carries them over to the counter and begins to fiddle with them as I look around the room. He’s so carefree with me because he has no fear.
I won’t get away from him. I can’t do anything faster than him, so I’m of no concern.
My eyes drop onto a heap of clothes in the corner and I recognize the color of them. Police.
He must notice me looking because he says, “Don’t mind that, I didn’t have time to… clean up after a pesky human thought they could bother me last night. Do they not know that it’s best to just bow before me and give me their throats?”
“Someone stood up to you?” I ask, acting aghast at the thought.
“Not everyone is smart like you are.”
“For a human, right?”
“You’re smarter than even most of the vampires I know.”
If his uniform is here, he likely had a gun on him and it’s a good chance the bullets in my sock will work with it. Is the gun with the clothing?
“You’re not… keeping my arm and leg, right?” I ask.
“Of course not. I know how antsy you get when you don’t have them. You do know if you didn’t hurt yourself, you wouldn’t be without them so much.”
“One of your guys hurt me last time.”
He stops moving and I’m afraid I said the wrong thing. “Oh, the rage I felt when I saw that. I killed the one responsible for touching you as everyone else watched. They’re my children, but I will not hesitate to kill them because none of them matter like you. You’re precious and breakable, Finn. I can fix your arm and fix your leg and make you beautiful again, but I couldn’t save you if you were to die.”
He comes back with my arm and leg and puts them on before cupping my face again. His fingers trail through my hair as he stares at me, a smile on his face, unlike anything I’d ever seen him wear. “My beautiful doll. So lovely. But for now, I have to go hide the car. I’ll be back shortly. We’ll need to make arrangements to move farther out, but first, I must make some plans.”
He takes my hand and leads me off with him through a door and into a room with a keypad. Are the numbers the same? He doesn’t realize that I knew the right number because I never pushed open the door.
This could be my chance to get free.
“I know this seems a bit… harsh, but I want you to just be good while I’m gone, alright? Our life together will be much better than this, but for now, I want you just to relax. So be good.”
Ah, he knows me too well.
“I will be.”
He smiles at me. “I even forgive you when you lie right to my face. I must be ill!” Then he slams the door and heads off.
So does he know I was lying? Is he hoping to believe me but uncertain if he can? Is he testing me to see if I’ll stay in this room?
I don’t think he’ll kill me. If I make a mistake, if I try to run, yes, he’ll catch me, but I don’t think he’ll kill me.
And with that thought shoved into my brain, I rush up to the door. He could be waiting right outside it or he could already be halfway down the driveway. I have no way of telling until I open this door.
But what if he takes it out on someone else? What if this puts Marcus or Aria or anyone else I love and care for in danger?
I take a deep breath.
I have to try or he’ll just keep killing. Just like he killed the girls, just like he killed the officer last night. He’s a monster to his core and killing and maiming is what he does.
I press my finger against the keypad and the buttons beep loudly with each push. If he’s in the house, he’ll immediately know I’m fucking with the keypad. Hell, he could probably hear the loud beeps from outside.
9314
It flashes green.
I yank the door open and look into the house, but I hear and see nothing. But that’s meaningless when faced with a force like him.
Quickly, I rush back to the room and over to the clothes lying in the pile. I start yanking them toward me, piece by piece, but it doesn’t take me long to find the holster, gun missing.
Fuck.
I need a weapon. Running is stupid.