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My feet halt, locking in place. My body stops short of the door he opens. “Vince, please.”
“Shh, love. You’re going to enjoy this.” I try to resist when he puts his hand on my lower back. I can’t go in there. Whatever it is, my intuition tells me it’s not good. “Come on…” My feet refuse to budge, and fear paralyzes me. If I enter that room, I’m probably as good as dead. I quickly turn and grab him. “Please, you don’t have to do this. I like you. Please. We can work something out. I don’t—
“Inside, Minds.” He says it with such ease. As if this is all normal. “Now.” My protests are silenced by his shove. I stumble inside, the scent of roses assaulting my senses. I’m not sure what I expected. A kill room. Plastic padded walls lined with sharp knives. This is far from it. My lips part. “Wh—What is this?”
“This is where we first met.”
I turn to him. “What?”
“I was worried you wouldn’t remember. It was a long time ago. But I plan on changing that.”
I turn back to the room, wrapping my arms around myself. Dread mixed with recognition flows through me. It’s identical to a set at the studio. “I—I don’t understand.”
He waves his hand at me. “It’s okay. I expected that. I don’t think you even saw me the first time.” He walks into the room and stands next to me. “You were just starting out. You were so nervous, I could smell it on you.”
“What?”
“The studio. I was on set for your first film.”
I struggle to wrap my mind around his comment. “I still don’t understand.”
He turns away, moving over to the dresser and picking up a single red rose. “I can’t say I’m not a bit disappointed you don’t remember. I thought I did quite well with all the clues.” He faces me, twirling the rose in his hand. “They had you in this deep wine corset, your lips a ruby red. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
My eyes flicker to the flower, and chills race up my arm. “I almost didn’t take the job that day. Myfatherdemanded I attend a silly work party at his company.” His knuckles become white, crushing the stem between his fingers. He drops the rose and continues. “As fate had it…” he looks at me with a sadistic smile, “I took a call from your boss instead. He was having tech issues. Stupid fucker didn’t even know how to connect his Wi-Fi router. When I showed up, there you were. Like a temptress. I should have made you mine then. But I waited. I waited and watched. Learned everything about you. I wouldn’t have you turn away from me because we didn’t share the same interests.”
He walks to the bed, dragging a finger down the sheets. “I fantasized so many times about being in that bed with you. Me doing those things. Touching you. Smelling you. God…” He wipes his hands down his face. “And now…” His eyes find mine. Any color left has drained from my face. “Now, I do—”
I race toward the door, but he’s faster, slamming it shut. I claw at his arms, but he restrains me. “Let me go!” I scream and kick him. “Let me fucking go!”
He spins me around, shoving me against the door. Gripping the back of my hair, he yanks me toward him, and I wince at the pain radiating from my scalp. “That’s not how you will speak to me. Do you understand?” His smile is gone. His eyes, now blazing with anger, hold my gaze until they lower to my lips. My stomach convulses at the thought of him kissing me. But just as fast, his smile returns, and he releases me. “I have something for you.” He leaves me and grabs a garment bag hanging from the bedpost. “Does this ring a bell?” He unzips the bag and drags his fingers down the corset, rubbing the lace between his thumb and index finger. “I knew it then. The way you smiled at me… we’d crossed paths for a reason. We were meant to be together.”
I shake my head violently. “Vince, no. I don’t remember this. Whatever I did, it was a long time ago. I barely—”
“Not for me. I think about it every day. The way you smiled at me…”
He becomes lost in a memory that I have no recollection of. “Vince, I don’t—”
“That’s okay. That’s why we’re going to reenact that day. To help you remember.” He steps closer, his palm stroking up my arm. “You were beautiful that day. You will be tonight, too.”
His words ring in my ear as my heart slams against my chest. “What… exactly do you want me to do?” Fear shackles me in place.
“It’s okay to be nervous. Here. Let’s get you dressed.”
Reaching out, he grabs the strap of my tank top. I jerk back, slapping his hand away. “Don’t touch me—”
He captures my wrist, twisting. “Get dressed.” He brushes his thumb across my lip and says, “I’m going to show you how it truly feels to be loved. Worshipped. Soon, all you will know is me—”
Seizing the opportunity, I raise my knee and ram it straight into his groin. He jerks back, howling. Everything inside me screams for me to run, and I do.
“Mindy!” he yells, but I don’t dare look back. I take the stairs two at a time, almost stumbling and falling forward. I snatch the railing to steady myself and keep moving. My feet hit the bottom step, and I cry out when two hands grab me.
“Shhh… it’s me.” I stare at Justin, my eyes wild. “Where is he?”
I shake my head. I don’t know what’s real. Is he really in front of me? My heart pounds like a drum in my ear. With trembling hands, I point toward the stairs. “Upstairs, but he’s coming. We have to go.” The stomping of two feet running toward us gets closer, and Justin throws me behind him as Vince hits the bottom of the stairs.
“Freeze!” Justin aims his gun at Vince. “Don’t move. You’re under arrest—”
Two shots ring out.
