sigh filled the air. "It’s a shame you’re no longer perfect. I have to decide what to do about that, you know. I tried to get you back to you, but I wonder if it’ll ever happen." His fingers ran through her hair. She sensed rather than saw his shrug. "But right now, now I want to have fun with you. I’ve missed you."
I’ve missed you. Those same words had filled her with hope and longing earlier. Brayden. Oh, please.
Please. Tears wet the material at the corners of her eyes.
I’ve missed you. Now they stabbed her heart with terror.
Something clicked. Clicked again. What was that?
Again the snap continued. On her right side, then around to her left. His chuckle danced from the end of the bed. One more snapping click, then silence.
What was he doing?
She could sense him to her right. Cold metal grazed the tops of her breasts, clinked against the necklace he’d put there. "I could kill you so easily right now, and no one would know who, let alone why. No one."
The asthma attack she’d been fighting, roared to life.
The knife! It was cool where he slipped it between her breasts. She half expected him to stab the thing in her chest. But then, pain seared across the underside of her upper arm as he cut it.
"Tit, tat."
Her stomach muscles tightened as she felt the steely point graze over her abdomen, past her navel.
She couldn’t hold the whimper in.
A slashing sting burned across her thigh. Once, twice, three times.
Tears leaked out the sides of her eyes to absorb into the silk scarf of her blindfold.
Please. Please. Please. She jerked and pulled against her bindings.
Her chest tightened unmercifully and she tried to breathe through her nose.
He laughed. "You wouldn’t be wanting this would you?"
She heard the puff of her inhaler. Again the misted sound filled the air.
Calm down. Calm down. She had to think, breathe.
* * * *
Lieutenant Gabe Morris looked at his watch. It was almost six thirty. He glanced at his partner, Emma Laurence.
"What’s up?" she asked him.
"Something." He had a bad feeling. Miss Bills should have been here by now.
"What?"
"Come on," he told her standing and grabbing his coat.
In the car he filled her in.
"We can’t help her if she doesn’t report the crime, Gabe."
He flicked his blinker and switched lanes. "I know that. And this could be nothing. But she said she was coming in to report it and file a complaint by six. She called at four thirty, said she was going home to pack for the weekend. She’d stop by the station do what had to be done and then planned to tell her family this weekend."
The message that Brayden Kinncaid had stopped by to see him reached him too late to do anything about. He didn’t figure theirs was a conversation to have over the phone anyway.
Holding the wheel with one hand, he dug through his stash of business cards in the console.
"You’re gonna kill us in this traffic," Emma told him. "Who the hell are you looking for?"
"Brayden Kinncaid, or Gavin. The family home number is on the back."
Finally, she rattled off the number. Gabe punched the digits into his phone.
When the other end was answered, he asked to speak to Christian Bills.
As he’d figured, she wasn’t there.
Damn.
He asked for Brayden.
"Brayden Kinncaid."
"This is Morris. Is Christian there?" he asked, as he maneuvered through the traffic, heading to the condos.
"No, why?"
Gabe caught the tension in the question. He weighed his options. He could blow it for Christian now, or give her the benefit of the doubt and let her tell her family everything. For now, he’d go with
‘which-one-of-us-will-get-the-girl’ routine. "I just got a message she’d tried to reach me. I thought she mentioned heading up there for the weekend."
Silence paused between them. "Did you try her cell?"
"No."
"Well, when she gets here, I’ll have her call you."
Gabe nodded, felt bad for lying to the guy. "You do that."
The click sounded in his ear.
* * * *
Brayden set
I’ve missed you. Those same words had filled her with hope and longing earlier. Brayden. Oh, please.
Please. Tears wet the material at the corners of her eyes.
I’ve missed you. Now they stabbed her heart with terror.
Something clicked. Clicked again. What was that?
Again the snap continued. On her right side, then around to her left. His chuckle danced from the end of the bed. One more snapping click, then silence.
What was he doing?
She could sense him to her right. Cold metal grazed the tops of her breasts, clinked against the necklace he’d put there. "I could kill you so easily right now, and no one would know who, let alone why. No one."
The asthma attack she’d been fighting, roared to life.
The knife! It was cool where he slipped it between her breasts. She half expected him to stab the thing in her chest. But then, pain seared across the underside of her upper arm as he cut it.
"Tit, tat."
Her stomach muscles tightened as she felt the steely point graze over her abdomen, past her navel.
She couldn’t hold the whimper in.
A slashing sting burned across her thigh. Once, twice, three times.
Tears leaked out the sides of her eyes to absorb into the silk scarf of her blindfold.
Please. Please. Please. She jerked and pulled against her bindings.
Her chest tightened unmercifully and she tried to breathe through her nose.
He laughed. "You wouldn’t be wanting this would you?"
She heard the puff of her inhaler. Again the misted sound filled the air.
Calm down. Calm down. She had to think, breathe.
* * * *
Lieutenant Gabe Morris looked at his watch. It was almost six thirty. He glanced at his partner, Emma Laurence.
"What’s up?" she asked him.
"Something." He had a bad feeling. Miss Bills should have been here by now.
"What?"
"Come on," he told her standing and grabbing his coat.
In the car he filled her in.
"We can’t help her if she doesn’t report the crime, Gabe."
He flicked his blinker and switched lanes. "I know that. And this could be nothing. But she said she was coming in to report it and file a complaint by six. She called at four thirty, said she was going home to pack for the weekend. She’d stop by the station do what had to be done and then planned to tell her family this weekend."
The message that Brayden Kinncaid had stopped by to see him reached him too late to do anything about. He didn’t figure theirs was a conversation to have over the phone anyway.
Holding the wheel with one hand, he dug through his stash of business cards in the console.
"You’re gonna kill us in this traffic," Emma told him. "Who the hell are you looking for?"
"Brayden Kinncaid, or Gavin. The family home number is on the back."
Finally, she rattled off the number. Gabe punched the digits into his phone.
When the other end was answered, he asked to speak to Christian Bills.
As he’d figured, she wasn’t there.
Damn.
He asked for Brayden.
"Brayden Kinncaid."
"This is Morris. Is Christian there?" he asked, as he maneuvered through the traffic, heading to the condos.
"No, why?"
Gabe caught the tension in the question. He weighed his options. He could blow it for Christian now, or give her the benefit of the doubt and let her tell her family everything. For now, he’d go with
‘which-one-of-us-will-get-the-girl’ routine. "I just got a message she’d tried to reach me. I thought she mentioned heading up there for the weekend."
Silence paused between them. "Did you try her cell?"
"No."
"Well, when she gets here, I’ll have her call you."
Gabe nodded, felt bad for lying to the guy. "You do that."
The click sounded in his ear.
* * * *
Brayden set
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