Stalker - Clarissa Wild Page 0,111

at the thought of it being so easy. I take them off and place them on the carpet without making a sound.

I search around the room for his phone, and once I find it, I leave the room and dial 911.

“Hello? Is this the police?” I clear my throat.

“Yes, ma’am, do you have an emergency?”

“I’m being held captive in my own home,” I say with a fake, overly emotional voice. “Please help me.”

“Ma’am, stay put and tell us where you are.”

I give them my address and quickly end the phone call with a whisper saying he can’t hear me speak to them or he’ll kill me. This’ll surely get them to my doorstep quickly. I’ll need them for when Phoenix notices I’m gone … he won’t take it well.

When I peek into the room, I see Phoenix is still fast asleep. He won’t know what I’m about to do. He let his guard down. He fell for my charm, and then my fear. And when I showed him my tears … he succumbed to my love. He lost control over the reins, and now they’re in my hands. Quite literally, actually, as I’m holding the leash that’s still chained to the band around my neck.

With my free hands, I touch the metal, and surprisingly, it doesn’t feel weird anymore. Even if I had the time to search for the key to take this off, I’m not sure I could. I don’t know why … it just feels strange to even think about it.

But I can’t digress. No time to lose when my life is on the line. Even when he says he won’t kill me, I know it’s not true. He has it in him, the power to lose control over himself. All it takes is a snap … and a snap I hold. He still hasn’t asked me something, and if he knows the answer, I won’t see the light of day. I’m sure of it.

I made some very bad decisions in my life. I don’t regret making them. I only regret involving Phoenix.

No matter how much has changed, we’re still walking bombs, ready to explode. And I just can’t let that happen. Not again.

***

PHOENIX

A beeper goes off, and I shoot up from the bed, covered in sweat. I glance to my side, and notice Vanessa is missing. I immediately search the room, but she’s nowhere to be found.

Shit!

I pick up the beeper on the shelf as I rush to put on some pants, tucking my gun into my back pocket. I didn’t recognize the sound at first, but I know what it is. It means I can’t trust her.

I storm downstairs, screaming, “Vanessa!”

She’s jerking the front door. “Open, you piece of shit!”

As I come downstairs, I can see she has the key already stuffed in the lock. Too bad for her, I changed the locks while she was still in the cage upstairs. She doesn’t know, and when she turns around to look at me, the anger that settles in her eyes pisses me off.

“Stop, now,” I growl.

“No, get away from me!” she yells.

I hold up the beeper. “I know you’re trying to escape.”

She glances at it shortly, and then her hand drifts up to her collar, her eyes connecting with mine. She knows. And the defeated look on her face makes me want to rush down there and punish her for even thinking she could get away with it.

“Why? Tell me why?”

“Why?” She makes a face. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re keeping me a prisoner in my own house.”

“You said you loved me,” I say, pointing at her while walking down.

“So? You think that makes it okay that you’re keeping me locked up in here? And this collar around my neck?” She raises her voice in a way that makes me want to drag her back upstairs and spank her ass.

“You’re infuriating, Princess. Don’t make me come down there and drag you back upstairs. You know what’s going to happen.”

“No. I’m not going to let you hurt me. Not anymore.”

My lip twitches. “And what makes you think you don’t deserve it?”

“I never said that,” she says, cocking her head. “But I don’t live for redemption.”

“No, you live for lying. You’re a liar, just like you’ve always been.” I stomp downstairs.

“Call me whatever you want. I don’t care,” she says.

And then she suddenly pulls a gun out of the pocket of her gown. “Stay away from me!”

“So, you went through my bags, huh?” I say. “Your cuffs are gone,