Page 19 of Dancing With Redemption

“My father is dead, whatever he did, he’s more than paid for.” Roxie tried to avoid Clarence’s meaty fist and only got clipped on the chin this time. Score one for her!

“No, he didn’t pay enough, as far as I’m concerned.” The woman’s jaw went tight, her lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed as she glared at Roxie. “Bring in the table, Clarence.”

Clarence walked out and Roxie waited, wondering if the woman wanted dinner. She expected the big man to bring in a kitchen table that went with the chair. Instead, he brought in what looked like a massage table, but this one came with places in which to tie restraints. Roxie looked at the man, then the woman, a new fear blooming into life. She knew what that table was used for, she’d had something similar installed at Lincoln’s house. But this table wouldn’t be for pleasurable torture. It would be actual torture. “I’m pregnant.”

“And I don’t care,” the woman said with a pleasant smile, as if she were reacting to the news that Roxie was allergic to peanuts and nothing more. “It will only increase my revenge, killing his grandchild, if you’re really pregnant. You could be lying for all I know.”

“No, it’s true,” Roxie answered, but the statement was soft, barely spoken, because she knew it didn’t matter.

“Which reminds me, you have another child, don’t you? I can’t find a lot about her, but I’ll track her down later. I have all the time in the world, now that I’m retired. I’ll wipe out your father’s entire bloodline, and hers too.”

“My mother’s?” Roxie was confused, what had her parents done?

“No, not your mother, you silly girl. Put her on the table, Clarence. Leave the chain on for now.” The woman waved at the table and Roxie began to fight, glad that she’d managed to get her hands free. She punched the guy in his mouth, felt his nose break with another punch, and gave him a thump in the eye that should cause a fairly decent bruise, but all he did was grunt as though a fly were bothering him. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t drop her, he just picked her up, dropped her on the table, and proceeded to lock her wrists far too tightly in the handcuffs. He then moved on to her ankles and locked them in as well.

Roxie yanked at the cuffs, even though she knew there was no getting out of them. She’d used, and been in, more than enough to know that. Fuck.

She’d played her only hand, and lost. If this woman didn’t care that she was pregnant, there was no telling what she’d do now that she had Roxie on this table.

Roxie had known she was pregnant for a while now. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it. First, because she was old enough to know how to prevent it, but had messed up anyway. And second, so much shit had been happening that she’d worried she wouldn’t be able to carry the baby. Stress was bad for all women, but pregnant women had a hard time dealing with it. There’d been more than one instance when she thought the stress would do her in, but so far, she hadn’t died and the tiny little baby inside of her was still growing.

Roxie swallowed hard as the woman came back into her line of sight, a mean smile on her face. She brought a hand up to Roxie’s face, tracing the outline of her jaw with a long, scarlet nail. The nail was very sharp, very pointy. Dangerous, Roxie found out, when the woman pushed the tip of the nail on her index finger into the bottom of Roxie’s eye socket.

“I could take out both of your eyes, blind you, make sure you can never dance again in that way too. Oh yes, I know all about your life as a dancer.” The woman laughed a mirthless laugh, while Roxie tried to pull her eye away from the woman’s reach. “Blind dancers aren’t much sought after, are they?”

Roxie shook her head no, fear closing her throat. No amount of bravado would stop this crazy bitch, so there was no need to put on a front.

“I could, but I won’t. Not right now, anyway. I may change my mind later. We’ll see.” The woman inhaled deeply before she went to her chair and sat back down again.

That was good. Sitting was good. So long as she was over there, she wasn’t here, hurting Roxie or her baby.

“I’m surprised you came back. Especially if you’re really pregnant. Why would you put your child in danger like that?” The woman paused, allowing time for Roxie to explain. “Nothing to say? No matter. We can begin then.”

“No, don’t!” Roxie called out, fighting against the cuffs. “I came back for answers. To find out what happened to my parents. I saw those men beating my dad up, saw them the night of the fire, and wanted to know why they were there. I never believed my dad killed my mother, then himself.”

“Oh, very good!” The woman even clapped, but Roxie closed her eyes, thankful for a few minutes of not being tortured. “And that’s why you hid for so long. I had a feeling you were suspicious.”

“I was. I’d seen them, as I said, and it all just seemed too convenient. My dad had a lot of money, why would he borrow money? Why would he kill my mother and then himself? It didn’t make any sense, and I knew something was wrong.” Roxie paused to take a deep breath. What else could she say to stall a little longer? “When I had my daughter I knew I had to keep her safe, away from whoever wanted my parents dead. I ran away, hid her when she came along, and…”

Roxie cut her words off, something the woman said earlier finally dawning on her. “You can’t get to my daughter. Her father has her now. You won’t get anywhere near her. He’ll kill you before you or any of these assholes get near her.”

“That may be, but I’ll have to try. That’s just how it has to be.” The woman smirked, but then went on. “Do you remember your Aunt Ruby?”

“Who? I don’t have an Aunt Ruby,” Roxie frowned, wondering which way this woman was taking her now. Further into crazy-land obviously.

“Pity. She’s the reason you’re here, as it turns out. With your father’s help, she ruined my life. That’s why I have you. That slut ruined everything.” The woman stood, came close to Roxie, and grabbed her jaw in a painful grip. Roxie stared up at the woman with the insane eyes, worried that her time was nearly done.