Tender Mercies - By Kitty Thomas Page 0,26

chaining her to the bed and having his wicked way with her. Now the thought scared her. She’d experienced too much real pain and fear to see it as a sexual game anymore. And yet her body still perversely responded.

There was a small desk on one side of the room and a laptop. He sat in the leather, swivel chair and booted up the computer. Then he pulled up a folder. “If your messenger service isn’t one of these, you can go online and download it. I’ll give you some privacy to chat or email. Come join me when you’re finished.”

Giving her privacy didn’t mean leaving the room, only that he wasn’t going to hover over her while she typed. Instead, he propped some pillows against the headboard and turned on a flat-screen television to a sports channel.

He seemed so normal. What if she just tried to believe in him? For a little while. The worst that could happen is he’d take everything away. Maybe she should embrace whatever small kindnesses he offered, then if they ended, she wouldn’t have to berate herself for wasting it all waiting for that other shoe.

Finally, she settled in the chair and searched through the folder to find the link to her messenger service. Lainey worked in a small advertising office that didn’t monitor Internet activity as much as some of the larger firms. She usually kept her messenger on all day.

Grace entered her screen name and password, shocked she could still remember it. She hadn’t been on a full minute when Lainey messaged her.

StrawberryLaine: Grace? Is that you? Are you okay?

She took a deep breath. This was exactly why she couldn’t do this on the phone. The second those words came out of Lainey’s mouth, Grace would have broken down in sobbing fits.

Gracie343: It’s me. I’m fine.

StrawberryLaine: I haven’t heard anything from you for almost a year! I went to the police, and when I told them about the island they thought I was insane. Making it up. They’d never heard of it, of course. And I didn’t know exactly where it was so I couldn’t point them in the right direction. I didn’t know if your plane crashed or you were murdered or . . .

Gracie343: I’m okay.

She stared at the screen for a long time. She’d have to tell her the truth, or some version of it. After all that worrying and mourning, Lainey deserved some answers. Grace waited for more questions or accusations. Maybe she’d been called away for a moment. She was at work after all. Another few minutes passed before Lainey finally replied.

StrawberryLaine: Well, what happened? This better be good. I was so worried. If you just decided to lose track of time and . . .

Gracie343: Lucas was a bad guy. You were right.

StrawberryLaine: Oh. Oh my God. Are you still with him? How did you get to a computer?

Gracie343: He sold me. Asher, my new master, let me use the computer.

StrawberryLaine: Has he hurt you? The new one?

Gracie343: Not yet.

StrawberryLaine: How long have you been with him?

Gracie343: A few hours.

StrawberryLaine: Do you want to come home?

Gracie343: He won’t let me go.

StrawberryLaine: We could find a way . . . The police didn’t believe me before, but I can give them the chat logs.

Gracie343: No.

StrawberryLaine: What do you mean, no?

Gracie343: I’m different, Lainey. I can’t . . . There’s no . . . If Asher is real, maybe this is the best place for me.

StrawberryLaine: What do you mean if he’s real?

Gracie343: Just leave it alone, okay?

StrawberryLaine: I’m sure there’s a way we can track your location just from being on the Internet.

Gracie343: I need to go. I’ll talk to you later if he lets me.

StrawberryLaine: Grace, wait.

StrawberryLaine is typing . . .

She logged out before Lainey could say more. Grace clicked the laptop lid shut and moved over to the bed. She had no idea what he wanted. Stand? Kneel? Get in the bed?

“That didn’t take very long.”

She just stood, staring down at her hands. An awkward silence descended between them, and then he spoke again.

“I know you’ve been abused in every way imaginable and that right now you don’t know if more is coming, but when I do something nice for you, I expect manners. I expect you to say thank you.”

“Thank you, Master.” She looked up when she heard his hand patting the bed. He’d pulled back the covers beside him.

“Undress and get in.”

She couldn’t stop the tears that started to move down her