Page 141 of The Dollmaker

“Maybe we didn’t speak, but our connection was so strong.”

“Yes.”

It was the utter calmness of his voice that made her want to scream. He was way past insane. And he was going to kill her if she didn’t figure a way out of here.

DeLuca reached for the scissors. “This won’t hurt.”

Tessa tensed and tried to edge away. “Why are you changing me?”

He glanced at the shiny tip of the scissors. “Don’t be scared. You see, I have to cut off your hair. That’s the first step.”

“Before you cut my hair,” she said, quickly, “tell me about the dolls.”

“The dolls?”

“The ones you’ve made. I saw Diane. The work on her face was so detailed. Fascinating. Elena ruined herself. I know that and can’t judge you on that work. But I know you’ve been practicing on other girls.”

He looked pleased as he gently stroked her face with the back of his hand. “They don’t matter. Only you matter.”

“Who were they?”

“Whores. Just whores.”

“I have a hit on DeLuca’s phone,” Andrews said. “A rookie mistake to leave it on at a time like this.”

Behind the wheel of his car, Sharp pushed the accelerator. “Where is it?”

Andrews tapped computer keys. “Very near the funeral home.”

Sharp drove through a red light and raced down the center street, his lights flashing. When he turned the corner toward DeLuca’s, he cut the lights and slowed as the brick funeral home came into view. “I don’t see any activity outside.”

Keys tapped in the background. “Is there a building across the street?” asked Andrews.

Sharp looked and confirmed the building.

More keys tapped. “The building has been vacant for over eighteen months, but DeLuca purchased it six months ago.”

Sharp got out of his vehicle and drew his weapon.

As he moved toward the building, a Jeep rolled around the corner and parked behind him. McLean jumped out with practiced ease, his weapon drawn.

“McLean is here.”

“Roger that.”

Ending the call, Sharp glanced at McLean. “Tessa’s inside. I’m not waiting.”

McLean’s face hardened with a resolve that Sharp hadn’t seen since the battlefield. “Let’s go.”

Tessa flinched when DeLuca ran his fingers through the strands of her hair. His touch was gentle, but she knew his plans involved pain and destruction. “It really is pretty,” he said. “And I’m tempted to keep it, but dolls don’t have real hair.”

“Some do.” She struggled to keep her voice light and her racing heart calm. As he turned toward his instrument table, she glanced at her hand restraints and saw that the buckle on the left side was slightly askew. She thought about Elena’s dislocated thumb and the marks on her wrist. She’d been in this same chair and found a way to free her hands. It was possible.

She twisted both her wrists as DeLuca studied a collection of scissors and razors. She didn’t want him thinking about surgical tools.

“Why did you choose Kara first?” she asked.

“I didn’t. I chose you first.” He turned and smiled at her.

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