at hiding what she’s feeling. She’ll be unbeatable when she’s fighting bosses at a bargaining table. Keeping my face blank is not a skill I ever learned. The gears connected to my facial muscles are inextricably linked to my thoughts.
We talked about this in hushed whispers—about how I know exactly who the person taking that video of Ripley is and, most importantly, about how we need a plan.
Leah carries two small eight-ounce water bottles.
“Stay where you are.” Her eyes flit between us. “There’s a camera in that corner.”
She motions to the backmost corner of the basement. I don’t see anything that could be a camera. There’s nothing but the smoke-stained ceiling panels and the white cinder-block walls. The basement itself is empty but for the three of us.
“If you try anything they’ll know. Understand?”
I nod, though I’m not sure they would. Emma is frowning at where Leah pointed.
Leah stands in the middle of the room, out of reach. She tosses us each a bottle of water.
When we don’t move to pick them up, Leah sneers. “Well?”
“I’m not thirsty.”
“Me neither,” Emma says, stone-faced.
“Being contradictory isn’t a personality trait, you know. It’s just annoying, and it makes you kind of a bitch.” Leah takes her phone out of her back pocket and waves it at us. “We’re trying to be nice. One call and your dog’s dead, and if that doesn’t work a dozen people are going to hold you down andmakeyou drink it.”
Emma and I look at each other across the room. The fact that she has to call means that if there is a camera, it doesn’t have sound.
Emma drinks first. She makes a face. Leah watches her until she finishes the bottle. I consider the water, then take a sip.
It’s vaguely salty. No idea what that means. Probably something bad.
I ask, “How’s Greg?”
“Better than the sheriff. Keep drinking.”
Another sip. Saliva floods my mouth and my stomach gurgles. I take a slow breath.
“It’d take a lot to be worse off than that guy. Hope he didn’t want an open casket.”
“You know he had a wife? Akid.”
“And yet he still decided to be evil. That’s on him. I havea mom, friends, a dog.Youkidnapped me.You’rethe bad guy in this situation. Fuckin’ duh.”
Leah smirks.
“What’s so funny?”
“No, you don’t.”
“I don’twhat?”
“No. You. Don’t.” She puts her hands on her thighs, leans down like she’s talking to a child. “You don’t—”
“Shut up,” Emma says. Before she drew Leah’s attention off of me and onto her, she managed to creep almost to the end of her chain.
“I said stay by the wall.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Emma’s blank mask is gone, and in its place is panic. “Leave her alone.”
