Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The sunburned woman pulled Faith out of the elevators and into a dark hallway. Faith felt the tip of the knife poking through the fabric of her shirt into her back.
“What do you want?”
“For you to shut up and do as you’re told.” The knife moved back to her jugular, almost breaking her skin. “I’m warning you. Stay quiet.”
Never. Faith screamed, and the knife cut into her neck with a searing burst of pain. Her scream turned to a choked cry.
“I told you to be quiet.”
Hot blood trickled down her neck. Faith held her hand against the cut. Her eyes searched for a way out. She had to get away.
They’d come out on the basement level. The woman pushed Faith in front of her, the knife at her back. The hallway was brightly lit, but it felt deserted. A few doors stood open, revealing offices, all of them empty for the night.
Up ahead, a thick sheet of plastic bisected the hallway. It moved slightly, like the inner membrane of some creature, breathing.
When they reached it, the knife briefly left Faith’s back and sliced a long cut through the plastic.
“Hurry up.” The woman almost shoved her through the gap. Faith tripped forward, just barely catching herself. Her hand left a bloody print on the plastic.
This part of the hallway looked like the one behind them, with open doors leading into offices. Yet it was like stepping through into a different dimension. The walls were half demolished. Ductwork and pipes lay exposed beneath. Wires hung in tangles. White dust covered everything.
Her skin itched with alarm. Was there some way she could get the knife away from the woman? Could she run into one of the other rooms or hallways and hide?
“Do you work for someone? Is that it?” She tried to keep her voice steady. She had to stay calm. Had to think.
“Stop asking questions.”
“Is it Kyle?”
The woman cringed, like the name frightened her.
Panic rose in Faith’s throat. She lunged forward, trying to run, but the woman’s grip tightened on her arm, and the knife dug into her armpit, cutting her again. “Stop.”
“Then do as you’re told.”
Every moment seemed to stretch endlessly. They kept going, further and further through the broken maze of hallways. Deeper into the construction area.
The air turned cooler, smelling of exhaust and saltwater. Faith thought the woman was taking her outside.
But instead, they turned a corner. There was a light in a room up ahead.
When they reached the open doorway, Faith saw him standing inside.
Kyle. He was here. She whimpered involuntarily.
The woman shoved Faith into the room. She caught herself against a chair. There was almost nothing else here, aside from a built-in countertop and cabinets.
Faith lifted her chin. “My friends already know I’m missing. They’ll be looking for me.” But she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice. She was afraid.
The last time she’d seen Kyle, he’d hit her. He’d threatened her more than once. And that had been before she’d ruined his and Jon’s plans. She didn’t even want to think about what he would do to her now.
Kyle glanced at her neck. “She’s all cut up.”
The other woman shrugged, averting her eyes. “She wouldn’t be quiet.”
“Yeah, she has a problem with that, doesn’t she? I’ll teach her.” Kyle smirked at Faith, then turned to the woman who’d posed as the orderly. “Did anybody see you, Jenny?”
“There was some guy in the hallway outside her room, but I told him I was taking her for a test. And there was a boyfriend with her earlier when I brought in the flowers.”
“Boyfriend already? You move fast.” Kyle leered at Faith. “Where’s her phone?”
Jenny gave it to him. She must’ve taken it from Faith’s pocket. He switched it off and stowed it in his jacket.
“But nobody saw us come down here. I checked for cameras, like you said.” Jenny was fidgeting, moving her feet back and forth. Faith realized it now—Jenny’s mannerisms were those of a drug addict who needed a fix.
Kyle held out his hand. “Give me your knife.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I fucking said so.”
Don’t, Faith thought. Tell him no.
Jenny looked down at it in her hand. “But I need it. I gotta protect myself. You must have your own.”
“But I want that one.” Kyle grinned. He was enjoying this. Proving his power in the room.
Jenny handed the knife over, and Faith’s stomach dropped even further. Kyle palmed it.
“That’s more like it.” He pulled a small bundle of bills from his pocket. He held them out, then yanked them from Jenny’s reach. “Do I have to remind you what will happen if you tell anyone about this?”
Jenny shook her head vigorously, eyes on the filthy linoleum.
“That’s good. Cause I have enough shit to do without having to come after you, too.”
Jenny crammed the bills into her coat, then scurried out the door.
Faith heard her footsteps retreating down the hall.
Kyle turned around and faced her. His eyes took her in, glowing with pleasure at what he saw.
“Get away from me.” Faith tried to dart past him. She gasped as he lunged at her, pushing her hard into the wall. Faith kicked at his knee, but he easily deflected.
The knife blade went to her ribs, the tip sharp and threatening. The cut at her neck pulsed with pain, sticky and wet with blood.
“You’ve caused a hell of a lot of trouble for me.” His voice was frighteningly soft. Treacherous. “You must’ve thought I’m as spineless as your husband. Like my word doesn’t fucking mean anything. Makes me think you don’t know me at all, Faith.”
He kept coming, so close that his body pressed up against hers.
Her legs were shaking. Her teeth chattered, even though she clenched her jaw shut. She turned her head to the side, trying to somehow avoid him.
Her eyes caught on something on the ground, down at the base of the wall. A piece of metal.
Kyle grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “But don’t worry, we’re going to get to know each other even better. By the end of this, you’ll know just who I am.”
“Go. Away.”
He pulled back his hand and smacked her across the face. Another starburst of pain made her vision blur.
Kyle backed away, and she sucked in a grateful breath. The knife had left a hole in the front of her shirt, which was already soaked with blood at the collar. Her cheek stung and her eyes watered as she stared at the floor, finding the piece of metal again.
What was it?
Kyle took out his phone and held it to his ear.
“It’s me. Try to listen, even though that’s hard for you. Where are you right now?”
Faith knew he had to be talking to Jon.
Think, she told herself. Find a way out.
But what?
“If you ever want to see your wife again, you’ll do exactly what I say.
You know what I want. We’ll meet in twenty minutes at the West Oaks Hospital.
Tell a soul, and she’s dead. Have an independent thought in your brain, and she’s dead.
You just wait for me to call with the exact location for the trade. Got that? Twenty minutes.”