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Startled, she lashed out with her hands, her swinging fists missing his face by barely an inch.
“Shh, Emily,” he murmured.
The fact that she recognized his voice, and in the dim glow cast from the lamp on the bedside table probably his face too, had her going deadly still.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you force me to.” He moved the knife closer and then pressed it deep enough into her neck to draw a small drop of blood to show her he was serious. “Understand?”
She gave a minute nod. Her blue eyes were so large with fear that they seemed ready to pop right out of her head.
“All right, you're going to grab a dress and throw it on then we’re going to walk downstairs to the car.” He had no intention of carrying her down the stairs. Not only would it look suspicious should anyone still be out and about on this hot summer night, but it was also an unnecessary bother. Emily could walk on her own, there was no need to drug her or tie her up, threats were all that were needed to keep her obedient and under control. “Try anything stupid and I’ll make sure you suffer.”
Panic flared in her eyes, lighting them up so they seemed to emit their own glow. Again, she gave a barely perceptible nod.
“There’s my good girl.” He smiled approvingly. He knew that he’d picked Emily for a reason, the girl was so placid, so subdued, she wasn't going to fight back.
Withdrawing the knife, he grabbed Emily's arm and roughly dragged her from the bed, nudging her in the direction of the closet. Trembling noticeably, Emily grabbed a dress from a pile on the floor and slipped it on. Her eyes kept darting from him to the door and back again, and he assumed she was weighing up her options. Trying to figure out if she could make it out of the house before he caught her. She couldn’t of course, and she must have realized that because she didn’t attempt anything stupid.
He was pleased that she didn’t make any escape attempts, more because it showed how good he was at choosing his victims than because of Emily’s complicity. “My car is parked across the street, we’re going to walk to it. If you try anything, and I meananythingstupid, I won't only make you suffer, but I’ll make whoever you drag into this suffer too. Got it?”
“Please, why are you doing this?” Emily begged. “I don’t understand. Why? Why do you want to hurt me?”
Ignoring her questions, none warranted an answer anyway, he put an arm around her shoulders while his other hand held the knife between them, the blade pressing gently against her ribs. If anyone saw them, they would look like nothing more than a couple out for a late-night summer stroll.
Walking Emily down the stairs and out her front door, he kept his gaze alert for anything that might present a threat. At his car, he popped the trunk and gestured for her to climb in. This was the only point at which he was vulnerable. If someone should happen upon them now, then they'd realize this was a kidnapping in progress. But Emily Hadden proved to be every bit as weak as he’d predicted. She climbed in without protest and uttered only a small moan as he stroked her cheek.
She really was very pretty.
Closing the trunk, he climbed into his car and turned on the engine, enjoying the refreshing feel of the air conditioner. This heat was really getting to be too much, he couldn’t wait for fall and winter. Satisfied with his productive evening, he drove off thinking that all in all, it had been a night well spent.
August 19th
2:06 A.M.
“Aggie, we’re here.”
She was gently jostled, and slowly, groggily, she became aware of her surroundings. She was lying curled up against a warm, hard body. Nickolas Sleigh’s body. Her head was on his shoulder, her broken arm rested in his lap, her other hand was fisted in his t-shirt. When she’d fallen asleep, she hadn’t been snuggled up against him, and yet in sleep her body had subconsciously sought contact with what made it feel safe, and apparently that was a man she didn’t even know.
True to his word, Nick had stayed with her at the hospital. Then when she was discharged, he had called a cab and accompanied her in it. Exhausted, she had dozed off almost immediately, lulled to sleep by the car’s motion. Nick didn’t seem to mind that she was lying all over him, he’d wrapped an arm around her, and now he was stroking her long, blonde hair, which had fallen free from her ponytail some time during the night’s events.
“Aggie? You awake?”
Fighting off the last dregs of sleep, she debated moving out of Nick’s arms, sure he must be uncomfortable and just trying to hide it, but he had made no move to release her, so she stayed right where she was. Glancing out the window, she saw that they had arrived at her apartment building. Her nerves began to flutter. For a number of reasons. Topping her list was the fact that she was utterly petrified of going to sleep and having nightmares, and yet her body was so weary that she was almost definitely going to fall asleep again shortly. Next was the fact that she was scared that once she gave Nick his cup of coffee and he went home, she’d never see him again.
Nick smiled down at her. “You feeling okay?”
“Yes,” she lied. The painkillers the doctor had given her hadn’t done much to dull the throbbing in her wrist or the ache in her throat every time she swallowed or spoke. She wasn't going to tell Nick that though, he had done enough for her, way more than enough, she didn’t want to add to his worries.
His dark blue eyes crinkled. “You're lying.”
“A little,” she agreed, surprised he’d known. “I'm just …” pausing to search for the right word, she finally settling on, “tired.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “I think that’s the understatement of the century. Let’s get you inside and into bed.”
Before she could process what was happening, Nick had climbed out of the car, scooped her up, paid the cab driver, and was carrying her toward her building. Coming to her senses, she offered a token protest, “I can walk.”
“You can,” Nick concurred but didn’t set her down.
“You can put me down.”
