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“That was before someone tried to kidnap her. And before I got to spend time with her.”
“Hey.” I move closer to her and wrap an arm around her. “Everything will be fine. You still have me.”
“I know that.” Triss hugs Lara. “I just… can’t stand the thought of not seeing her again.”
I hug them both. “You don’t know that for sure, either. You may yet see her again.”
Triss doesn’t answer. She just holds Lara tight. I notice someone staring at us so I pull away.
“Maybe we should go back to the hotel room,” I suggest.
Triss nods. “Okay.”
She stands up. I frown because she still looks gloomy.
“We can order room service,” I say in an effort to cheer her up as we start walking. “They have ice cream on the menu. You love ice cream, don’t you?”
Triss stops. “Actually, I think I want something else. Sally said something about a cafe that sells chocolate strawberry cake. She said it was the best she ever tasted. I think she said the name of the cafe was ‘Whip and Wish’. Something like that.”
“Sure,” I say. “I’ll put you and Lara in a cab and I’ll go look for the cake.”
Finally, she smiles. “Thanks.”
~
I walk across the lobby of the hotel half an hour later. The cafe was just a block away from the park so I was able to reach it by walking. The problem was that there was no chocolate strawberry cake on display. I had to wait ten minutes for the baker to finish one.
I glance at the box I’m carrying. I hope this cake is as good as Sally said.
I step into the elevator and press the button for the tenth floor. When it stops there, I walk down the hall to the room where I know Triss and Lara are waiting. I have my own keycard so I slip it in.
The door opens. I push it and enter the room. My eyebrows furrow as I fail to see Triss and Lara.
“Triss?”
I put the cake down on the table and look around. Lara’s baby bag is on the bed next to Triss’s purse. They were here. So where are they now?
Suddenly, a blow lands on the back of my neck. Before I can process the pain, I go numb. My thoughts blur. The last thing I hear is the sound of myself falling on the floor before my senses shut down and my mind goes blank.
Chapter Nineteen
Triss
Where am I?
I try to answer that question as I throw my gaze around the room.
I’m in a garage. That much I can tell from the steel door. There’s no vehicle parked here, though. No shelves. No boxes. In fact, there’s nothing here but me.
And bloodstains on the concrete floor that send a stab of fear into the pit of my stomach.
I nearly scream but realize I can’t. There’s a piece of cloth stuck between my teeth. I can’t take it off because my wrists are tied behind me. My ankles are bound, too.
The fear in my stomach rises to my throat.
There’s only one person I can think of who would have done this.
Just then, the door from the house opens. The man who appears in front of me with his crooked grin and pierced ears confirms my suspicion and escalates my fears.
No.
“Hello, darling,” Jim greets me in his croaky voice. “Did you miss me?”
I breathe through my nose as my chest tightens. It suddenly feels like there’s a bomb strapped to it, set to explode. There’s a lump in my throat the size of a pear.
“No?” Jim frowns. “You mean you didn’t even cry for me when you thought I was dead?”
I wish you were dead. That’s what I’d tell him if I wasn’t gagged.
“I thought I was dead,” he goes on. “Imagine my surprise when I woke up at the hospital. Guess I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”
Unfortunately.
He takes off his shirt. I see nearly identical scars in four of the spots where I stabbed him. The fifth one is on his leg.
“Five stab wounds.” Jim holds up five fingers. “And not one killed me. You’re some kind of stupid, aren’t you?”
I should have stabbed him straight in the heart. Or maybe the throat. Why didn’t I?
He grins. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you how to do it right. Now that I know you can kill, I might have a job for you.”
What? He’s crazy if he thinks I’m going back with him, much less working for him.
“See how kind I am.” He stretches his arms. “I’m willing to forgive you and take you back even though you tried to kill me. All you have to do is beg for my forgiveness and tell me you love me.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Never.
He takes off my gag. “Well, go on.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going back, Jim.”
