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Struggle to unbuckle.
Struggle to get out of the car.
But he grabs my arm, and in a split second, I see his fist coming toward me. Before I can react, I feel a sharp pain in my face, and then everything goes black.
My eyes flutter open, and I have no idea where I am. It’s hard to focus as I look around because the room spins, and my head feels like someone drove a hammer into my face. With my arms secured tightly behind my back, I try wiggling around but then realize my ankles are duct-taped to a wooden chair. I suck in a ragged breath when I notice Caleb leaning against a counter. We’re in a house, and I’m in a kitchen, but I’m not sure where. The walls are gray, the floor is white, and the lights are so damn bright I have to squint. I quickly look over my shoulder and see a living room behind me. There’s a velvet couch, a large TV, and strange art on the walls. In the corner is a sculpture and all the curtains are drawn. Did he take me to his house?
“So Sleeping fucking Beauty is finally awake.” His voice is gruff, and he’s pissed. I turn and look at him, unable to speak due to the tape over my mouth. He crosses the kitchen and harshly rips it off. I let out a gut-wrenching scream, which only makes him chuckle. Going back to where he was standing, he tosses the tape on the counter. He drinks straight from a bottle of what looks like tequila, then turns and looks at me with a fucked-up grin on his lips. That’s when I notice a gun on the counter next to a police scanner. The volume’s so low, I can barely hear what’s being said.
“Caleb.” I release a ragged breath. “What are you doing?” I try to stay calm, but I’m struggling as the adrenaline rushes through my veins. “Let me go.”
Laughter roars from his chest, and that’s when I notice light reflecting off the blade of the knife in his hand. “Let you go? I don’t fuckin’ think so, darlin’.”
He saunters toward me again, and I keep my focus on him. Caleb presses the sharp tip to my chin, forcing me to look at him. I swallow hard as I stare into his cold eyes. “Caleb, please…”
He adds force, digging the knife into my skin until a drop of blood drips down the blade. Pulling it back, he looks at it, satisfied.
“Let me tell you a little story, Sophie darling.” He says my name like it’s poison and steps back. Disgust is written on his face as he glances at me.
“Family is everything to me. I love my parents. I love my cousins. I loved my brother.”
I don’t dare say a word. This isn’t the Caleb I met weeks ago or the man who’s shared stories about his wife. I don’t know who this Caleb is, and it’s terrifying.
“And then one day, he died at the hands of someone else,” he adds.
“I’m sorry. No one deserves to lose someone they love. Your wife, your brother…”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” he shouts, then walks over to the roll of duct tape on the counter. He rips off a strip, then stalks toward me and slaps it over my mouth. “Don’t. Fucking. Talk.”
Wincing, I feel tears well on the edge of my eyelids. The last time I felt this scared was when Weston lost his temper and choked me so hard I thought he was going to kill me.
“My brother’s death was your fucking fault. Your fault. It disgusts me to look at your pathetic face.”
My eyes go wide, confused. His brother? My fault?
He nods at my expression, and that crazy smile returns and recognition flashes on mine. It begins to make sense. All of it.
“Weston,” he croaks out and stabs the blade into the countertop next to the gun. I shake my head, wishing I could scream so someone knew where I was. A cell phone vibrates next to him, and when he grabs it, he flashes a devious smirk.
“Ahh, your boyfriend’s really starting to panic now.” His shrill laughter sends a shiver down my spine. “See, this is the thing…” Caleb juggles the phone between his palms. “Earlier tonight, he figured out who I really was, and while you were busy in the bathroom, your phone kept vibrating and interrupting the meeting. So I opened your clutch to silence your phone. But then I read his messages, his warnings to get away from me, and that’s when I knew I had to put my plan into action tonight. He killed my only fucking brother and then got away with it!” His voice booms against the walls. “And it’s your fault because you’re a goddamn lying, cheating whore, and you got your boy toy to get him out of the picture so you two could be together. Now, you’re going to pay. An eye for an eye. Hell, you’re both going to pay, and it will be the justice my brother and family deserve.”
