Page 115 of The Unravelings

Her eyes widen a fraction more, and she tries to pull away from me as I turn to grab a stool and return with the knife in my hand. Sitting down, I pick up her foot, unhook her high heel, toss it aside, and look down at her painted red nails.

“Fancy footwork,” I hum, picking up my knife and holding it to her pinky toe.

My blood pumps double time inside my chest, beating happily in my ears like a joyous song of destruction. This. This is what I live for. What my boss made me into. An expert in getting people to loosen their tongues and tell me what I want to hear. Only this time, it’s not for the good of the Shades business.

This is for Meredith, wherever she may be. Is she dead? Alive? Trying to survive? Well, that’s what I’m here to figure out.

“So, shall we get started?” I ask, looking deep into the beady eyes of Dr. Adriene Lohr as she weighs her options. I see the wheels turning behind her evil eyes, and the shift happens almost instantly.

“Yes! Yes. I knew her. She worked on the surgical floor and assisted in my surgeries. I didn’t know she was missing. I swear!” She cries out when the edge of the knife shifts against her flesh, and she attempts to yank her foot away from my grasp.

“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn’t move an inch, Doc. Or your toe will be no more. Unless you’re looking for a little snacky snack?” I wrinkle my nose when she gags, leaning over the side of the metal chair and expelling the contents of her stomach three times. “Gross,” I huff, dropping her foot and scooting my chair backward to the center of the room. She heaves a few more times and then sits up, blearily staring at me. I point the knife in her direction and stand, humming a tune. “I’ve come to the conclusion that you need a little break, Doc. Maybe I should leave you to your thoughts?”

“You’re going to let me leave?” Exhaustion takes over as her eyes droop and her body sags.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not.” I grin when she tenses again. “I want you to really remember everything about my sister, the nurse who assisted you on the surgical floor. I want you to remember what she overheard and why she and her coworker, Eleanor, suddenly went MIA. Poofed from existence. You’ll do that?”

As I speak, I gather Olivia’s badge and glasses, and my clothes from a small basket near the bottom of the stairs. Quickly, I pull my clothes on and shove Olivia’s belongings into my pocket for safekeeping. It’s such a shame I didn’t get to dirty myself up. Yet. That will come later. Much, much later. I’ll let the good doctor marinate in her mess, thoughts, and truths. Only then will I reappear with my knife to loosen her tongue more.

She’ll sing like a little birdy.

Besides, I’m sure my keeper is eager to get his hands on me, considering I slipped out this morning and haven’t heard a word from him. How odd. Usually, he’s blowing my phone up like a needy keeper, needing to know where I am at all times.

No matter.

“Have a good rest, Doc. I’ll be back shortly to continue this conversation when you have something to say.” With that, I walk up the stairs, shut off the lights, and leave the good doctor in the darkened space where no one will hear her cries for help.

I whistle to myself as I lock the basement door behind me and pull out the secret panel that conceals the door from everyone except Wilder, me, and Boss. Oh, and Huxley, too. That fucking prick. If I could pluck his eyeballs from his head and force him to forget about my super-secret torture room, then I would. Then, my precious keeper would be awfully mad at me for starting a war or some shit.

Too bad I’m on the edge of not caring what I start, because I know I’ll gladly finish it. Boss can have his crown, and I can help take over this fucking town from the twisted asshole named Franco. His kingdom will fucking burn.

I huff to myself when my phone buzzes and “Keeper” flashes across the screen several times as phone calls and text messages pop up. I tilt my head, noticing the number of times he’s called me. Twenty-five, to be exact.

So sorry, Keeper. I was preoccupied and on the trail of my sister. I swear, I’m so close to finding her; I can feel it tingling on the tips of my damn fingers.

I’m coming for you, Meredith. I swear to all things holy that I will find you and then slaughter the people responsible for your disappearance.

I will not fail you.

“Why’re you so obsessed with me?” I mutter to Wilder in a high-pitched voice, as it echoes off the sprawling gym walls we’ve set up for ourselves. “Poor, poor, Keeper. Can’t find me since I took your tracker off my phone.” I chuckle to myself with a grin.

Silly goose. He can’t keep me in a cage. No one can. Not anymore. No matter how many times he threatens to tie me to his bed and keep me in his grasp. Kinky. It’s not attainable. Wilder would have to knock me out and put a tracker in my ass. Only then could he follow me around without me knowing.

Hmmm. A tracker in the ass.

That’s not a bad idea.

I rub my chin and tilt my head as thoughts race through my mind. My little ghost managed to remove my first tracker from her jeans pocket. Now, I have an idea of how she knew it was there and what it was.

Agent Seven of Veritas.

I wonder if I could lick the answers out of her pussy until she can’t take any more. Then she’d spill every little secret in her brain.

A grin spreads across my lips. Yes, in fact. I think I’ll do that.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of my little ghost’s secrets?

Hopefully a lot.