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I shook my head.I’m not Susan!

“Would you like to say something to your loving wife, Mr. Steadhill? Before I get started on her?”

Panic burned at my nerves.Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.He was going to cut my face off, too. He was a crazy killer pretending to be a plastic surgeon, and Gary had walked us both right into his house. A low whimper rose from my throat involuntarily. What was I doing here? What was happening?

Rien leaned over and ripped off Gary’s taped gag. I was pretty sure part of Gary’s lips went with it, because he screamed at the top of his lungs. Then Rien waved the scalpel over his face, and he stopped screaming. I could see the blood vessels in his face throbbing as he held back the scream. That terrified me more than anything else.

“You remember how we started,” Rien said. Gary nodded. “Alright. Now, then.”

“It’s a mistake,” Gary said. His voice was ragged and wet, and when he talked I could see his cheek muscles contracting along his jawline. “I’m part of the witness protection program. With the FBI.”

What?Behind the gag, I shrieked. What the hell was he talking about?FBI?He had lied to me, too! This was insane. Absolutely insane.

“We had a police escort here,” Gary continued. The corner of his mouth, or what was left of it, leaked blood. He sounded calm, calmer than I would have been if someone had cut up half of my face and peeled it off like a fruit rollup. “Then I was going to go straight to the airport and fly to Brazil under a new alias.”

His breathing was hard, labored, the words forced. His bare eye rolled toward me, then back to Rien. A shudder ran down my spine.

“Susan was going to come join me a week later, after her surgery.”

I shook my head wildly.No! I’m not Susan!

“So you see, this must all be a misunderstanding,” Gary said.

“Misunderstanding. Hmm,” the doctor said. He glanced over at me, then back to Gary. Lifting the scalpel, he placed the point directly on Gary’s chest.

“Please! It’s true! The police are coming back for us in a few hours!”

The muscle above his eyeball jumped, and I realized that he was trying to blink with an eyelid that wasn’t attached to him anymore. Bile rose in my throat, and I held back my retching. If I threw up, I’d choke to death on it.

“Are they? Tell me, Mr. Steadhill, what crimes did you get away with when you made your deal with the FBI?”

The doctor—Rien—stood very still, his hand poised with the scalpel on Gary’s chest.

“I—I’m not a criminal,” Gary stammered.

The scalpel pressed down and I could see blood leaking from both sides. Gary screamed aloud.

“Stop! Stop!Please stop!”

“Only if you tell me the truth. Once again, then. What crimes were you convicted of before you squealed on someone else?”

“Aghhh! Stop! Alright! I’ll tell you! Cor—corporate espionage. We sent people in to other companies. Sabotaged factories.”

I flailed my head from side to side. Why did he keep saying we?Ididn’t do any of this shit!

“What else?”

“Nothing.”

“What else?” The scalpel slid down his chest, and I could hear the slicing noise as the skin tore under the blade.

“AHHHHHH! Mmm—manslaughter. Criminal negligence.” His teeth were chattering, and I could see his jawbone through the blood.

I clenched my eyes shut. Dear God, who was this man?

“How many deaths were you responsible for, the both of you?”

I opened my eyes then and stared at Rien, locking eyes with him. I shook my head slowly from one side to the other. No. I didn’t kill anyone. He stared back at me with a curious expression on his face, then tilted his head towards Gary.

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