Page 26 of Dead Love
“Before you go.” She turned around quickly, waiting for my words. “Can you tell me if my tail lights are out?”
She stayed where she was. “Go for it.”
I slid into the driver’s seat and tapped the brakes. When I got out, she lifted the flashlight. “All good,” she said. Just as I had thought; Andrew had made it up. Catie turned back to the funeral home, but paused at the top of the path. “You sure you didn’t hear anything?”
“I will take a look.” She nodded, pleased with that answer, then started down the path. “Have a good night, Catie.”
“You too.”
Once she was out of sight, I pulled Kora out of the car and carried her into the house. Thumbprints were visible on her neck, and she would likely wake up with an excruciating headache. Down through the house, to the basement. The entry point to the room was a loft to the lower level, and a spiral black staircase took us down into the depths, creaking with our weight. The bottom level was two stories deep, with brick walls, brown leather chairs, wooden crates that acted as tables, and a scarred cement floor. A decorative artificial fireplace shimmered to the side of the room. I set her down on the leather couch, her body sinking into the material.
Kora laid there lifeless. The pale green babydoll shined on her skin, her pink lips open. Her chest rose and fell. My shin throbbed. I pulled the tracking device applicator from my back pocket and pressed the tip to her arm, inserting it. A drop of blood formed at the incision point. After, I ran a hand up her thigh; the warmth of her body sent a wave through me. I could use her right now, and she wouldn’t know the difference.
But ruining her perfect life didn’t mean simply stripping her of her innocence. It meant so much more than that. And that took time.
She startled awake, a long gasp shuddering through her chest. Her eyes locked on mine, and a subtle smile twitched against my lips.
“Welcome home,” I said.
CHAPTER9
Kora
I pulled against my wrists,the plastic bindings digging into my skin. A smug smile hung on Vincent’s face.
“Untie me,” I demanded.
“Now, now,” he said, “Patience, my flower. The best things in life are worth waiting for.”
When he saw my jaw drop, he gave an arrogant laugh.
“You think this is funny?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “My mom might be dead because of you. My father is the sheriff. He’ll put you in jail—”
“Who said that I started the fire?” He raised a brow. “Did you see me light a match?” I stared at him intently. No, I hadn’t. I had been asleep, like any normal person would be at this hour. “As far as we both know, I saved you from that fire. So why don’t you thank me?”
He cocked his head to the side, then glared down his nose at me. Every part of my body was hot. I held my chin high.
“You are a jerk,” I said. “This isn’t a game.”
“But why wouldn’t I want to have fun with you?”
I looked around frantically, taking in my surroundings. There were no windows. No doors. An old-fashioned staircase led to a higher level. There must have been a door up there.
“Let me go, and I won’t tell anyone that you abducted me.”Only that you burned down my house,I thought.
“What a fair trade.” He leaned down, his hands on each side of me. His dark eyes swallowed me whole, a gold gleam of light reflected in them, like a monster peering out from the depths of a cave. He was bigger than I remembered, his shoulders expanding as he peered down at me, like he was curious about his next meal. Gasoline traced his skin, mixed with musky earth. It was him; I knew it.
He pressed his thigh between my legs. “How does it feel to be restrained, knowing that I have you at my mercy?” he asked.
Adrenaline shot through my system. My mother was right. Men were obsessed with power, with influence, with domination. Whether that was law enforcement, like my father and Andrew, or a man determined to control me, like Vincent.Trust me,his words reverberated in my mind,This will all be easier if you go of your own free will.
A cold sweat broke out all over me. He had planned this all along.
But I didn’t have to be at his mercy.
I let out a breath, trying to calm myself. Being panicked wouldn’t help me.
“Please,” I said, trying to find the right mix of fear and compliance in my voice, “At least undo these cuffs. It’s not like I can run.” I nodded to the staircase. “You would catch me before I got to those steps.”
