1
Footsteps echoed in the darkness. Faint at first, then louder.
Her breath stalled in her chest. Was he coming back? Yes! Oh, God, he was coming back. A scream rushed to the back of her throat. The tape on her mouth imprisoned the sound.
She struggled to loosen her bindings. The ropes or bands cut into her skin. Her wrists burned. She couldn’t get loose! Couldn’t reach up to tear away the blindfold.
The devil was here . . .
Oh, God!
Wait. Wait. Wait.
Be still. Her body trembled.Be still!If she didn’t move, maybe he would think she was already dead.
Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t move.
A sob ripped at her chest.Please, please don’t hurt me.
She could hear him coming closer.
Closer.
She’d gone to church every Sunday of her life. Why hadn’t she listened better? Maybe then she would know what to do ... how to save herself.
A kick to her side made her gag. She tried to cough. The restraining tape stung her lips. Instinct curled her forward into a protective ball, her face pressed against her knees.
Don’t move. God, don’t move. Don’t even breathe.
Be still. Be still. Be still. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.
He crouched next to her, the rasp of fabric grating her ear.
Her heart thumped harder and harder.
His repugnant lips rested against her hair. “I told you I’d come back.” The harsh whisper exploded in her brain.
He’s going to kill me.She whimpered.Shhh.Be quiet. Stay still.
“Don’t worry.” That exotic, lusty voice resonated thick and rough and sickening. “You won’t die today. Maybe tomorrow.”
Her body seized and she trembled, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Don’t move.Don’t move!Her muscles refused to listen. They convulsed and quaked with a will of their own.
His fingers twisted in her hair. Snapped her head back. Those mocking lips grazed her cheek. She cried out, the desperate squeak muffled by the chafing tape.
Rich laughter echoed around her. “Don’t cry. It won’t be long now.”
A sob surged up her throat, died in her mouth. Then another erupted. She tried to choke back the sounds. Couldn’t. Oh, God, she couldn’t keep quiet.
What did it matter? She was going to die. No one was coming to save her. Just like no one came to save Valerie.
What had she done wrong? She’d walked home alone after cheerleading practice dozens of times. She should have listened to her mother:Never walk home alone after dark.
She was stupid. Stupid! Tears streamed down her cheeks ... dampened the place where those full, disgusting lips touched her skin.
“You’ll hardly feel a thing,” he promised softly, sweetly, almost femininely. “When it comes to pain, there’s a certain point where your mind begins to block just how excruciating it really is.”
The hiccuping of her sobs made the repulsive mouth still pressed against her cheek curve with triumph.
