Lost Boy - Ker Dukey Page 0,70

those women?

Ringing from his phone begins again. Irritation flares his nostrils. “Fucking Charlotte. She has to go, I’m afraid. I’ve been fantasizing about cutting into her pretty fucking face.”

Leaping forward, I snatch his cell phone from him and dart for the door crashing through it almost toppling over the banister on the small landing, I click the answer icon. “It’s Stephan!” I scream into it racing down the first couple of steps before a boot lands against my spine, launching me forward, hurtling me down the entire flight of stairs. The phone flies from my hand as my body flops like a rag doll, hitting the steps and tumbling. My knee screams in pain. My head cracks against the hardwood floor when I reach the bottom. Everything warps. A loud buzzing deafens my ears. Stephan’s silhouette fades in and out of my vision as he descends the stairs at a leisurely pace.

Tsking, he says, “This is really disappointing, Lizzy. I’ve tried so hard with you—enrolling in your class, taking those stupid assignments just to get the conversation started, to plant the seed, and now look where we are.” His words sound distant, distorted to my ears.

A hard thud hits my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. “What am I going to do with you?”

Another hit, and the world fades as my body sags. I fight to keep my eyes from closing, but it’s too late.

Thirty

Pain emanates throughout my entire body. Lifting my head sends a wave of nausea through me. I jolt when I realize my arms won’t move. Anxiety hitches my breath, and my eyes spring wide open. Ropes bind my wrists to the arms of a desk chair, my legs tied at the ankles. “Stephan,” I cry out, “what are you doing?” Hot, salty tears scald the corners of my eyes. “Shhh, we have company,” Stephan whispers from behind me. A cold press of a knife against my cheek warns me it’s not a request.

The silence is deafening. My ears strain to hear any noise or movement. Adrenaline and fear spike at a sound of clicking, then soft thuds. “Breaking and entering is a crime, right?” Stephan whispers across my cheek, sending a shudder down my neck. Squeaking of the front door opening floods me with a sense of relief and terror. Who is it? Can they even help, or will they end up another victim? Stephan’s blade moves down to my neck, skimming the skin.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he taunts.

My pulse accelerates when Jack’s figure steps into the light, his name on the tip of my tongue. “How nice of you to deliver yourself to me by breaking in to make me killing you so justified.”

“Let Lizzy go,” Jack demands.

The knife digs in, a sting blooming. “Now, now, neighbor, Lizzy and I are family—and there’s no bond stronger than that.”

Confusion furrows Jack’s brow. “Did you never work it out, trace it back to the beginning?” Stephan asks, incredulous. “You were just a mix-up—an unfortunate mistake. Lizzy was Willis’s daughter. Only…her mother played games as all mothers do and he didn’t know the baby in his wife’s womb was actually a girl, not the boy he was promised.”

“Jack, I’m so sorry,” I sob.

“Calm down, Liz. We don’t want you jerking around too much and my knife slipping into your artery.”

“Fucking move the knife away, asshole,” Jack grinds out, pulling out a gun and aiming it above my head to Stephan’s.

He fists my hair, and I cry out from the sharp sting as the knife moves toward my mouth.

“I’ll cut out her fucking tongue and feed it to you if you speak to me like you’re the one making the rules here, cunt.”

“I thought you cared about her. You said she’s your family?”

“I do care about her.” His tone softens, his fist loosening. “She can survive without her tongue.”

“Just let her go. Take me instead,” Jack offers, holding up his hands, his eyes darting to the gun, showing him he’s not aiming anymore.

“Oh, you won’t be leaving here. You’re a fucking fool for coming here alone. You’ll take the fall for the killings after I add one more to the list.”

“No!” I cry out, knowing he means Charlotte. The clicking of a gun sounds from behind us. “Put down the knife.”

Hernandez.

My soul weeps at the sound of his voice.

“I never said I was alone,” Jack informs him, relining his gun in our direction.

Sensing the vibrations of rage radiating from Stephan, I close my eyes, waiting