Page 21 of Cry, Little Dove

I freeze, my eyes fixed on the small purple bruise from the IV in the bend of her elbow. My thumb moves on its own, rubbing gentle circles over her soft palm and tracing the lines. I feel the calm beat of her pulse at her slim wrist and follow blue veins flowing like rivers up her arm to her shoulder.

Little dove.

I can’t help thinking about the hollow lightness of bones stretching beneath white-feathered wings. So delicate. So breakable.

Determination wrapped in a silken layer of red-hot obsession anchors itself in my chest.

It’s too late to turn back. If I can’t kill her, I’m gonna keep her, and it’s not because I’ll go to fuckin’ jail if she escapes and goes to the cops.

It’s not about overpowering her with my raw, superior strength. That part is easy, almost anybody can do it, and I’m not just anybody.

This is about breaking her spirit, getting into her head and fucking with her mind until all she can think of, all she wants isme. I’ll make her need me like the breath in her lungs, make her crave my cock like the blood pumping through her veins.

She’ll either learn to enjoy her new life and stay with me of her own free will or she’ll lie in chains at my feet. But I know one thing for sure: I’ll never let Erica go.

“I’m gonna break you, darlin’,” I mumble. “And you’ll thank me for it.”

I know exactly what I gotta do.

Erica can’t stay a captive in my house forever. Sooner or later, somebodywillnotice. Probably Mandy when she comes to visit the next time. She’s the best at reading me, though she never found out about my killing habits.

I know how to chain Erica to me and none will be the wiser. Nobody will figure it out. I’ll build a cage without bars for my little dove—but a cage, nevertheless.

I push Erica’s right thumb to the button on the phone and it unlocks. A small sigh escapes her when I tuck her arm under the covers, and my mouth twitches upward. I reckon she ain’t gonna be this calm when she wakes up. She definitely needs all the rest she can get.

I turn my attention to the glowing screen. The reception out here gets a bit dodgy sometimes, but her phone has no connection at all. Why does she carry a phone without a plan?

I start with the photo gallery. I swipe through pictures of landscapes, food, and mirror selfies with a tiny studio apartment in the background, until my finger stops at a snapshot of her with a man.

Tension cords my neck.

The picture is a bit blurry, like she asked a passerby in a hurry to take it. Erica is divinity wrapped in grey skinny jeans, a tight crimson top with a deep v-cut, and a black leather jacket. Her lips are painted red, and she wears those dark combat boots with the silver studs she had on when I saw her at the gas station.

She looks like a fuckin’ rock star.

The sleazebag next to her, though… I grit my teeth. Damn, I wanna rip that sly smirk off his face. He has no right to touch her with his greasy hands. And what’s with the wrinkled old T-shirt and stained sweatpants?

Disgusting loser.

Can’t he put in some effort? Doesn’t he know how lucky he is to be standing by her side? And doesn’t she know she can do leagues better than this asshat? Doesn’t she know she could have any man she wants—

Jesus Christ, I need to calm down.

I take a deep breath and close the gallery app to check her texts. A handful of conversations appear on the screen. Overdraft notices from her bank. A text from her phone provider, announcing the cut-off date for her plan—and the $230 she still owes. Some older exchanges with people called Kevin, Stacy, and Veronica about swapping shifts at a restaurant. I tap on the chat with “boss” and my head tilts as I read the last message.

Another chat with “landlord.”

I piece Erica’s story together like a puzzle.

She lost her job. Probably couldn’t find other work. Many folks have a hard time finding employment nowadays, that isn’t so uncommon. Then she got kicked out of her place.

My little dove is broke. Homeless. And alone.

I smirk. Well, not anymore.

I connect her phone to the Wi-Fi and unlock her banking app with her thumb to get her details. Then I grab my own phone and get to work.

With a few swipes and taps her overdrafts are cleared, her credit card debt gone, and her current account shows a healthy 10k balance. A bit of pocket money in case she needs something and I’m not around.

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