“Ah, the dress is beautiful, yes.” The saleswoman said. She looked to Lily like someone in the middle of a horror movie, running from a leather-masked killer in the house, only to stop and admire the clothing another character was wearing. Miss Twitchy plucked at the straps of the dress, holding it up, and darted a glance at Lily’s shape.
Her lips were pressed into a tight smile. “Yes, we have something that will work quite well. Will you permit me to take your measurements?” Somehow she had produced measuring tape which she was now holding up towards Lily. “I can do it right over your clothing.”
As long as the saleswoman wasn’t holding a drill or a scalpel, Lily supposed that it would be ok. Because her hands were trembling.
“I hope you don’t mind my asking—” Lily said, carefully.Whywereher hands trembling?The saleswoman froze, her hands and measuring tape in midair. The look on her face was a perfect illustration of a deer caught in headlights. Too bad Lily couldn’t photograph it and show it to the boys for their next lesson in idioms. But it also made her more determined to press on.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you seem a bit —” Freaked out? On the verge of a mental breakdown? One step away from frothing at the mouth? “—uneasy. Perhaps I can help in some way?”
The saleswoman’s eyes flew open so wide that Lily half-expected her eyeballs to spring out like a cartoon. “Please,” the saleswoman whispered. “Please just let me do this.”
It was not the answer Lily was looking for. You know, come to think of it, maybe she could just change into the dress at the restaurant and go commando. Or hey, this medieval kirtle was the height of fashion — in another century, granted, but it was still serviceable for a dinner date with a guy who was from another time period anyway. Yep, sounded like a plan. Victoria would get to keep her secrets, at least in this place. If Lily left now, she could probably walk to some place where she could arrange for a ride, with someone acting a lot less sketchy.
“I’m sorry, no, I don’t think so.” With a plan in place, Lily started to push the folds of her dress back into the shopping bag, and it dawned on the saleswoman that the measuring thing wasn’t happening.
Lily’s head dipped down, intent on getting the fabric where it wouldn’t be smooshed against the shoebox. And she heard a howl.
“Nooooo!”
The saleswoman flung the measurement tape around Lily’s torso and arms, wrenching it tight with a forcefulness that came out of nowhere. The shopping bag flew out of Lily’s hand as she instinctively pushed her arms out against the unyielding bind. Whatever the tape was made of had no give, and pressed into Lily with a sharp, bruising pain.
“Ow!” she yelled, ‘what the—“ but the saleswoman quickly yanked her down to the carpeted floor, throwing her weight on top. Lily continued to fight, to try and flip the saleswoman over, but a bony knee mercilessly dug into her back, turning her torso into jelly when Lily struggled against it. Somehow in seconds, the woman managed to finish tying up Lily’s arms, pushing down the wrists onto her back so it was painful for Lily to move them, the strain in her shoulder joints blasting agonizing bolts of pain through her. She could hear the woman breathing heavily from her exertions.
Why, oh why didn’t she listen to her instincts? She was apparently about to get massacred by a Panty Psycho.
And then a shadow fell over them, as a pair of polished leather men’s shoes came into view, a few inches from where Lily’s face was against the ground. She tried to lift her head up to see, but Panty Psycho’s pressure against her back and shoulder joints said otherwise.
“I did as you asked,” Panty Psycho was whining to Mr. Shiny Shoes. She sounded as if she were crying. “Now will you please, please,pleaselet Phoebe Buffay go?” Great, she was friends with a character fromFriends.Definitely another box checked under psycho killer,q’uest-ce que c’est.
“As you wish.” The voice was silky, male, and malevolent. It sent a shudder through Lily, and she almost screamed as something squirmy fell on her and skittered off.
But it let out an indignant bark. And tried to lick Lily’s face.
“Phoebe Buffay!” The woman got up off of Lily and picked up the little Yorkshire Terrier, which protested at being separated from Lily.
Lily tried to move, and managed to turn herself onto one side. Bad move, the pressure on her arm went right into her shoulder joint. But she persisted in using her leg strength to push herself into a kneeling position.
“I would stay in that position for now if I were you,” the man said. He was tall, although not unusually so, with salt and pepper hair that looked styled. His face was lined, but of indeterminate age. His eyes emanated viciousness, in its concentrated form, and were fixed on her.
She was so pissed off, without thinking, she moved into a seated position. Despite his suggestion.
The man quirked up a smile, as if he had expected her to do that. Maybe showed some teeth. Shit, she really should have been taking notes while Rey made her watchThe Walking Deadwith him. It always ended badly when you went against the orders of someone who was abducting you. Or whatever the hell was happening here.
Damn, even the dog was whining now.
“Such defiance. Ohhh, I’m going to have such fun with you.” The man’s voice was like ice water in Lily’s veins. Somehow she didn’t think he meant the kind of fun like Parcheesi.
“Did you havefun, smashing up Rosa’s home?” Lily demanded.
The man’s arched brows took on some more height. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Well, didn’t that take some wind out of her sails. Even though he wasn’t exactly a model citizen, he didn’t have any reason to lie about this. Especially if he could claim credit for scaring the bejeezus out of her.
“But I am sure you will tell me. I have been looking forward to meeting you at last.”
“Why?”
“You have information I seek.” The man said. “But we shall talk about it, over many, many hours, as I get to know you…very well.”
