My entire body tenses in wait preparing for pain.
“Just a quick snip and it’s gone. A flick of the knife. That’s all it would take. I imagine it hurts. What do you think?”
I open my eyes to find his on me again.
“I have the files,” I say, tears streaming down my face. “It’s what you’d come to the house for. I have them.”
“Abrupt change of topic,” he says. “That’s not what I asked you.”
“Let me go and I’ll get them for you.”
“Oh, you will, but now’s not the time. Not yet. First, my brother and I are going to have some fun with you. Then we’ll hand you over to Girard who will likely have a little more fun before you get to talking about those files. Now tell me, do you think it hurts to have your clit snipped off?”
He stills the knife. I don’t need to look to know how close he is.
I nod.
“Yeah, me too. We’ll get to that. But you know what I’m going to do first?” he asks, drawing the knife away, dragging it up to my neck, my throat, sliding it under the collar Zeke put on me. I feel the tip break skin but he’s being careful.
“What do you want?” I ask. I need to keep him talking. To delay him. Slow him down as much as I can and give Zeke a chance to get to me.
At the thought, more tears stream down my face. How? How would Zeke find me? How far are we from New Orleans if he somehow did manage it? Would he even make it in time?
“I’m going to listen to the music you make when I rape your cunt. Then I’m going to hand you over to my brother to rape your cunt. When he’s done with that hole, we’re going to bend you over and rape your ass. Oh, you aren’t going to enjoy that even a little bit. And maybe, maybe while my brother rapes your mouth, I’ll cut that little clit off, so you open wide to take him as you scream.”
I shake my head.
He grins. “Look at these pretty things.” He touches one of my borrowed earrings. He removes them and I’m grateful he didn’t just tear them off my ears. He holds them up to the light. “Nice. You won’t need those anymore. Not where you’re going.” He sets them on the table beside the bed, then cocks his head to study the collar.
“Isn’t this pretty? Steal it?”
“What?”
He tugs at the crystal lock. I’d forgotten it was there.
Without waiting for a response, he tries to take it off the ring, but can’t. Roughly, he turns my head to get to the clasp of the collar but curses when he realizes he can’t unlock it.
“No matter. I’ll take your head off before I put you in the ground. Easy to slide a collar off someone’s neck when there’s no head attached, huh?”
His phone rings and I exhale with momentary relief when he stands to pick it up. But he looks disappointed when he sees the screen. I watch him take a deep breath in before he answers.
“Mr. Girard,” he says, and takes a few steps away before turning to watch me. “Yes, sir. I have the girl. I’m trying to ascertain now where those files are.”
Mr. Girard? Was he the one-handed man.
“Levi should be joining me any minute. Once he’s arrived, we’ll bring her to you.” His eyes narrow. “Yes, sir, of course. In one piece. She’s put up a fight though. She’s got a few cuts and bruises that couldn’t be helped.” He grins for my benefit. “And of course, I’ll take what I’m owed but we’ll make sure she can talk.”
Girard yells something into the phone. I can’t make out the words, but I hear his anger and, surprisingly, see Wyatt blanche. He nods.
“Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I’ll be in touch ve?—.”
He pulls the phone away. I guess Girard didn’t wait for him to finish. He mutters a curse at the phone. He can’t hurt me or at least he can’t kill me, it sounds like. Girard is his boss. He must be the man with the missing hand.
Wyatt dials someone but the call must go to voice mail again. “Where the fuck are you, Levi? Get your ass over here. Girard is getting fucking impatient.”
“Is Levi your brother?” I ask.
Wyatt looks at me, doesn’t answer.