been coming over. Letting me take care of her instead of her chosen family. Me. She’d come to me and continued to turn to me.
But I guess what I offered wasn’t good enough. Not in the long run.
Tough shit. That’s on her. You would have treated her like the little pain princess she was. Her loss. Get your fucking sorry ass out of this car, my inner voice goaded.
Yeah. I needed something. Some kind of way to numb everything back to the way it had been before. Before she tripped into my arms.
Alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.
Nodding, I got out of the car and walked to my private elevator. Pulling my phone from my pocket, thumbed it to silent. Tonight was not a night for callers.
I stabbed the upper of the two lone buttons on the panel. Even thinking of my dungeon right now made me want to break things. I leaned against the wall as the car zipped to the top floor.
As soon as the doors opened, I stormed out and straight for the liquor cabinet. Pulling a bottle from the back, I ripped it open and took that first fiery sip.
This was going to be a long fucking night.
Chapter 35 – Willow
Someone slapped my face. Not gentle taps either. I struggled to pry my eyelids open.
Dread soaked my brain as the unforgettable feeling of sedatives dragged my body’s responses to a soul-shaking crawl. I knew this feeling. Hated this feeling.
Adrenaline surged through me for a brief moment, making my neurons fire like they were supposed to. My eyelids flew open as I tried to take in as much information as quickly as possible. I had to get out of here.
“You won’t be able to escape this time, Willow,” he said.
Ethan Embry Errington.
My ex-husband.
The serial killer.
“What do you want, Ethan?” I asked. The effort to form the words already taxing my slowed system.
“What I’ve always wanted, Willow. For you to help me heal people. You remember my work, don’t you?” He moved over so I could see him. He had a prepped syringe in his hands.
He looked so normal. So earnest. How the mind of a monster lived behind that mundane mask never failed to amaze me.
I nodded. “I remember your work.” There was no arguing with him. No reasoning. No logic that could penetrate the elaborate web he’d woven for himself.
“Then why did you leave me?” He sighed, looked so disappointed. “I had to get another assistant. And then another. No one lasted as long as you did, Willow. None of them could replace you.”
Bile rose up the back of my throat. He’d taken more. Stolen more lives on his quest to understand the brain and try to unlock its full potential.
“Because of you, I went through fourteen more assistants and thirty-two more subjects.” He gripped the foot rail, his hands shook as his face mottled with rage. “You’re to blame for those losses. Do you think I can just find more subjects? It’s not easy, Willow. You expect too much of me.”
I bit back the retort, knew that way lay nothing but more drugs and unconsciousness. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I’ve had some time to think while I was away.”
He snorted. “Don’t try to play me, Willow. You’re not that bright.” He walked over to the familiar machinery next to the bed I’d learned to hate with every fiber of my being. “Even though you abandoned the project, I’ve come up with a new mixture that has shown promising results. Assistants Three, Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen were able to achieve positive results under the serum.”
He held up the syringe in his hand. “I have to wait for the current dosage to evacuate your system, but once it’s been expelled, we’ll start up where we left off. Thankfully, I didn’t lose too much time in your absence.” He moved to the door. Outlined by the brighter hallway lights, I could have sworn I saw horns sprouting from his head.
I knew he didn’t really have them. But I wished, not for the first time, that his outer appearance matched his inner personality. That everyone could see the demon who lurked under his skin.
“Sleep healthy, Willow. Tomorrow, we begin again.” He pulled the door shut behind him. I heard the key inserted into the lock. Felt the crushing despair settle in my chest.
This time…this time I would die here.
Chapter 36 – Willow
Something buzzed against my chest. My eyes flew open. The sedative was wearing off and I could feel my