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His voice is much softer than I would have ever imagined. American with a neutral accent, impossible to place.
He waits until I stop struggling to speak again. “Who are you?”
I simply stare at him in disbelief. Tears slide down my cheeks and patter to the floor.
“If you even attempt to scream, I will sedate you. Do you understand?” he replies, slowly loosening his grip on my mouth.
Despite everything, I spit in his face. “Fuck you.”
“What is your name?” he repeats without so much as flinching.
“You’re going to kill me either way,” I say, surprised by how hoarse I sound with pressure applied to my neck. “Why does it matter?”
“What is your name?”
I try to gulp down more tears, but they spill out even harder. “You killed Douglas.”
“Yes.”
“Why? What has he ever done to you?” I cry desperately.
But he remains unshaken. “If you don’t tell me who you are, I will make sure you join him.”
The grief turns to anger in a millisecond.
“I’m Roisin fucking Maguire. Who the hell are you?”
His hand drops from my neck instantly.
For the first time, I see something other than cool malice in his eyes.
Fear.
He looks at me as if he’s staring at a ghost.
He backs away a step, then another. Raises an arm toward me like I’m some kind of crazed animal.
My hands immediately scramble for something, anything that I can defend myself with. But the only thing in reach is the umbrella stand. Still, the traditional ivory handle of the one I pull from it is better than nothing.
I aim it at the man.
“Roisin… please,” he says, his other arm going up to show he is unarmed. “I need you to come with me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I make the mistake of glancing toward the door.
The man immediately moves to block my path.
“Please, let’s talk about this,” he says in the most frustratingly reasonable tone I’ve ever heard.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I hiss, taking a step back. If I can’t get through the door, maybe there’s a way out the fire escape.
“It’s for your own safety.”
Come on, Roche, keep him talking.
I take another step back. “I’m curious to hear what your definition of ‘safe’ is. You just attacked me and murdered my friend.”
“I would never have harmed you if I’d known,” he responds gruffly.
