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FORTY-FOUR
The door to Susie’s cell slammed back and the next minute he was on her. Pain shot through her head as one large hand closed around her hair and dragged her across the floor. Before she had time to scream, she saw the flash of a knife, and cold steel slipped down her chest as he peeled the clothes from her. Tossed out into the tunnel, she fell hard and slid across a gritty granite ground to Poppy’s feet. Knees torn and palms shredded, she tried to scramble to her feet, but in two strides he had her by the hair again. Terror shuddered through her as he dragged her through the gate that led to his killing area.
“Get down here, Twenty-Five.” Her jailer turned to look at Poppy’s pale face. “Time to prove your worth to me.”
Shocked into action, Susie balled her fist and lunged forward, aiming a punch at her jailer’s groin. It connected. With a howl like an injured wolf, he staggered away from her, clutching himself and falling to his knees. The next moment, Poppy emerged from the darkness with the baseball bat held at shoulder height. As she swung at the killer, he reached out a hand and grabbed her by the ankle pulling her feet from under her. Crying out in alarm, Poppy crashed to the floor and just lay still. Without a second thought, Susie grabbed the baseball bat as it slid from Poppy’s hand. The man was cussing as he struggled to get to his feet and she swung the bat across his shins. When he took the blow as if it were nothing and calmly reached for the knife in the sheath at his waist, Susie tried to scramble away, but the cave wall was at her back.
“I’m going to kill you real slow.” He moved toward Susie and kicked the baseball bat from her hands. “I’ve always wanted to skin somebody alive, and it looks like you’re going to be my first.”
“Nooo!” Poppy sat up, shaking her head. “She hasn’t done anything to you. I’m the homewrecker, not her. I actually enjoy breaking up couples just to prove I can. I came here to lure Deputy Kane away from the sheriff. I had an inkling that they were a couple after speaking to him at the conference. The problem with Sheriff Alton is she thinks she’s all that. I came here to prove otherwise.” She climbed slowly to her feet and leaned against the wall. “The problem is the idea of killing me doesn’t appeal to you, does it?”
“The idea is getting more appealing by the minute.” He glared at her. “I’ve had others before who think they can take it, but they usually end up sobbing and crying and begging for their lives. I figure you’ll be the same.” He lunged toward her.
“Sheriff’s Department.” Jenna’s voice echoed through the tunnel. “Tom Parsons, we have you surrounded. Drop your weapons. It’s not too late to fix this. Think of your wife and kids.”
Susie stared at Jenna in disbelief. “Shoot him for goodness sake, before he kills us.”
A flash of movement darted in front of Susie as Poppy sprinted down the tunnel pushing Jenna out of the way in her haste. Susie gasped as the killer moved like lightning and tackled Jenna, around the knees. They rolled on the floor and Jenna’s gun spun across the ground into the darkness and out of reach.
