Page 104 of The Dollmaker

“That’s exactly what I think. At Roger’s funeral, I believe he had an attack of conscience.” He shook his head. “Knox had been friends with Roger for years, and all that time he withheld critical information that could have solved Kara’s case.”

“Who would he be protecting?”

“I wish I knew. But he gave me those files for a reason. I’m convinced now the answer is buried in them. I’m seeing Andrews early in the morning.”

“I can come along if it’ll help.”

“Not necessary.”

“Dakota,” Tessa said, dropping her voice. “If I can help, I will.”

His gaze held hers. “If I need your help, I’ll call.”

Elena opened her eyes. Her mind pulled out of the hazy fog again, and she struggled free of the confusion muddling her thoughts and distorting past and present into an unrecognizable twist. Her blurred vision cleared. The room was windowless, but it was not the same room she’d been in before. A dim light in the corner cast a warm, soothing glow. At first she thought it was a hospital room, but then she saw the large mirror in the corner and the four-poster bed. She blinked and tried to raise her hands to her head. They were still fastened to the chair with large leather straps.

“What the hell?” Her voice sounded harsh, foreign. She breathed in and out, shaking off more of the heavy drugged haze from before.

How had she gotten here? It wasn’t an accident. This wasn’t a hospital.Think, Elena.Think!

Her mind tumbled back through the darkness, and she remembered the man. He was attractive and smiling. She’d seen him before. He’d been around her building weeks ago taking pictures. She’d thought he was another art student from the university taking photos of the train tracks running by her apartment building, which had once been a tobacco warehouse. When she’d seen him the second time, she’d noticed he wasn’t carrying a camera. And he’d spoken to her. She’d smiled. And then there’d been the bite of electricity. Her mind swirled. Her legs tumbled.

Now as her gaze swept the room, she felt the steady burn of pain on her face. Panic flared hot in her belly. What the hell was he doing to her?

She twisted her hands in the straps, trying to work free. Her right hand was double-jointed, and the strap still had a little play in it. If she concentrated, she could push her thumb out of joint and pull her hand free. It had been a party trick as a kid. A sure way to make her mother pale and her friends watch in shock as she popped it in and out of its socket.

She closed her eyes. Tried to calm her racing heart. But the sleep swirled around her like a dark fog threatening to wash over her body. She drifted and nearly answered the siren’s call when she caught herself.

“No! I can’t sleep.” She knew in her gut sleep meant death.

Drawing in a breath, she pushed her thumb against the leather strap as hard as she could. At first she felt no movement. So gritting her teeth, she pushed harder until the thumb slid out of the joint with a pop. Pain shot up her arm.

Wincing, she tugged against the strap. On the first pull the leather grabbed her hand and aggravated the pain in her thumb. Biting her lip, she yanked hard. Pain cut up her arm, but this time her hand slid free of the leather. She pressed her thumb against her thigh, shoving it back in place.

Wiggling her fingers, she quickly went to work on the second strap. She tugged at the leather and the silver buckle, scraping her fingernails against the metal. She heard a rip and a snap. Outside the door sounded the rattle of keys. Her heart jumped and she yanked madly on the strap, but it would not give.

Then the door opened, and in the light stood her captor. She couldn’t see his face as he stared at her for a long moment.

“I can see you’ve been up to some mischief, haven’t you, Harmony? I knew you’d be a hard one to control. That’s why I didn’t stray too far.”

He came in the room, closing the door and locking it behind him. He set a tray of food on a table and came around the chair to reach for her free hand.

In a desperate attempt, she jerked her other hand hard, felt the stitching of her restraint stretch, and pulled free. Driven by adrenaline, she balled up her fist and drove it right into her tormentor’s throat. The blow stunned him and forced a sharp intake of breath as he stepped back. The moment was long enough for her to scramble off the chair. She wobbled, turned, and ran for the door. It was locked. Frantically, she fumbled with the lock until it clicked open. A twist of the knob and the door opened. Relief collided with fear and the desperate need to run and get away.

Out in the hallway in the dark, she ran blindly, her heart jabbing so hard against her rib cage, she thought bone would crack.

“Harmony! No. This is dangerous. You need to rest and heal.”

Her breathing came harder and faster, and she pulled at the bandages on her face, so desperate to have them off, her nails scraping her tender face. Wherever her fingers clawed, her skin burned.God, what has he done to me?

She spotted a door at the end of the hallway but stumbled to her knees before scrambling back to her feet. She closed the distance to the door. Trembling fingers wrapped around the knob. She twisted, and nearly wept when she discovered it was unlocked. She pushed it open. Cool air and a cloudless night sky greeted her. She stepped outside, gravel biting into her bare feet. She ran, unmindful of the pain. Ahead, she saw a stand of trees and thought desperately that if she could get to the woods, she could hide.

Behind her, she heard an anguished wail that forced her to glance over her shoulder. Footsteps followed and a flashlight clicked on.

“Harmony, don’t leave me. Not yet. You aren’t finished.”

She didn’t want to know whatfinishedmeant. Stones cut into her bare feet as she made her way toward the woods. Beyond the trees she saw lights.God, someone help me!She tripped and nearly fell before catching herself as she approached the stand of trees. Her heart pounded in her ears, her lungs ached, but she believed she would get free of this madman.

Just as she reached the first trees, strong arms grabbed her by the hand and yanked her back. She bumped backward against a hard chest as arms banded around her waist. He whirled her around and punched her in the gut, cutting off her air and silencing a scream.

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