Page 30 of Stranger Session

“Yes, and I also saw you telling your coworker to tell me you weren’t there.”

I swallow. “I thought you were blind . . .”

“Your little boyfriend blinded my left eye, but I didn’t put as much in the right eye because it had started burning by the time the drops hit my skin. I have most of my vision in that eye.”

“I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean anything by it,” I say. I absolutely did, but I need to lie to him. I have to make it out of here somehow.

He looks at the picture in his hand again. “Why him and not me?”

I don’t even know how to answer that. What happened with Sam was only at the command of his sister, but he clearly felt something I can’t reciprocate.

“Del and I?—”

“He’s better looking than me, isn’t he? He’s not scarred.” He points toward the gnarly marks around his eyes and down his cheeks.

No, he’s not a psycho.

But he kind of is, just not in the same way. I can find safety in our most dangerous moments. With Sam, it’s just fear and an uneasy feeling.

When I don’t answer, he reaches for a camera on the desk and snaps a picture of me. The huge bulb causes a blinding rush of color to block my vision. The camera shutter clicks again, and I wince from the bright light.

“So beautiful,” he whispers. His thumb caresses the backlit screen. He places the camera on the table and turns to me. “Now I want to get some more risqué shots. Are you ready to be my perfect model?”

I shake my head. If the choice lies between death and being subjected to his non-consensual fetishes, I’d rather die. There is no safe word with Sam.

A door slams somewhere in the house, and our heads snap toward the sound.

“What the fuck?” he growls as he takes a step toward the door. Before he makes it much further, the door whips open and the daylight shines through again. I’m still half-blind from the camera’s flash, so I can’t make out any of this person’s features, but a familiar voice sends my hope sailing skyward.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing with her?” Del asks.

“How’d you find me?” Sam’s voice is almost a whimper.

“You’re not the only stalker in the room. Just like when you followed her into the woods, huh? That’s your simple MO?”

Del rushes forward, but Sam snatches up the cameraand flashes the bright bulb of light at Del. It stops him in his path. His hands move to cover his eyes, but it’s too late.

“How does it feel to be blind, Del?” Sam asks. He waits until Del tries to open his eyes again before flashing the camera once more.

“Fuck!” Del screams.

“Seems more fair this way, doesn’t it? For you to be as blind as me?” His voice has shifted from a whimper to a shrill caw of excitement. It’s like nails on a fucking chalkboard.

“I’m going to kill you!” Del yells, feeling across the table behind him as he follows Sam’s voice.

I cry out as the sounds of flesh hitting flesh break through the silence. I don’t know who’s hitting who. Something crashes against the floor and breaks, and someone grunts as the air is knocked out of their lungs. I want to rub my eyes and get this terrible glare to go away so that I can see, but the ties around my wrists refuse to budge.

When the flickering orbs in my eyes wane and I can finally see, I wish I was still blind. Sam straddles Del, sending a fist into his face over and over. If he loses, then I lose too. What will Sam do with me? Kill me? Keep me as his fucking pet?

“Come on, Del!” I scream. “You’re better than him!”

My encouragement seems to help, and he lifts his hip and flips Sam onto his back. The roles reverse and the pounding continues, only this time I’m overjoyed by every thud I hear.

“You ruined my life!” Sam growls.

“You’re a pedo, you creepy fuck!” Del sends his fist into Sam’s nose. “You ruined your own life!”

Could that be true? How would he know? At this point, it doesn’t surprise me. I fight harder against myrestraints. If he has a history of hurting people—and children, at that—there’s no telling what he’s willing to do.

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