That was the best part.
I grew hard thinking about the moment she comprehended what was happening to her—when she finally realized she was the reason for the fall of man. I’d seen it so many times before.
The understanding.
The fear.
The horror.
The shock of pain would wake her from unconsciousness just long enough for me to choke the life from her whoring body, then she’d lie with the fish at the bottom of the Ohio River. With any luck, she’d be swept down to the waters of the Mississippi before summer came.
So many questions… she shouldn’t have asked so many questions.
She should have been more like Gianna, and this wouldn’t have happened. My girl wouldn’t have pushed me like Cynthia did. My girl was soft and complacent, submissive in all the right ways. She had even stopped getting mad at me after I hit her. She understood my power. She knew I didn’t mean to hurt her. My girl loved me—and I missed my girl. Oh, how I missed her.
She thought I didn’t know where she was. Right. As if I would ever actually lose track of her. She thought she’d been so clever, but I’d had eyes on her almost from the moment she left for New York thanks to Teddy. Gianna had put too much faith in him. Her trusted ex-boss spilled his guts to Natalia, which made finding her all too easy.
“Gia is safe. She didn’t want me to tell you but I know you’ll worry. I’m taking her to New York. I’ve got a friend there who can help her out with an apartment and keep an eye on her.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Natalia was a flake. Putting a tap on her phone had been a cakewalk. She never noticed because she never paid attention to anything. She was too busy putting hashtags all over social media.
Hashtag ridiculous.
While I’d never really paid much attention to her mundane conversations, I was glad I’d had the foresight to put the tap in place. It was worth listening to years of her meaningless ramblings because I eventually heard the conversation that mattered most—the one between her and Teddy that told me where to find my girl. All I had to do was track down one Oscar Tomasz, then finding Gianna had been simple.
Since then, I’d taken a few weekend trips to New York to check on her. I’d immediately hated what she did to her hair. My girl used to have beautiful golden locks—but now? Now, she looked like a dirty little tomboy.
Still, I needed to see her again soon. Everything had been all wrong ever since the day she left. I tried to stay focused, to be steadfast as my mother taught me to be, but nothing felt right. I needed her with me again, so I could find balance.
In time, I would have her again. Gianna just needed to get over this phase. My girl knew we belonged together. This was just a fight. All couples have them. In the end, she couldn’t resist me. She’d be back with me soon enough, and all would be okay again.
This, too, shall pass.
In no time at all, I was back on West 4th, and parking the BMW in my reserved space in the parking garage. Climbing out of the car, I decided to leave the bag in the trunk for the time being. I would return for it later.
Right now, all I needed was the iron.
The late hour meant the building was relatively quiet and I made it to my condo without seeing a single soul. Good. I didn’t need any more run-ins with the Mr. Broderick’s of the world.
After inserting my key into the lock, I opened the door and immediately noticed something was off. The tablecloth on the dining room table was uneven. It had shifted, almost as if someone had accidentally brushed against it. There was a small smudge near the corner—a reddish-brown stain—on the pristine, white linen.
Dried blood.
I glanced down the hallway. The white door for the White Room was open.
I thought I had closed it.
No, I had definitely closed it.
Rushing down the hall, I scrambled into the room. Bloodstains remained on the white carpet, smearing across the nylon fibers, signaling someone had crawled across it—and Cynthia was gone.
22
Val (Gianna)
Queens, New York
With my eyes wide and mouth in the shape of an O, I leaned closer to the bathroom mirror and slowly applied black mascara root to tip. When I was finished, I stood up straight, blinked a few times, then sighed.
“Oh my God, Nat! What am I doing? I must be crazy—I am so not ready for this.”
Exasperated, I tossed the mascara back into my makeup bag.
“You told Derek to ask you again in six months. I think it’s romantic he remembered,” Natalia said through the speaker of the phone propped up on the bathroom counter.
“I don’t need romance. I thought I had that once and look where it got me.”
“That was a long time ago. Besides, you already said yes. You can’t bail on the guy now. You even bought a new outfit for the occasion. You’ve got this, girl.”
“I know, and honestly, I don’t want to bail. I’m just nervous, you know? What if I’m not ready? I mean, if he tries to kiss me or…” I trailed off, not wanting to let on how worried I was about freezing up during a moment of intimacy. Just the mere thought of taking that sort of plunge again made me anxious.
“Derek is not Ethan. You know that.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts!” Natalia scolded. “Let’s go through this again. Tell me the reasons for finally saying yes to a dinner with Derek.”
“It was all the dog’s fault. He tied a note to her collar, asking me out on a date. How could I possibly say no to Maisie’s adorable puppy eyes?”
Natalia chuckled.
“He’s definitely creative—I’ll give him that much—but I’m serious. Why did you finally say yes?”
Thinking about all the tiny, yet significant, things Derek did, I smiled and bit my lower lip.
“He brought me vanilla lattes from La Biga because he just so happened to have walked by there—almost every single day,” I added with a laugh. “It’s too bad they aren’t a publicly-traded company. I would have bought stock. His purchases alone would have made me rich!”
“Okay, what else?”
“He showed me all around the city so I could feel more comfortable with the area. He sends me motivational text messages on the mornings I’m scheduled to train with him.”
“And?” she pushed.
I recalled the many times I caught him staring at me in appreciation when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. The way he looked at me made me feel whole and incredibly feminine. It always made me smile, but I didn’t need to tell Natalia all that. I knew where she was going with this.
“Look, Nat. I get what you’re trying to do here. You have to understand the way I see things. Yes, I’m stronger and more confident now—more so than I’ve ever been before in my life, but I can’t help but wonder if the coffee Derek bought for me so different from the daisies Ethan used to buy me? I allowed myself to be wooed once before, and it turned out to be a disaster. I know Derek is nothing like Ethan, but I’m allowed to be worried about the possibility of things going terribly wrong.”
“And it might. Who knows? Life happens. But at least you’re going into the evening, knowing you weren’t pressured by some crazy, possessive guy. Derek respected your boundaries and honored your wishes about taking things slow. Don’t forget that.”