AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She was strapped to an examination table inside his secret room. She wasn't going anywhere.
He may as well indulge her a little. “It was. It was also the only time my parents were actually around. They traveled a lot for work. Left me with nannies. But after the accident, they stayedwith me while I was in the hospital recovering. Once I was better, they were gone again.”
“You started breaking things after that.” The look in her eyes now held a small touch of sympathy.
“Toys at first, then windows and valuables they had laying around the house.”
“That didn't work, though.”
“They were afraid to punish me because I’d nearly died. Ishouldhave died. The doctors don’t know how I survived. I had over one hundred broken bones. But somehow, I survived. I liked breaking things. It gave me a sense of control—of peace, even. I started breaking animal bones next. I’d set traps for squirrels and birds and snap each one of their little bones. They always died, though,” he said, perplexed. He had survived and yet, others didn't. He had only made it into the nineties with Christie, and she had been his biggest success so far, yet he still hadn't gotten even close to finishing.
“You were trying to figure out why you lived and they didn't,” Chloe said quietly.
“I started breaking my own bones next. I wanted to see what was different about me.”
“Did that bring your parents’ home?”
“No. They just sent me more stuff. But I didn't wantstuff,” he said disgustedly. He didn't care about toys and clothes and video games and cars. They didn't interest him. He only had one interest, one hobby, one obsession. Breaking things.
“You wanted to try to kill someone by breaking every single bone in their body.”
He looked at Chloe, confused. “I don’t want to kill them. I want to prove that it’s possible to break every bone in someone’s body and have them survive. And you are going to help me do it.”
*****
12:48 A.M.
What?
Pete Larkin didn't want to kill anyone?
He was just delusional enough to believe that he could pull off breaking every bone in someone’s body and yet keep them alive.
Which was exactly what he was going to try to do to her, Taylor, and Avery if their plan didn't work.
Chloe prayed that it would.
Avery was anxiously watching Pete Larkin’s every move. The teenager had been able to untie her. She’d had to drag herself across the floor to do it. Apparently, Pete brought her crutches to use to get to and from the toilet, but he took them with him when he left. He wanted to make sure that Avery was stuck on the bed.
But he had underestimated Avery.
The girl had gritted her teeth, swung her broken leg off the bed, lowered herself to the floor, and used her arms to pull herself along, all the while whimpering and holding back her screams. Somehow, Avery had managed to pull herself to her feet—well, foot—and untied one of Chloe’s arms.
Chloe had wanted to be completely free; she hated the feeling of being confined and helpless. But she hadn’t known who her abductor was. He could have come in here armed, and with Taylor still cuffed to the chair, and Avery with one leg in a cast, she wasn't sure she’d be able to take him. She was well trained, but the man who had kidnapped them was no doubt going to be big. There was nothing she could see in here that would work as a weapon, and she couldn’t risk the others being hurt if she couldn’t overpower him.
So, she’d just had Avery loosen one of her wrists. She didn't want Pete to know that she was free. She wanted to catch him unawares. And right now, it looked like she was safely restrained, just as Pete had left her.
To cross the room, Avery had had to rip out her IV, and she was paranoid that Pete was going to notice and their whole plan would be blown before they even got a chance to execute it.
Chloe silently willed the girl to remain calm. They didn't want to give Pete any reason to suspect anything.
Pete set down the box of supplies he had brought in with him by the examining table she was on and barely spared her a glance. Instead, he headed to Taylor, running a hand almost lovingly through her hair.
“I'm glad to have you back,” he said. “Your leg looks like its healing nicely. You’ll be ready for your next one soon.”
“No, please,” Taylor whimpered, attempting to shrink away from him.
The slap echoed in the small room.
