Page 122 of Cry For Mercy

Chapter Forty-Six

JULIE

The man who had been Jeff Clarke, the worried and grieving father, the man I’d foolishly trusted implicitly, was no more.

This man here, the monster… he wore his face, but he was completely different. He was dangerous. He was unhinged. He watched me as I lay on the floor, terrified of him.

“You were beautiful before, Julie. But now? In your terror, in your certainty that you’re going to die? You’re exquisite. Truly. I haven’t seen such fear since… wow… since I killed my wife. Harvey’s mother. Slut whore was screwing the neighbour, wasn’t she? Little Harvey never knew what happened. I made sure to keep him clear of the things I did.”

I stared at him. “But you didn’t. I mean, he was… like you.”

Jeff tilted his head, frowning at me. “My boy was good. Pure. I kept him safe from this side of me.”

I shook my head, wondering if shattering his illusions of his boy was really the best move, but I had no other ideas, and I desperately needed to keep him busy until Adam arrived.

“He was stalking my friend. He tried to rape his girlfriend.”

He grabbed the front of my clothes, pulling me closer.

“What the hell are you on about?”

I stared fearfully at him, feeling the rage emanating from him in waves.

“His friend… a woman… Oh god, I can’t remember her name… it’s an unusual name…”

His eyes widened all of a sudden, a gleeful grin widening on his face. “Lenore? Was it Lenore?”

I nodded frantically. “Yes, yes, that’s it. That’s the name they told me.”

“WHO?”

I chewed at my lip, wondering if answering would only make things worse.

“Adam. Adam told me.”

He nodded. “I knew he was in on it with these Bennett people. You know them?”

I shook my head, and instantly regretted my answer, when his hand struck me, twisting my head to the side. Pain bloomed across the side of my face.

“Don’t lie to me. Where is Lenore? She’s not overseas, is she? That was another lie from that bastard, Adam. He’s been behind this all from day one. Sneaky bastard tricked me into trusting him. So… killing you will serve two purposes, you see. It’ll destroy you, for lying to me, like the little whore you are. And it’ll mess him up too. I’ve seen how he looks at you. Losing the woman he loves will destroy him too.”

“Please, Jeff. You don’t need to hurt me. I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t know, I promise. I don’t even know who Lenore is. I never met Harvey. I spoke to him on the phone a few times. That’s all.”

“There’s no going back, little girl. You’ve all been lying to me. You’ve all been hiding what happened to my boy. You’re all going to pay. Starting with you. Then Adam. Lenore. And whoever the fuck those Bennetts are.”

He shoved me back, and straddled me, trapping my arms over my head, while I struggled frantically against his superior strength.

“Looking forward to getting inside you, Julie. You’ve been teasing me for days, with that innocent girl act. Pretending to be a decent person, rather than a cheap slut. I’m the last man you’re going to spread those whore’s legs for.”

His fist crashed into my face, and I felt myself starting to fade, as his hands tore at my clothes.

Adam, please… come home…

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