to her long-dead muscles, she threw all her willpower into moving herself. If she could, if only she could move this one time, she could wriggle her hand free from the straps, then yank them loose and get free. Then throw herself on this vicious, hated torturer with her hand on the crank.
Her finger twitched and her eyeballs rolled in their sockets. Nothing else moved.
Water flooded her nostrils. It reached the bridge of her nose, then came to her eyes. Meggie didn’t shut her eyelids, but darted her eyes back and forth even as the water submerged them. Underwater now, she looked wildly from side to side. The water was green and nearly opaque from all the dissolved minerals. Bubbles rose around her face as the last of her air leaked out. But her autonomic nervous system closed her throat and she held her breath underwater.
Seconds passed. Stretched. How long? A minute, two? Meggie’s lungs burned. Her body ached with the need to breathe. Something black lurked at the edge of her vision.
Then she was above water. Her mouth opened and she took a huge gasp of air. Kaitlyn cranked the handle around and around while Meggie rose out of the tub. Soon she was completely above the basin, water streaming from her hair, running between her breasts, then down her legs before dripping off her feet into the basin.
“Interesting,” Kaitlyn said. “I wondered if you would breathe in the water and die. I guess not.” She sounded cool and dispassionate.
You psychotic bitch. I want you to die.
“Good thing you didn’t. That would have been inconvenient.”
The other woman came around the basin and studied Meggie’s face. “Only your eyes are moving. No expression. But I swear I can see emotions. All sorts of things—terror, rage, exhaustion. Am I imagining that?” She looked down at Meggie’s right hand. “Tap your fingers for me.”
Meggie kept her index finger steady.
“Tap your finger, to show me you love me.”
Go to hell.
Kaitlyn took the crank. She lowered the chair back into the water. Fear clawed its way into Meggie’s chest. She tapped her index finger furiously. The other woman stopped and smiled.
“That’s good. Now tap it two times to say that you are grateful I brought you out of the water instead of letting you drown.”
Meggie tapped twice.
Kaitlyn let go of the handle and paced around the room, chewing on her lower lip. At last she turned back to Meggie.
“Here is the thing, Megs. I’m almost done with you. I’ve kept you around for seven years because you have been useful, but I’m not into charity. And I’ve never liked you, you know that. You tried to turn Benjamin against me, and I’ll never forgive you for that.”
What do you want?
“So in a few days I’m cutting you loose. How depends on how useful you make yourself when Benjamin arrives. If you obey me, and answer exactly how I want you to, you’ll go free. I will turn you over to someone else, and they can try to penetrate that thick skull of yours.”
Kaitlyn leaned in closer. “If not, if you defy me, like you did just now, I will torture you until I get bored. Then I will kill you. Is that understood? Tap your finger once for yes.”
Meggie tapped once.
“Good, now here is what I want.”
As Kaitlyn explained her sick and twisted plan, Meggie listened with growing fear. Not just for what the woman was proposing, but because she knew the truth. Obey or not, there was no way that Kaitlyn would ever set her free.
She couldn’t take that risk. Meggie had always known too much. But what she was learning now, with every word out of Kaitlyn’s mouth, could only seal her death.
Chapter Ten
Wes paced the deck of the guest house, gnawing nervously on the tip of his thumb. Green and gold tanagers kept trying to feed at the plate of cut mango and melon put up by Señora Sanchez, and lifted with chirping protests whenever he drew too close, before settling back down when he’d passed.
“Calm down, Wes,” Becca said.
Her finger twitched and her eyeballs rolled in their sockets. Nothing else moved.
Water flooded her nostrils. It reached the bridge of her nose, then came to her eyes. Meggie didn’t shut her eyelids, but darted her eyes back and forth even as the water submerged them. Underwater now, she looked wildly from side to side. The water was green and nearly opaque from all the dissolved minerals. Bubbles rose around her face as the last of her air leaked out. But her autonomic nervous system closed her throat and she held her breath underwater.
Seconds passed. Stretched. How long? A minute, two? Meggie’s lungs burned. Her body ached with the need to breathe. Something black lurked at the edge of her vision.
Then she was above water. Her mouth opened and she took a huge gasp of air. Kaitlyn cranked the handle around and around while Meggie rose out of the tub. Soon she was completely above the basin, water streaming from her hair, running between her breasts, then down her legs before dripping off her feet into the basin.
“Interesting,” Kaitlyn said. “I wondered if you would breathe in the water and die. I guess not.” She sounded cool and dispassionate.
You psychotic bitch. I want you to die.
“Good thing you didn’t. That would have been inconvenient.”
The other woman came around the basin and studied Meggie’s face. “Only your eyes are moving. No expression. But I swear I can see emotions. All sorts of things—terror, rage, exhaustion. Am I imagining that?” She looked down at Meggie’s right hand. “Tap your fingers for me.”
Meggie kept her index finger steady.
“Tap your finger, to show me you love me.”
Go to hell.
Kaitlyn took the crank. She lowered the chair back into the water. Fear clawed its way into Meggie’s chest. She tapped her index finger furiously. The other woman stopped and smiled.
“That’s good. Now tap it two times to say that you are grateful I brought you out of the water instead of letting you drown.”
Meggie tapped twice.
Kaitlyn let go of the handle and paced around the room, chewing on her lower lip. At last she turned back to Meggie.
“Here is the thing, Megs. I’m almost done with you. I’ve kept you around for seven years because you have been useful, but I’m not into charity. And I’ve never liked you, you know that. You tried to turn Benjamin against me, and I’ll never forgive you for that.”
What do you want?
“So in a few days I’m cutting you loose. How depends on how useful you make yourself when Benjamin arrives. If you obey me, and answer exactly how I want you to, you’ll go free. I will turn you over to someone else, and they can try to penetrate that thick skull of yours.”
Kaitlyn leaned in closer. “If not, if you defy me, like you did just now, I will torture you until I get bored. Then I will kill you. Is that understood? Tap your finger once for yes.”
Meggie tapped once.
“Good, now here is what I want.”
As Kaitlyn explained her sick and twisted plan, Meggie listened with growing fear. Not just for what the woman was proposing, but because she knew the truth. Obey or not, there was no way that Kaitlyn would ever set her free.
She couldn’t take that risk. Meggie had always known too much. But what she was learning now, with every word out of Kaitlyn’s mouth, could only seal her death.
Chapter Ten
Wes paced the deck of the guest house, gnawing nervously on the tip of his thumb. Green and gold tanagers kept trying to feed at the plate of cut mango and melon put up by Señora Sanchez, and lifted with chirping protests whenever he drew too close, before settling back down when he’d passed.
“Calm down, Wes,” Becca said.
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