“Penelope!” I bellowed, rising to stand, darting to the door, but I paused at the entrance, where my jacket hung, where underneath, on a table, my baton, my gun, my fucking keys sat. She’d taken none of them.
I swiped the baton and followed the little killer out into the theater. Through the maze of corridors, I hunted her down, following clues. A bang that way, a scuffling sound the other. Stretching my detective muscles for the first time in ages.
She was in here, hiding, waiting me out, building the delicious tension that she believed I craved.
She thought we were playing still, that when I caught her, I would just fuck her and pretend, come close to killing her but not send her over that edge. And I might. I might fuck her and lay her down in my bed, sated and damaged some more.
Or her very final breath would be mine.
And to be honest, I didn’t know which one of me she would get. The one fascinated with her, obsessed with her body and with making her squirm. Or the one who needed to see her insides painted over the walls, wanted to relish in her murder. It was dangerous, playing this with me. But I think she knew that. It wasn’t truly a game; she was pushing it, making it happen.
“Penelope!” I shouted her name once more, banging the baton on the walls as I strolled, the impact vibrating the dilapidated building.
From somewhere, a light laughter rang out. She was fucking nuts, acting like we were kids at a play park. But again, maybe we were. I didn’t think I’d know for sure until she was underneath me again.
Fight, fuck, kill. Time would only tell.
It was in the theater that I realized I had caught up to her. She wasn’t on the stage, but I could just sense her. She was in here somewhere.
I trawled through the seats, line by line, looking for her curled up body, listening for a giggle or a huff of breath, even a wince of pain. She was always in pain these days, never far from bleeding or bruising.
“Penny…” I breathed her name, hoping to elicit a reaction.
And it worked. I got one. A shuffle of feet above my head. Slowly, I looked up.
She was on the balcony.
Thirty-Three
Penny
An entire body shiver ran out over my skin when I heard Adrian pause. A sudden pause, his feet skidding on the hard floor, like he realized something. Then he changed direction, and I had to stifle the laughter threatening to burst free from my body. So exciting. He was coming for me.
Took him long enough.Even though he’d been right at my heels the whole time, it was too damn long.
His footsteps thudded up the narrow stairs toward me, reminding me of the old days, when I would wait for him in my cell, not knowing what kind of mood he would be in. What those footsteps might mean for me.
Even now, I couldn’t predict it. The more playful, horny asshole who was down and ready for a good fuck, or the deranged man who wanted to pin medown and ruin me? To this very moment, I couldn’t predict him. The man went from causing me the most intense pain and threatening my death, to making me come on his tongue with a few focused strokes.
An enigma, that man. And one moving closer in slow, steady steps while I held my breath.
I had no idea what was going on in that prison now, nor even what had happened to facilitate my escape. No access to the internet, to a television or a phone, and Adrian kept his mouth shut when I asked.He’d planned all of this so well, and he wouldn’t tell me how.
The world could have ended outside of this theater. Maybe the riot had spilled over into the whole town, maybe bitchface Mandy was leading a gang of cannibals or some shit. Or maybe they were back in their cells begging for more food.
It was weird.
Didn’t even know where in the world I was. Just this theater from Adrian’s past.
“Come out, little piggy,” Adrian said as he reached the top of the stairs, the heaviness of his presence heating my blood. There were only two rows of seats uphere, and I’d tucked myself into the front, right in the corner of the balcony where the view of the stage was shit but the shadows were dark. I wondered what kind of things other spectators got up to in this little corner…
“You’re the pig,” I called to him, voice soft, cursing myself for not being able to keep my mouth shut. Not playing the game well enough.
He laughed, reached the balcony edge and turned to me, his body in silhouette, tall and domineering. God, he looked stunning, his muscles on display with only those sinful gray sweatpants covering him, the shadows harsh and damned sexy. He held his baton in his hand, and his expression was tense when his eyes fell on me. I took in a deep breath.
“Nice to see an old friend,” I said, gesturing to the baton as I made no effort to move from my curled-up position.
Adrian lifted it, twirled it around his grasp. “The things I wanted to do to you with this thing…”
