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Iheard a shuffle beforeDamonannounced, “Done.”
However, the line didn’t go dead.IimaginedDamonhad hisBluetoothon if he was just getting out of the car.Hepretended to hang up, andDevdidn’t verify, so hopefully,Icould talkDamonthrough this.
“Listento me carefully,”Iwhispered, hopingDevcouldn’t hear our conversation. “Devhas a bad shoulder from an old tennis injury.Ifhe gets close enough, you need to punch his left shoulder and make a run for it.Healso has anACLtear on his right knee.Hewon’t be able to follow you if you run fast enough and take cover.Please,Damon, don’t be a hero right now.Hehas nothing to lose, so he will shoot you.Theonly chance you have is by getting the hell out of there.”
Butthat wasn’tDamon’sstyle.
“Ilove you,” he whispered right before the bang went off, the phone went dead, and my world went dark.
* * *
Pullingthe nightstand drawer open,Iretracted the knife hidden inside.Callme crazy for sleeping with a knife by my bedside, but my suspicions had been proven right repeatedly.
Myhand was rock-steady asIplaced it on top of the nightstand, my wrist still encased in cuffs.
“Fearexists in your mind,”Ireminded myself. “Itisn’t real.”
Heis alive.Heis alive.Heis alive.Irepeated the mantra until it became real to me.
Withthe butcher’s knife raised high with my other hand,Ispread my fingers so my pinky was the farthest from the rest.Ionly had one chance at this.Awrong strike would cause too much bleeding and render me useless.Icouldn’t do anything forDamonif that happened.Therewas a possibility of passing out ifIlost too much blood.Nonetheless,Ihad to roll the dice.
“Mindover matter,”Itold myself. “Thereis no such thing as pain if you refuse to believe in it.Damonis alive and needs your help, so do this now.”
Istuffed the remote into my mouth to have something to bite down on.Withouta second thought,Ibrought the knife down with as much strength asIcould muster.
“Fuck,”Iscreamed.
Ithurt like a bitch, but it didn’t do the trick, soIslammed the knife down two more times until my pinky finger was severed.
Damn.Dismemberingyourself was painful.
It’snot likeIhad many choices.IcalledDamonrepeatedly while testing numerous combinations to unlock the cuffs.Hisbirthday.Mybirthday.Theday we met.Ourwedding day.Anycombination that might be meaningful.
Inthe end,IrealizedDamonchose random numbers without meaning, anticipating my attempt to get into his head to figure out the code.
Itwas frustratingly ingenious.
Thenhis words from the first time he cuffed me rang in my ears.
Theonly way to unlock these cuffs without the code is by chopping off your fingers.
Blooddripped from my open wound, the blade of the knife glistening with the shiny red liquid.Strugglingwith the cuff,Imanaged to pull my hand out of the hole.
Finally.
Partof my severed pinky lay on the nightstand.Iscooped it up and dashed into the kitchen to dump it inside aZiplockbag, filling it with ice.Atrail of blood followed my wake.Cursingunder my breath,Isnatched a kitchen rag and wrapped it tightly around what remained of my pinky.
Youbetter be alive,Damon.Iscreamed in my head because the alternative was an optionIrefused to entertain.
Slidingmy feet through the first pair of flip-flopsIcould find,Ibanged on the front door with all my might.
“Luke!Ineed your help!”Iscreamed.LukewasDamon’shead of security.Imet him on the flight toVegas.IfIhad to guess,Damonwouldn’t trust anyone other thanLuketo watch me.
Hedidn’t answer, though.Nodoubt, he was given instructions not to let me out of the house and to ignore my pleas for escape.
However,Ialso betDamontoldLukehe’d kill him with his bare hands if anything happened to me.Ihad to take the plunge and mimic a damsel in distress.
Whatthe hell wasIthinking?
