He holds up a carrier bag. ‘Got you some goodies.’
‘A spare key to my prison?’ This belch of sarcasm surprises me – I guess now I’m no longer play-acting I can be as scornful as I’d like.
Jack’s good mood is an impenetrable bubble though because he just smiles and shakes his head. ‘Afraid not. How about this?’ He delves into the bag and produces a Terry’s Chocolate Orange before tossing it to me.
I catch it one-handed. ‘Not exactly free movement but I’ll take it.’
He stands over me. I’m suddenly hyper-aware that I’m sitting down on the floor, the top of my head just level with his groin. Abandoning dinner, I get to my feet as nonchalantly as possible and wander over to the bedside table, keeping him firmly in my peripheral vision, the same way you might a rabid animal.
Leaning back against the table, I fold my arms. ‘If you’re here to ask for a second date, you can just go ahead and hold your breath until I say yes.’
A smile tugs at his lips.
I glare.
‘Actually,’ he begins, ‘I’m here to show you something.’ He produces his phone from his pocket. My eyes light up. Even though he knows there’s no signal down here, he never brings his phone into the basement. When I was allowed upstairs, he kept it locked away, along with all the kitchen knives. Just in case. He pauses. Looks up. There’s something dark and hard behind his eyes which sends a quiver of unease through me. ‘I’ve had a lot of time to think and I know how to fix the hostility between us.’
‘Let me go? Turn yourself in to the police?’
Ignoring my deadpan suggestions, he continues, ‘You have no respect for your own well-being. You almost got yourself killed on that road. You don’t value your life and then, when those people pulled up to help us and I told you what I’d do to them if you tried anything, you finally listened to me.’
I’m irritated and impatient. ‘What’s your point, Jack?’
‘Motivation. You’re lacking it. If you’re motivated to try with me, you’ll succeed. You’re just not trying hard enough. So, I paid a visit to your sister.’ He pulls up a video on his phone. The camera work is shaky, the picture is grainy. It’s dark. There’s a floor shot. Boots treading carefully up a flight of stairs. A door being pushed open. A bed comes into focus. I recognise it before I see my sister’s sleeping form. He zooms in on her face. Her brow is furrowed, like she’s having a bad dream. Leisurely, the camera drifts down the length of her body, pausing briefly on the loose shoulder strap of her silk cami before lingering on her bare legs, the sheets twisted between them. Then the camera swings right; Jack’s gloved-hand appears in shot, placing two rings on her nightstand before turning back to Ada. She’s still sleeping, one arm slung above her head. He reaches out and lightly strokes her cheek.
Jack clicks off the video.
My breaths come in short, sharp bursts as irritation gives way to fear.
‘If you don’t start trying,’ warns Jack, ‘really trying, maybe it’ll be your sister who’s found on the side of the road.’
‘But Ada hasn’t. She wouldn’t—’
‘She’s snooping. She’s been in my office. Dumb bitch.’
Not that dumb if she’s the only person to suspect Jack was involved in my disappearance.
‘Don’t for a second think she’s sticking her oar in for your benefit,’ he parries. ‘She just wants to come out of this a fucking hero. She’s a showy bitch.’
I am guilt-stricken; I’ve called my sister showy on countless occasions. But had my opinion of Ada informed Jack’s, or has Jack’s opinion of her informed mine? ‘And how am I supposed to try, Jack? What do you want from me?’
His stare is penetrating. ‘Everything was perfect the night of the storm. The way we connected. It was the last time things between us were the way they should be.’
My head thumps and the room tilts. Sex. He wants sex. Wants me to let him put himself inside of me. This was his idea of changing my mind – blackmail. Give myself to him to save my sister or don’t and let her die.
Chapter Forty-Eight
160 Days Missing
Adaline Archer
He’s been in my house, Elodie. Jack has been in my house. I woke up yesterday morning to find my engagement ring and wedding band had been returned. He must’ve come in when I was sleeping. I feel so violated. The framed quote in his office about all being fair in love and war was a warning but this, this is a threat. He wants me to know he can enter my house at any time.