The Last Straw (The Jigsaw Files #4) - Sharon Sala Page 0,28
and a knot in his belly. Judy was furious, and that Wyrick woman had called them out. He couldn’t get over it. A quarter of a million dollars. More money than he’d ever imagined he would be worth.
* * *
Sonny was in his apartment, watching the evening news as he changed out of his work clothes. When he heard the journalist mention the name Wyrick, he looked up. The woman fascinated him. He’d seen her live press conference on TV months back and knew all about her. He’d even fantasized about making her his like Rachel was, but knew that opportunity would never arise.
Still, he upped the volume to see what she was talking about, and then sat watching the way her lips moved, and her eyes narrowed. She didn’t have breasts. She didn’t have hair. And yet, he’d never been more attracted to a woman in his life than he was to her. She looked like a cross between a drag queen and an alien, and she was so damn hot it made him shake just thinking about holding her beneath him.
And then he began to focus on what she was saying in the video and realized Jade Wyrick had just put out a quarter-million-dollar bounty on each of two men some religious group had sent to kill her.
He slapped his leg and whooped with glee.
“Damn woman. You are freaking amazing.”
He watched until the video ended, then turned off the television. Wyrick was a dream, but he already had a woman more his type waiting, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
* * *
The cell was cold, but Rachel was burning up. She was sick. Maybe the cut in her throat was infected. Maybe he’d broken her ribs when he hit her. All she knew was that it hurt to breathe, and it hurt to walk.
She had no idea what time it was, but she was scared to death that he’d come back, and at the same time, afraid he wouldn’t. She’d made up her mind that this time she was not going to submit. It didn’t make what he wanted to do to her any easier, because he got off on her pain, and he liked to see her bleed. If she was going to die, she was going to die fighting.
She staggered to her feet and stumbled to the sink again to sluice her burning face with cold water before returning to the mattress, then pulled the blanket up to her chin and stared at the door.
She didn’t know if she was hallucinating, or if it was real when the door finally opened, then reality hit when she saw him slip inside, and heard the door lock behind him.
“Hey, my beauty. This is no way to greet your lover. I brought you a burger and fries and some water,” he said.
Rachel stayed beneath the blanket, waiting. She was nauseated and shaking, but this time she had no doubts as to what he was bent on doing.
Sonny dropped the bag of food and the water in a corner of the room, and then started taking off his clothes. He was aroused and smiling as he picked up the knife and headed toward her.
“You can take them off, or I’ll cut them off,” he said.
Rachel didn’t move.
Sonny frowned. Her face was flushed and her eyes were glassy. He grabbed the blanket and yanked it from her body, and when he did, he saw the festering wound at her neck.
Shit. She’s sick.
But he’d been thinking about her all day and wouldn’t be denied. He dropped down on his knees beside her and started yanking off her clothes, expecting resistance. But there was none. This was disappointing, and he was beginning to lose his arousal, so he poked at the bruises as they were revealed, expecting a reaction. Her nostrils flared slightly, but that was all.
“Come on, bitch. You know what I like,” Sonny mumbled, and pinched both her breasts.
It took everything Rachel had not to react. Not to fight. She was still biding her time, watching for an opening—for him to look away, even if for a moment.
Sonny wasn’t expecting the severity of bruising on her body. She was dark blue and purple everywhere. Maybe he’d been a little rough the first time around. He sure didn’t want her disabled. Not yet. They’d just begun their little affair.
“Hey. Snap out of it,” he said and slapped her, crushing her mouth against her teeth.