conversation ended.
“You can’t keep me tied up,” I say and wriggle again.
He opens a drawer and comes back to me with a piece of cloth.
“What are you doing?” I close my mouth and try to stop him from stuffing it inside, but his strong fingers pry my mouth open, and he stuffs the piece of cloth in.
He doesn’t step away from me, and I fight to breathe through my nose as he kneels down. His face is masked for a moment as he releases a long stream of smoke from his mouth. I didn’t like the smell but watching his mouth was sending my heart skyrocketing.
“Me and you are going to have a little chat. Tell me how you know how to make bombs.” He pulls out the gag, and I swallow.
“It was a guess,” I respond, and he roughly pushes the gag back into my mouth before getting up.
“You’re lying.” He tilts his head, but there is a calmness to his posture that terrifies me. I’m also very aware that he has a gun in the back of his jeans. If I didn’t speak, would he use it?
I remember Noel saying not to tell them anything. I mumble around the gag, and he steps forward and pulls it out.
“Are we ready to talk now?” He inhales another drag of his cigarette.
“I’m thirsty,” I say.
He kneels back down in front of me, and the smile he gives me chills me right to the bone.
“You will be more than thirsty when I’m done with you, love.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
SHAY
She hasn’t spat out her gag, but she easily could. I keep looking at her, wondering why I was set up. Picking up the tin of tuna off the floor, I toss it in the air before catching it again. She had a very accurate throw for a girl.
A bomb maker.
A Murphy.
My gut tightens when I think of that name. There couldn’t be a connection. The crackers she had left on the counter, I rattle and look back at her over my shoulder. She’s watching me, and I see the same interest in her eyes I had seen before. She turns her head away as I open the tin of tuna and spread some on the crackers.
I take one over to her; she’s watching it like it’s a gun. I remove the gag, and she swallows several times before licking her dry lips. I push the cracker to her lips that she seals shut. “I’d eat it if I were you.”
I’m surprised when she takes a bite. I didn’t really expect her to take it from me. As she chews, I light a cigarette. This might take a long time. She swallows, and I push the cracker back to her lips. Her cheeks turn red, but she eats more.
As I wait for Jack to arrive, I feed her three crackers and give her some water.
“I can’t even leave you with the bottle.” I wiggle the empty bottle at her, and she looks away, but not before I grab her chin and force her to look at me. I have no idea what I’m searching for? Someone to be honest with me?
I will get my answer soon. I stuff the gag back in her mouth as I return to the sink and extinguish the cigarette.
Jack said he was coming over, so he knew what the fuck was going on and didn’t want to tell me over the phone.
The buzzing noise in the hall has me leaving the sink. I glance at Emma as I pass. She’s sitting very fucking still. She won’t have enough time to do anything. Lifting the phone in the hall, I don’t say anything as I buzz Jack in through the gates.
Emma is where I left her, which surprises me. She seems to have a way of getting out of very tricky situations. Like the wardrobe upstairs. How did she manage to get the brush out of the door? She’s clever, and her innocent, pretty face would really trick a man.
The front door opens, and I kneel down in front of Emma. She sinks further into the chair like she can get away from me. Fear starts to trickle into her big green eyes for the first time, and that has me rising. I light another cigarette. Tying her up was the only comfort I had that she couldn’t do anything else. I had no idea what to do with her, but until I understood what I had walked myself into, she