Blindsighted (Grant County #1) - Karin Slaughter Page 0,119

in darkness for so long.

Jeb asked, “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes,” Lena answered, not remembering if she had felt worse before. He was injecting her with something every four hours or so. She guessed from the way her muscles relaxed shortly after that it was some kind of pain medication. The drug was potent enough to keep her from hurting, but not enough to knock her out. He only knocked her out at night, then with whatever he was putting in the water. He held a wet sponge over her mouth, forcing her to swallow the bitter-tasting water. She prayed to God it was not belladonna she was ingesting. Lena had seen Julia Matthews with her own eyes. She knew how lethal the drug was. What’s more, Lena doubted Sara Linton would be around to save her. Not that Lena was sure she wanted to be saved. In the back of her mind, Lena was coming to the conclusion that the best thing that could happen to her was for her to die here.

“I’ve tried to stop that dripping,” Jeb said, as if to apologize. “I don’t know what the problem is.”

Lena licked her lips, holding her tongue.

“Sara came by,” he said. “You know, she really has no idea who I am.”

Again, Lena was silent. There was a lonely quality to his voice that she did not want to respond to. It was as if he wanted comfort.

“Do you want to know what I did to your sister?” he asked.

“Yes,” Lena answered before she could stop herself.

“She had a sore throat,” he began, taking off his shirt. Out of the corner of her eye, Lena watched him as he continued to undress himself. His tone was casual, the same one he used when recommending an over-the-counter cough medicine or a particular brand of vitamin.

He said, “She didn’t like to take any medication, even aspirin. She asked me if I knew of a good herbal cough remedy.” He was completely naked now, and he moved closer to Lena. She tried to jerk away as he lay down beside her, but it was useless. Her hands and feet were securely nailed to the floor. The secondary restraints all but paralyzed her.

Jeb continued, “Sara told me she would be going to the diner at two. I knew Sibyl would be there. I used to watch her walk by every Monday on her way to eat lunch. She was very pretty, Lena. But not like you. She didn’t have your spirit.”

Lena jerked as his hand came out to stroke her stomach. His fingers played lightly on her skin, sending a tremor of fear through her body.

He rested his head on her shoulder, watching his hand as he spoke. “I knew Sara was going to be there, that Sara could save her, but of course that’s not how it worked out, was it? Sara was late. She was late, and she let your sister die.”

Lena’s body shook uncontrollably. He had kept her drugged during the past assaults, making them somewhat bearable. If he raped her now, like this, she wouldn’t survive it. Lena remembered Julia Matthews’s last words. She had said that Jeb made love to her; that was what had killed Julia. Lena knew if he made it gentle, if he was soft with her rather than savage, if he kissed her and caressed her as a lover, she would never be able to go back from this point. No matter what he did to her, if she lived beyond tomorrow, if she survived this ordeal, part of her would already be dead.

Jeb leaned over, tracing his tongue along her lower abdomen, into her navel. He gave a pleased laugh. “You’re so sweet, Lena,” he whispered, tracing his tongue up to her nipple. He sucked her breast gently, using his palm to attend to her other breast. His body was pressed into hers, and she could feel the hardness of him against her leg.

Lena’s mouth trembled as she asked, “Tell me about Sibyl.”

He used his fingers to gently squeeze her nipple. In another setting, under different circumstances, it would be almost playful. There was a hushed lover’s tone to his voice that sent a wave of repulsion screaming down her spine.

Jeb said, “I walked around the back of the buildings and hid in the toilet. I knew the tea would make her have to use the bathroom, so…” He ran his fingers down her stomach, stopping just above her pubic area. “I locked myself in