Page 71 of Inked Persuasion

“Here you go, come on, let me help you sit up.”

I let him put his hands on me, let him help me to a seated position because doing it by myself had made me nearly vomit again. But every touch was revolting, and I knew I would never be able to shower enough to get rid of this feeling.

I didn’t want to imagine what might come next, what he wanted to do, so I pushed those thoughts from my head. The only things that mattered right now were getting out of here and protecting myself because nobody else would.

Hotch touched my face, gripped my chin a little too hard, and then put the glass of water to my mouth. I didn’t know if it was poisoned, and at that thought, my eyes widened, and I pressed my lips together. He let out a long-suffering sigh, took the glass to his lips, and gulped some.

“It’s not poisoned, Annabelle. I would never hurt you. Susan’s the one who hurt you. Damn it. You’re mine. We were always meant to be together. I don’t know why you don’t trust me.” He shoved the glass to my lips again, and it clacked against my tooth. I gagged, and he poured water down my throat. I tried my best to swallow, but I choked, spluttering, spraying water in his face.

He cursed, tossed the glass to the side, and it shattered all around us.

A large shard fell behind me, and I did my best not to look at it so he wouldn’t see where it had gone or that I’d noticed it was so close to me. Maybe that’s what I would use to get out of the restraints. If I could figure it out. But I would, because I didn’t know any other way to do this.

“See what you made me do? You’re just so frustrating. You never did understand that I was supposed to be the person for you.”

I swallowed hard, grateful I’d had some water, but I didn’t want him to know how grateful I was. What else would I have to do for basic comforts? No, I wasn’t going to think about that because I would get out of here before then.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you the way I was supposed to,” I said, trying to think of the best ways to speak.

“You never did. I always thought you did, but you just liked teasing. Or maybe you were just too confused. We were getting somewhere. You were always kind to me; you were always mine. And thenheshowed up.” Hotch glowered and sat back on his haunches.

“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

“Well, you will be,” he warned, and ice slid through me to my soul.

“I hate him. But don’t worry, once I figure things out, I’ll take care of him, too. But for now, you and I will make sure we have exactly what we want. What we always should have had.”

My fingers reached for the glass. I missed the first time, but I kept my attention on Hotch. “You were always good about bringing me baked goods, making sure I had everything I needed.”

“Of course. I love you, Annabelle. I’m glad you noticed that I did things for you. Because it was always for you. All of this is for you.”

I nodded, my fingers brushing the glass again. I felt a slice against my flesh, and I pressed my lips together tightly, holding back a scream. Blood welled, I could feel it sticking to my fingers, but I reached the glass again, this time gripping it as gently as I could. I did my best to work on the bindings as he spoke, as he told me every single little thing he had done for me. The treats, making sure I was always home on time. Because he watched me, he’d always watched me.

“When I built that gazebo out back? I could see right into your bedroom. Sometimes, you even left the windows open so I could see easier. You were so kind to do that. I love to watch you sleep. Though sometimes you had bad dreams. I wanted so badly to go in and protect you, but I knew I couldn’t. Not yet. But now, anytime you have a bad dream, I’ll be there for you. Always.”

A shudder of disgust washed over me, but I ignored it. I kept cutting. Blood welled, and I knew I was cutting myself over and over again, but I could feel the bindings moving.

I wasn’t sure how I would get my feet undone without him knowing, but maybe I could push him or cut him a bit. I didn’t know if I had the stomach for that, but I had to figure something out. I couldn’t sit here and listen to him talk any longer. Because he would run out of words to say eventually, and I didn’t know what came next.

“I’m glad you were always there for me in case something happened.”

“Of course, you are. Because we always wanted to be together. And you and I will be together forever. I’ll make sure of it.” He gave me a soft smile, and I almost cried, not knowing what he meant.

And yet, I was afraid I knewexactlywhat he meant.

“Okay, I’m going to go cook some soup for us. This is a cabin that my dad’s friend owns. At least, one of them. They’ll never think to look for us here. We’ll have all the time in the world. But I can make some soup. Like I make so many things for you.”

He leaned forward, brushed his thumb across my lips just like Jacob did, and I knew it was on purpose. I knew he had seen Jacob do that before, and I almost cried. And then Hotch leaned forward and kissed me hard on the mouth, nearly bruising me before he pulled away.

“I love you, Annabelle.”

He didn’t wait for me to say anything back. Instead, he left, presumably to the kitchen, and I let the tears fall. I tugged at my restraints, blood making the glass slippery, but then I was finally able to cut through the duct tape on my arms. I nearly cried out in relief. My hands were shaky, everything hurt, and I moved around to start on the bindings on my feet when I heard a noise out front.

“I wonder what that is?” Hotch said as he walked in.

I cut the last strip on my legs and rolled to my feet, ignoring the nausea, just as Hotch walked in.

“What the hell are you doing to yourself? Now I’m getting angry.” Hotch came forward and picked up the gun on the nightstand I hadn’t realized was there.

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