Page 84 of Viper
“Aw, begging already? Come on. I thought you had more grit than that. The way you dive with the most predatory animals in the ocean, I figured you could handle more than Annamay.”
Tears leaked from the corners of her aching eyes. She forced herself to slow her breathing and regulate her heart rate before the muscle exploded.
He caught her jaw and jerked her head toward him. Leering down at her, he said, “Tell me what you know, and I’ll give you a drink of water.”
She swallowed and nodded. She had to buy time. Troy and the guys—hopefully her brother if he was okay—were already searching for her. If she could stall and somehow pacify Craig, she might make it through this.
“Good. That’s good.”
He retreated to the kitchen and removed a glass from the cupboard. He returned a moment later with the drink in hand then sat on the coffee table again. “Go on. Talk.”
“They got a plate number from street cameras and traced the vehicle to Officer Hedley.”
He tilted his head, studying her. “And Spencer? No one knows about Spencer.”
“Hedley does.” The words tumbled from her mouth.
Regret and then dread coiled around her neck. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He might panic and kill her quickly, then try to leave the country. In an instant he could put a bullet in her head and throw her overboard.
His expression morphed from unsure to angry.
She didn’t dare take her gaze off his face. Her breath stayed low and her blood pressure blindingly high. If she moved an inch he might snap.
In a rush of movement, Craig slammed the glass on the coffee table and leaped to his feet. “No, they can’t know about him. Spencer wouldn’t have betrayed me.” He squeezed his chin between his thumb and forefinger and paced the floor. “She’s lying. She’s full of shit.” His whispers made goosebumps sprout on her flesh.
Still on her side on the couch, she worked her hands back and forth. The edges of the zip tie scraped against her skin. She’d rather saw off her hands with dull plastic than see what happened when Spencer came back to reality.
He stopped dead in his tracks, his back to her. She stopped moving. Swiveling on his heel, he strode back to the coffee table.
“If you’re telling the truth, then we don’t have much time, do we?”
She wet her lips. “What do you mean?”
He grabbed her elbow and pulled her into a sitting position on the couch. The world spun with the sudden movement, her brain still tripping from the assault to her throat.
“To finish what we started before your friend came last time. Get up.”
She sank deeper into the cushions. “They’ll come for me again, Craig. You won’t get away with this if you hurt me. It’s not too late to escape.”
He clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists but didn’t interrupt.
“You don’t need to do this. Let me go. I’ll take the motorboat and find my way back to shore. By the time I make it there, you could be gone. No one would find you.”
His lip curled. “I’m not stupid, Paige.” He spat out her name as though it were a hair he’d found in his soup. Hearing it instead of the twisted nickname he’d given her renewed her fear.
“This is the end for me. You gave them my name when you escaped, and they’ve probably already tied me to Annamay.” His voice filled with defeat. “It won’t be long before they find the rest of them.”
Ice coat her skin. “What are you talking about?” she managed to say through the terror infusing her mouth.
He dropped to one knee in front of her. A satisfied smile cut across his face and reached his eyes. “I won’t go to prison, starfish.” He shook his head with determination. “No, everything ends right here for me.” He covered her knees with his hands. “With you. God gave me one more plaything to enjoy before we go.”
We.
Tears misted her eyes. A plea formed on her tongue then evaporated. There was no use begging. He’d enjoy it too much.
She had to think. Fast.
Troy stalked into the apartment, tunneling his hand through his hair. He didn’t want to fucking be here. He stormed through the kitchen and dining room and stopped at the sliding door overlooking the ocean.
