Chapter 55 #2
I cough and wheeze, trying to keep my mind from spiraling from the surge of pain. Once I catch my breath, I’m back at it—at least verbally.
“And how is making her parents mad at her, thinking she bid for something that she didn’t, considered protecting her? That was a public event, and it could have embarrassed her.”
“You don’t get it, which is yet another reason why you are not worthy of her. You are not willing to do what she needs. I would never embarrass Harlow. Never! Now, her parents? Well, if making the way they treat their only child public knowledge is embarrassing, that’s not my fault.”
A round of violent coughing shakes my chest and the asshole glares at me for the interruption.
“It’s called accountability, and they are long overdue for a hefty dose of it.
The way they treat her—my sweet angel—is horrible and unacceptable.
She doesn’t need to be protected from them.
She needs someone to be willing to expose them for who they really are.
” He looks at his watch, muttering something I can’t hear.
“Did Harlow say that?”
He jerks his head up. “What?”
“Did you ask her if that’s what she wanted?
Or did she say that’s what she wanted?” Harlow is extremely guarded when it comes to talking about her relationship with her parents with anyone, and the fact that this guy even knows how they treat her feels like a violation in itself, before considering how far he oversteps whatever role he thinks he has in her life.
He rears his head back in disgust. “No, why would I ask her that? I don’t need to ask her when it comes to things like that. I know her. I know what she needs.”
“And you think she wanted to be perceived as better than them in front of her parents’ social circle? That’s not what Harlow wants, and you’d know that if you ever asked. She doesn’t care if people think she’s better than her shitty parents.”
“She is better than them! I didn’t account for the loser whose company ran the auction to try and take credit for the whole thing, but he’s still on my list to deal with.”
“How would you know that he did that?” As far as I’m aware, Harlow didn’t tell anyone about Stuart cornering her and physically intimidating her.
The man looks off into the distance with a gleam in his eye and a soft smile that sends chills down my spine. “I was watching. I’ve been watching her for years.”
“What?” My voice is barely a whisper.
“It’s not even that hard these days, so long as you know how to cover your tracks.”
He puffs his chest out at that. Does this asshole seriously think I’m impressed by any of this? None of it outweighs the very real fact that this guy fucking kidnapped me.
“Privacy is an illusion these days. People think if they close the blinds, no one can see inside. But then they overlook covering the camera on their smartphone or tablet. When someone is looking for a potential weakness, they very well may overlook one that's already exposed.”
He drones on, pacing in front of me as he fiddles with the cuffs of his sleeve, attempting to sharpen the already crisp crease. “Technology just makes it easier to see people for who they are. What they care about. What they believe they deserve. Knowing that is everything.”
“So,” I nod, “you’re a hacker that understands how people work.”
He shrugs, but his smirk confirms it. “Layman’s terms, I suppose that’s accurate. But it’s more than that. I’ve discovered over the years how much I enjoy watching events I’ve orchestrated play out.”
“Oh, yeah? Like what?” Keep him talking. That has to be a good thing, right?
“Did you know that most city parks do not include video surveillance? At least, not enough to cover the entire park. But if someone does see a surveillance camera, they don’t think anything of it.
We live in an era of digital surveillance, and it’s as common as the newspaper, although those are technically less common than they used to be, but I think you can follow me. ”
“You watch parks? Like a creep?”
“I don’t … what? No, I don’t watch parks, you moron.
I enjoy watching events I set up in real time.
” He throws his head back in frustration.
“Harlow would appreciate the finesse required for this, and it’s just …
lost on you. But if I brought someone to the park and left their body to be discovered, I had surveillance measures in place, so I could watch them discover and process the scene. ”
I think this guy just admitted to killing people and leaving them in parks? What the fuck?
“Wouldn’t they find the cameras and have proof of your crimes?”
He grins as he moves back to the chair and sits down, crossing his legs, and I notice he starts to flex his left hand. He rolls out his shoulders before pulling a phone out of his pocket and doing something on the screen. A phone.
That’s something that could actually help me.
“One would think, but I designed them to appear outdated, and if anyone tampers with them other than me, they wipe all data. I have them do that anyway once I have footage secured in my private cloud storage.”
“Why would you do that?”
“So, I can watch—and then watch again anytime I want.” He nods to the corner of the room where a small ominous red light is slowly blinking. “After I kill you, I’ll have the digital footage to keep the memory forever.”
Well … shit.
That’s a pretty big problem.