****
Lexi woke with a piercingheadache and something sticky on the side of her face. She was weak and disoriented, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why.
As she opened her eyes slowly and looked around the unfamiliar room, she began to remember what happened. Part of her wished she hadn’t.
She’d been at the diner. They’d just closed, and she and Joe were finishing the cleanup. Lexi was filling the napkin holders in all the booths while Joe took the trash out back. She remembered walking back into the kitchen and screaming Joe’s name when she saw him lying motionless on the floor.
Lexi had just started toward him when a blinding pain exploded in the side of her head. Now, she was here, in this empty, industrial-looking room. A warehouse. Lexi wasn’t sure how, but she knew she was in some sort of warehouse.
There was a whole section of new ones being remodeled off the highway just a few miles south of the diner. Maybe this was one of those? But she had no idea which one or how she’d gotten here. Even worse was the fact that no one else knew, either.
A tear slid down her cheek, but she ignored it. She had to focus on finding a way to get out of here. Still in a fog, Lexi tried to stand up to go look for him, realizing then she was bound to the wooden chair she was sitting in. Heavy rope kept her wrists and ankles in place.
Panic set in to the point she nearly hyperventilated. Though, it was useless, she worked as hard as she could to get her arms loose. The only thing she managed to accomplish was cutting her wrists to shreds.
She had to get out of here, but how? Even knowing the results would be the same, Lexi’s survival instincts had her fighting against the ropes again. She began to think if she bled enough, she’d be able to slip at least one hand out and get free.
Ignoring the biting pain in her wrists and the throbbing in her head, she spent the next few minutes working on the only plan she could think of. Her blood had begun to drip onto the concrete floor beneath her.
Another thought rolled through her mind. One that left her utterly defeated. She was going to die here. Alone and afraid. The worst part of it all was knowing she’d never see Trevor again.
Trevor. His handsome face flashed through her mind. She thought of last night and the tender, loving way he’d made love to her. Just as he’d done every night since her latest attack.
A hysterical bubble of a laugh escaped before she could stop it. A month ago, her life was boring. Predictable. Then, she met Trevor, and a new and wonderful part of her life began to blossom. Unfortunately, so did an unprecedented amount of danger.See? Fantastically crappy luck.
No. She wasnotgiving up. Lexi had always seen herself as a fighter and damn it, she was going to fight now. Pushing past the pain, she kept on with the ropes, concentrating only on her right hand. If she could get it loose, she could use it to untie her left, then she could free her ankles and get the hell out of here.
The rope had just started to feel a little looser when the metal door to the room slowly opened. The face on the other side was one she’d seen before, but it wasn’t the one she’d been expecting.
Trevor had been certain Rob was the man they’d been after all along. She didn’t think he’d go to such extreme measures, and had told Trevor as much. This was one time she hated being right.
If it had been Rob, she may have been able to talk to him. Get him to come to his senses and let her go. She had no freaking clue who this guy was. Just that he’d been a customer of hers a few times the last couple weeks. For some reason, that terrified her even more.
The man was shorter than Trevor’s six-four frame. If Lexi had to guess, she’d say he was about five-ten, five-eleven. He wore all black, just as he had the night he broke into her house, except he wasn’t wearing the stocking cap.
That couldn’t be good. She’d seen enough crime shows to know if the kidnapper let you see their face, they weren’t likely planning to let you go.
Funny, he didn’t look like what she’d picture a kidnapper to look like. He was actually quite handsome. Gina had even commented on him the first time he came in, and Lexi had actually encouraged her to try to get his number. Thankfully for Gina’s sake, the man had shown no interest.
His hair was a lighter brown, his eyes dark like Trevor’s. He was clean-shaven, and his features were almost perfectly symmetrical, making him appear more attractive than most.
She remained quiet until he smiled slowly. The look in his eyes was one of madness, which only added to the fear threatening to overtake her.
“You’re awake,” he said calmly. “Good. We can get started.”
Trying not to throw up, Lexi stuttered out, “W-who are y-you. W-what d-do you w-want?”
The man laughed. “What do I want? That’s a very good question, Alexis.”
“You’ve been in the diner. That’s how you know my name.” She was proud that her voice came out a little stronger that time.
“Oh, I know a lot about you, Alexis Ranae Hamilton. The only child of Tarrie Ranae Hamilton. You were an aspiring chef until your mother died, and you had to give up that dream.”
Oh, God. She really was going to be sick. “H-how do you know about that?”
“I knoweverything!” Spittle went flying from his mouth as he yelled. “Including the fact that some sins can never be forgiven.”
Lexi’s mind whirled with thoughts and questions. Who was this guy? What did he want with her? Was he some psycho obsessed with her, or was there more to it?
