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He stands up abruptly. “I was going to wait, but I’m just so impatient to see you in the clothes I bought you. They’re so much nicer than this crap you’re wearing now.” Stepping away from the bed, he pauses and turns back. “Don’t think about running again. Next time, I’ll tase you and tie you down again.”
Rylan has to be coming. I know he’ll come for me.
But what if he doesn’t get here in time?
Can I fight Peter with something? What did Rylan tell me—kick, scream, spray, jab, throw anything I can use as a weapon. Could I use something here? One of the lights? They look heavy, maybe I can play along with Peter and then—
A pile of fabric drops on the bed in front of me. “Put that on. Now.”
I don’t want to.
But Peter is scowling at me and the taser is in his hand, so I don’t have a choice. Shaking, I slide off the bed and stare down at this wad of cloth, and my gut clenches again. It’s a tiny dress, so sheer it’s nearly transparent. And he wants me to change into it in front of him?
“Can I use the bathroom to change?” I want Rylan so much. I don’t feel strong or independent or brave right now. I feel terrified and weak and shattered.
“No.” Peter drags his gaze across my body. “Change here.”
Tears spilling down my cheeks, I slowly pull off my jeans and the gray T-shirt I picked out only hours ago. In my apartment. With Rylan touching me, kissing me. And now I’m here.
Head down, I lift the sheer dress to put it on when Peter growls, “What is that?”
I try to yank the dress down, better covered with it than standing here only in my bra and panties, but he snatches it away from me. “What is that?” he demands, jabbing at my stomach. “That’s not supposed to be there.”
He’s poking at my birthmark, a heart-shaped spot just above my belly button. The birthmark Rylan kisses every time we make love. And now Peter is poking at it, snarling, “That isn’t supposed to be there. I saw all the videos. It wasn’t there. Did you cover it up?”
All my words are shriveled, floating away from me. What do I say?
Then he leans in even closer, staring at me, inspecting me. His eyes dark and angry, skipping down my body, lingering in places—my feet, my hips, my breasts.
There’s a heavy silence as I stare back at him, trembling.
His face contorts, turning monstrous.
“WHO ARE YOU?” he shouts. “You aren’t the woman in those videos. Your body isn’t the same. WHY WERE YOU TRICKING ME?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
RYLAN
“Ry, are you ready for this?”
Cole turns in his seat to look back at me. His expression is stony, but his eyes flicker with concern. Quietly, he says, “No matter what we see, I need you in control.”
“I’m good.” Not really. But I have to be.
Meeting his gaze, I lift my chin. “I’m not going to do anything that could hurt Charlie.”
He gives me a quick nod. “Just making sure.”
“Now—” His voice drops, no longer a friend concerned, but authoritative, the commander of our mission. “Leo and I will take the front of the house, Finn and Rylan the back. At this point, the plan is to enter the house from two access points: the front door and the garage. But depending on what we discover on the perimeter check, that could change.”
“We got lucky with the tree cover,” Cole continues, “and Leo, you disabled the security system, right?”
Leo nods at Cole. We all know Leo’s on top of it, but it’s SOP to double check everything. “Yes. All three cameras are running a loop of video from last night. And the motion detectors have been bypassed. We won’t trigger anything.”
“We’re going to lead with non-lethal methods,” Cole reminds us. “But the ultimate goal”—his eyes shift to mine, an unspoken understanding passing between us—“is getting Charlie out safely.”
“First, everyone head to the end of the driveway. Then we’ll move along the perimeter of the tree line along the west side of the house. From there, we’ll split up.”
