Page 12 of Traces of Kara

His hand stopped midair. “Shut up. That’s them talking, not you.”

Kara rolled her lips in tight to keep from speaking. If she was going to come out of this alive, she needed to stay focused. Step one, get out of the bindings. Step two, find the exit. Step three, run. Oh, God, please don’t kill me.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Marissa, but…they brainwashed you, don’t you see that? All these years we’ve been apart.” He shook his head from side to side. The box cutter shook in his hands.

“Please don’t kill me. Please,” she begged. Kara looked down at the thin cuts on her wrists, feeling the slits pulsate with stinging pain.

He gripped the box cutter so hard his knuckles turned white. He grit his teeth. “Goddamned Social Services. Don’t you remember the way we used to be?”

“Please,” she whispered.

“What have they done to you?” He grabbed her bound hands and brought the blade down toward her wrists.

“Please,” she cried. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She pulled her wrists back toward her chest, but his grip was too tight. She trembled so badly her teeth chattered. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, expecting the sharp slit of her wrists, the burn of death slowly taking her.

A quick tug on her wrists and the duct tape fell away.

Kara opened her eyes. A loud cry escaped her lips, coupled with nervous, relieved laughter. She quickly covered her mouth.

Her captor remained crouched before her, the blade between his thumb and forefinger.

Kara looked at the angry red scratches on his hands and swallowed hard. She tried to speak, her voice merely a whisper. “Thank you.”

Something scurried in the darkness. Kara’s eyes shot in the direction of the sound, which faded away as fast as it had come. The door.

The man stood. He gave Kara a long, hard look, then walked toward the noise.

Kara’s mind raced. Her legs were still bound. Should she tear that tape off as he walked away? Should she scream? She wiped the tears from her eyes and reached for the tape. The pads of her fingers touched the shiny silver edge.

He turned back toward her.

She quickly brought her hands to her ankles and rubbed them. “My legs ache. I really need to pee.”

The man stood up straighter, rubbed the back of his neck. “Just tell me one thing, Marissa. How’d they keep you away? Did you try to find me?”

Kara bit her lower lip. She wanted to scream I’m not Marissa! but she feared for her life. She needed to get free of the bindings. She said the only thing that she could come up with, the truth. “I was scared.”

He sat beside her on the floor.

Kara inched away from him.

“I broke my promise,” he said, turning sad eyes toward her. “I promised they’d never separate us. I promised I’d take care of you.”

Kara’s words came without thought. “It’s okay.”

“No, no, it’s not okay,” his voice grew loud. He pushed to his feet. “I made a promise and I broke it, all because of those damned Lowreys.”

Lowreys? “It wasn’t your fault.” Kara had to calm him down. His anger would only be taken out on her. “You…you’re here now. That’s what matters.”

His hands clenched and unclenched. He scratched his knuckles and tiny flakes of skin glided to the floor. He turned to face Kara.

Kara spoke quickly, “You found me. Who cares about the…Lowreys?” She stole a look toward the darkened end of the room. She had to escape. She willed her eyes to see past the pitch black. It was no use. She’d have to take her chances, run in that direction and hope she’d find her way.

“You don’t have to worry about them no more.” He spoke in an even, matter-of-fact tone. “I took care of them.”

Kara’s throat tightened. Fear soared through her limbs like lightning. She brought her knees to her chest, breathing in fast, hard breaths. A killer. She was going to die in this awful, stinky, dirty room, in the bowels of the power plant, and she’d probably never be found. Any attempt to speak was stuck in her throat, silenced by fear.

Chapter Twelve