Agitated, he bit out, “Why?”
“I w-was listening to everything you said to Trevor. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through when you had to see those pictures of Li...of your fiancée.” She almost said Lisa’s name again. That hadn’t gone over so well last time, so Lexi was thankful she caught herself.
“And? What’s your point?”
“Well, I was just thinking how much worse it would’ve been had you been forced to watch it all as it was actually happening. She gave him a tiny smile and tried to shrug her shoulder, though it proved difficult with her wrists strapped tightly. “I’m a silver-lining kind of girl.”
He actually let his guard down. “You’re right. That would have been worse.”
For the first time since he’d taken her, Lexi saw a side of him that almost seemed...human. It was gone as quickly as it came. With deadly eyes, he looked back down at her and smiled. “That would have been much, much worse.”
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Lexi to wonder if her plan had actually worked. She didn’t have to wait long for her answer.
He returned with a metal cart holding a computer monitor and keyboard. It looked like a complicated set up...much fancier than the cheap laptop she had at home.
Rolling the wheeled cart into the room, the man stopped at the far wall, angling the monitor so it would fully capture her face. He bent over and clicked at the keyboard for a few seconds, then turned to her and grinned.
“Now, it’s my turn to thank you.”
Confused, Lexi said, “Me? W-why me?”
His smile grew wider. “Soldier Boy will be with you every terrifying minute. He’ll feel your pain as if it were his own. Knowing it’s all happening to you in thatexactmoment and there’s nothing he can do to stop it will be the ultimate payback for what he did to my Lisa.”
Nausea settled in her stomach to the point she almost gagged. Lexi hadn’t thought of it like that. She’d only wanted to share one final moment with him. Be with him one last time, the only way she knew how. The last thing she wanted was to cause him more heartbreak than he’d already been given.
Feeling deflated, Lexi let her head fall back against the wood. She didn’t even notice the throbbing in her head or hand anymore, her fear and adrenaline apparently enough to dull the pain. “If you’re going to kill me”—she whispered—“just do it already.”
“Kill you? Oh, we’re not to that part yet. Your boyfriend hasn’t suffered nearly enough.
Lexi’s face crumbled as more tears escaped, falling down across her temples. God, this must be hell for him. He already blamed himself for what happened to Lisa...he’d never forgive himself for this.What have I done?
Chapter 14
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“Mind if I sit?”
