Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) - Roy Johansen Page 0,88

you can stop harassing me so that I can take this call from Karl?” Lynch said dryly.

“Karl? I almost forgot about that transmission.”

“You had something else to think about.” He pressed the button. “But I think that you have time to analyze it now, don’t you? Lean back and listen.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. All of her attention was focused on that voice. It was incredibly clear in every detail. “Keep playing it.” She closed her eyes. “Over and over. There’s something…there.”

Lynch didn’t answer, he just put the message on repeat and remained silent. The voice was surrounding her, becoming part of her, the roughness, the sarcasm, the intonations…She inhaled sharply and then paused for a long moment. Her lids flew open. “Holy shit.”

“What is it? Is it a voice you recognize?”

She shook her head. “I’ve never heard it before in my life.”

“Then what—”

“Wait, don’t talk to me for a minute.” She rode in silence for a few moments, letting the thought percolate. It was possible and yet it was difficult to believe that it could be true. She didn’t want it to be true because it increased the deadliness that Dee and Jessie were facing. Yet could she be right?

Lynch leaned toward her. “Kendra?”

“Okay. Okay. But you’re probably not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.”

“What?”

She looked straight ahead and then just went for it. “I think I know who did this.”

* * *

“For God’s sake, I told you to play it cool,” Jessie said impatiently as she gazed at Dee’s bleeding lip. “What part of that didn’t you understand?”

“The part where that ape was groping you when he was supposedly checking your manacles.“ She scowled. “And I was pretty cool. I only bit his arm to distract him. It did the job. He left, didn’t he? You said Charlotte wouldn’t turn them loose on me. You didn’t mention that you might still be on their menu.” She met her eyes. “But you probably knew it might happen, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” she said curtly. “They probably guessed I was fair game or would be soon. Plus they were bored and eager to get their share of the money. Sexual dominance was bound to be the next move now that your dragon bitch was temporarily out of the picture. And it might not have gone any farther if I’d just let him feel me up and have a taste of fun.”

“And what if it had? Was I supposed to watch him rape you?” Dee emphatically shook her head. “No way. I got pretty tired of seeing them toss you around and half drown you after they got you here. I’m not going to let it go on. I’ll find a way to stop it.”

Jessie should have known that Dee would have that response, but it was too dangerous to ignore. She had to convince her that restraint was the way to handle this nightmare. No, that wasn’t all, she also had to give her a weapon to fight it if everything went to hell. “Look, bad things sometimes happen. It’s not only assholes like those guys. I’ve seen it in Afghanistan, in the slums of New Orleans…” She hesitated. “And it can seem terrible at the time. But no matter what they do, it doesn’t mean that they’ve beaten me. I just close out whatever bad has happened to me and go on. Because, in the end, that’s the only way to win.”

“That’s very inspiring. Are you finished?”

“Not unless you understand what I’m trying to tell you. I’ve often found situations don’t escalate if no overt action is taken. Will you trust me on this?”

“I always trust you.” Dee was smiling. “And I’m very touched that you’re trying to gently let me into the dark side of your world that you’ve struggled so hard to keep from me. But it’s not as if I didn’t know it was there. From the moment you came into my life, you were the most important person in it. You were the one who would always tell me the truth, the one who believed in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself. Did you think that I wouldn’t make sure I knew what was below the surface?”

Jessie stared at her for a long moment. Dee was smiling, but beneath it her expression held a kind of serenity. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I’m trying to tell you that I hope you’ll be my friend forever,