Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
What they did today.
They freed me.
And I didn’t realize just how much I needed them to.
19
T: Meet me in the parking lot, baby. I have a surprise.
My thumb hovers over the screen as I stare at Travis’s message. It has been sent from his work phone, which is odd, as he usually doesn’t message me from that. Perhaps his personal phone has gone dead. Shrugging it off, I finish up what I’m doing: wrapping up the last of my reports, cleaning up scattered papers on my desk, and wondering what he is up to now.
I set my phone on the worn wooden bench, grab my bag, and head toward the elevator. I tap the button for G, watching the floor numbers tick downward in the dim reflection of the metal doors. When they slide open, I step out into the deserted lobby, the air smelling faintly of stale coffee and floor polish. The reception desk sits empty. I really am the last one here. Usually, Janice is here later than me.
She loves to ensure Travis knows she is a “loyal and dedicated” worker.
I snort as I push through the doors.
Outside, the night air is cool against my skin. The parking lot is half-lit by streetlamps, casting long shadows between the cars. I scan the perimeter, but I can’t see him. I reach my car, glance around again, and with a frown, I pull out my phone to message him, but before I can, a rough hand clamps over my mouth. A scratchy cloth presses against my face, and the scent of turpentine and sweat chokes me. I struggle for breath, but the world dissolves into black.
When I come to, I’m lying on a cold, somewhat damp concrete floor. My skull throbs, and the bulb overhead flickers, casting the small room in harsh, ugly light. The walls are caked with grime; a single metal table stands to one side, its surface scratched and rusty. I groan and lift my head. A voice—cool, unnerving—cuts through my fog.
“You’re finally awake.”
I know that voice.
I would know it anywhere.
Janice.
My chest tightens. I blink until she comes into focus. She is standing by the door, arms crossed, head tipped to the side with nothing but bitterness in her glare. Panic surges through me like ice water.
“What the hell?” I croak, my voice rough. “Where are we? What are you doing?”
“That doesn’t matter,” she says, her lips curling into a thin smile. “All that matters is that you’re here, and no one knows it.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
I am trying to keep my voice steady, but this woman is unhinged. I have known it from the second I laid eyes on her, and now, because Travis refused to see it too, I am stuck in her grimy basement with no idea what she plans on doing next.
She looks at me like I’m stupid, like the answer to my questions should be obvious. “You know exactly why. Didn’t my warnings get through that thick skull of yours?”
I knew it. I knew it was her. The person tormenting me. “I knew it was you,” I spit, glaring at her.
“Yes, but your wonderful boyfriend didn’t. Here I was thinking you two trusted each other. Not enough for him to listen to your warnings.”
I grit my teeth, fighting for calm.
I have to keep it together, for me and my baby.
“What do you want from me, Janice?”
She steps forward, voice low. “You read the notes. You know what I asked for, and you didn’t give it to me. You have given me no choice.”
I stare at her, mostly in disgust. “In what world was your little plan going to work? Travis wouldn’t want you, even if I did walk away.”
“He did want me!” she shrieks. “We were getting close, building something, until you came and ruined it all. All you do is come and take. He was mine, and then you had to ruin that. I gave you so many chances to just leave. I could have picked up the pieces. But you refused, so now I have no choice but to ensure you’re gone.”
I fight to keep my voice steady. “You don’t want to do that.”
“Don’t I?” Her laugh is brittle. “One way or another, I will get what I want. And what I want, Violet, is Travis.”
“You’re sick!” I hiss, baring my teeth.
I don’t ever want this woman to think I’m afraid of her.
“No, I’m in love.” Her eyes harden. “I had everything, but you were always in my way.”
“Travis loves me. If he wanted you, Janice, he would have stayed with you. How much is it going to take for you to get that through your thick skull?”
She lunges forward and strikes me across the cheek. Pain blossoms, hot and wet, as I taste blood. The edge of consciousness flickers.