I’m nearly frantic, and confusion is muddling my thoughts.
Mainly, I can’t figure out why the hell he’s helping me. Isn’t he in on this, too?
It’s then he looks at me, a crazed smile on his face.
“I’m going to take you somewhere safe. No one will ever find you, I promise.”
A rock forms in my throat, and I work to swallow as my situation becomes more apparent.
No one will ever find you.
He may be saving me from Rio and Rick, but that doesn’t mean I won’t need saving from him, too.
“Why are you doing this?” I breathe, my eyes bouncing across the room, searching for a solution to get me out of this very big problem. There’s only one exit that I can see, and he’s leading me straight toward it.
For all I know, he’s going to lock me in a box and feed me through a glory hole. The image disturbs me so profoundly that I think I’d rather take my chances with Rio and Rick.
“I became a doctor because I like taking care of people. But the hospitals never let me take care of my patients the way I wanted.”
My heart drops, and he peers at me demurely like a little boy admitting his crush to the prettiest girl in grade school.
His smooth, cold hand slips into mine, holding it like he’s about to drop to one knee and ask me to marry him. “I want to take care of you, sweetie. I-I’ll treat you better than these people ever will. I promise I’ll be good to you.”
My mouth opens, but no sound escapes.
The fuck does he expect me to say to that?
Yes, please, whisk me away to your creepy lair. Nothing would make me happier.
I want him to let me go home. Not into the arms of another creep that will trap me for the rest of my life.
Taking a step back, I carefully pry my hand from his grip. His face drops, and hurt flashes in his pale blue eyes as he watches my fingers slip from his. He acts if he did get down on one knee, and I've just rejected his proposal.
“I… I’m not sure that’s a good idea. They’ll know it was you,” I say, attempting to reason with him.
I don’t want to reject him flat out. His mental state seems unhinged at best, and I have no idea what this man is truly capable of.
He shakes his head, swoops my hand rather angrily, and tugs on me. I bite back another cry as he explains with impatience, “Not if we hurry. I have a plan; I just need you to come with me.”
When he continues to drag me after him, my fight or flight instincts kick in. Pain be damned, I yank my hand out of his hold and scramble back.
“No, I don’t want to go with you,” I snap.
His face morphs into a snarling demon, and that coldness radiating from him crystalizes. This man is dead on the inside. He’s no more than an icy, decaying tomb.
I feel the burst of pain lancing across my cheek before I register him moving. My head whips to the side, and fire erupts on the side of my face.
I gasp, my mouth popping open while I clutch my smarting cheek, feeling something wet coat my fingers. Pulling my hand away, I find several drops of blood staining my skin. He backhanded me with a fucking ring on. A wedding ring.
A cocktail of disgust and fury curdles in the pit of my stomach, but I keep my mouth shut. This is a very precarious situation, and I no longer have the luxury of doing or saying whatever the hell I want without severe consequences. And as much as I’m tempted to throw down with the old fart, I can hardly move.
Shit, Addie. Think.
He’s breathing heavily, fury evident on his ruddy face. It’s like staring into the eyes of a corpse, animated only by the evil inside him.
“I would treat you like a queen. You would want for nothing,” he spits vehemently, slashing a hand through the air angrily with his last word.
I nod my head. “Okay,” I placate gently. “But you’re scaring me just as much as they do.”
His spine straightens, and I watch the rage bleed from his stare like it just now dawned on him that he’s acting like a goddamn lunatic. So quickly, his face transitions from hysteria to sheepish understanding.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he says, taking a step forward. “I’m just… if I’m going to get you out safely, we need to hurry, and you’re not cooperating.”
I tense but refrain from retreating as he grabs my hands in an apologetic manner.
“I’m sorry I slapped you, sweetheart. I’m just trying to help you. Please, come with me. I promise you’ll be happy with me.”
The panic and adrenaline heighten to dangerous levels, causing my heart to thump painfully against my chest. It’s hard to fucking think when he’s staring at me so eagerly, and my entire body feels like it’s been pushed through a fucking meat grinder.