Page 36 of Toy

“Unfortunately,” I went on. “I don’t have time for that right now. Jolie is missing, and I need to do what I can to find her. That’s my only priority at the moment.”

“So you’re not going to kill me?” Her forehead wrinkled in surprise.

“Not tonight.” I straightened my shoulders. “I’ll figure out what the fuck to do with you when I get back. You better hope I have Jolie with me, or it won’t be pretty.”

“I’m sure it won’t be anyway,” she murmured. “Jolie will probably want to torture and kill me herself.”

I smiled thinly. “I’d let her.”

“I know.” She swallowed hard. “So what happens to me now?”

“You’re going to pretend I was never here. If anyone asks what happened to your foot and why you can’t walk without limping, tell them it was an accident. As for your chest, abdomen, and shoulder… keep those areas covered until they heal so no one asks.”

“How do you know I won’t go to the police and tell them what you did to me?” she asked. “I’m not threatening to. I’m just wondering why you would risk letting me go free right now.”

“I’m doing it because despite all the shit you’ve done, I actually believe you when you say you feel remorseful,” I said. “Don’t make me regret it.”

She nodded. “I won’t,” she said. “I owe it to you and Jolie.”

“Yeah, you fucking do.” I cracked my neck from side to side. “You owe it to Jolie especially. I think she’s softened me over these last few months. If she hadn’t, I’d probably have no problem dousing you in gasoline and setting you on fire right now.”

I packed my things up and untied Lauren from the chair. She stood shakily, grimacing when she tried to put any weight on her burned foot. “I really am sorry,” she murmured. “For everything.”

I ignored her and turned to leave the room. Then I changed my mind and abruptly turned to face her again, my hands clenched into fists. “One more thing.”

Her eyes widened. She took a shaky step back. “What?”

“Remember this.” I reached out and pressed a finger against one of the burn marks on her ribs. “If I find out you kept anything from me or lied about any of the stuff you said… I’ll come back and finish the job. It will be slow, and it will be agonizing. You’ll beg for me to kill you before I’m even five percent done.”

Her chin trembled. “I know.”

“Good. You better fucking hope I find Jolie. And you better hope it’s soon,” I said. I turned away again, disgusted by the sight of her, and strode out of the house.

Fear and anger simmered deep within me as I drove away, but it wasn’t the same as the seething wrath and dark hatred I experienced earlier. There was another stronger emotion washing over me now, dulling the other feelings, pushing them into the deepest corners of my mind. It was something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Hope.

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