Page 53 of Kylie

I blanched. The thought of my daughter suffering at this bastard’s hands…

“You will call her, Kylie.”

I swallowed. My tongue was thick from dehydration, and my throat was raw and dusty, but I swallowed a few times.

Martin sighed. “All right. Let me make a quick trip to Coyote Ridge. I’ll be back in a couple of days with your daughter. Maybe you’ll still be alive by then. If not…” He smirked. “Well, maybe Meredith will come to her granddaughter’s funeral.”

“Wait,” I rasped when he turned toward the door.

He pivoted to face me, his eyebrows lifting. I could practically see the satisfaction beaming out of his eyeballs.

“I’ll do it. But you—” I swallowed again, wetting my throat. “You have to do somethin’ for me.”

“What’s that?”

I stared at him while sending up a silent prayer to the man upstairs. I needed Him to keep my daughter safe, to protect her from this bastard. He would. I could feel it deep in my soul. God would give my husbands the strength to protect my children at all costs. And because I had such faith, I let my fear and anger get the best of me.

Martin’s eyebrow quirked, his curiosity niggling, I was sure.

I didn’t move any part of my body as I met his stare.

“Tell me, Kylie.” Oh, yeah, that was definitely smug satisfaction. “What can I do for you?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

The rage I saw flash in his eyes scared me, but the fear only lasted for a breath. I was dying anyway. What could he possibly do that was worse than this?

“You will die in this room, Kylie,” he seethed through clenched teeth. “You will die here, bitch. I promise you that.”

Since I believed him, I saw no reason to respond.

No reason at all.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Friday, July 15, 2022

Kylie

Thirty days.

Or maybe not. It could’ve been fifty at this point. I wasn’t sure.

I no longer knew the actual number because time didn’t matter much anymore. I suspected I had missed entire days because the protein bars and water weren’t disappearing as quickly as before. And one of my jailers had mentioned they wouldn’t bring me more if I wasn’t going to eat them. I hadn’t realized what he’d been talking about at the time, but I eventually figured it out.

From time to time, I would get these bursts of energy. They never lasted long, a few minutes at most, but I figured it had to be my survival instinct making some last-ditch efforts. My hope was dwindling. That had something to do with the fact that Martin hadn’t returned since our last conversation. When I told him to go fuck himself.

The fact that he hadn’t returned was a good thing. It meant he hadn’t followed through on his threat. I had to assume my husbands were protecting my children, and they would keep doing so. Martin wasn’t going to win this. No matter what he said, no matter how angry he got, he was not going to use me to get to my mother. It simply wasn’t going to happen. If he wanted Meredith, he would have to find another way.

So, no, Martin wasn’t coming back. I think he knew he was losing this battle. I didn’t have the information he wanted. And even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to him. I would never betray my family like that.

“Travis,” I whispered into the dark room. “I think it’s your birthday.”

Closing my eyes, I willed him to come visit me the way he had for the past couple of weeks. I was sane enough to know he wasn’t really there, but at times, it felt so real. I longed for those visits, getting to see him. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be searching for me if he knew the truth. He would be moving heaven and earth to find me.

Unfortunately, I was dead to them.

I figured soon enough I would be really dead. If I had to guess, Martin was watching me from somewhere, getting his jollies watching me wither away and die.