I turned my head, watching Gabe through lowered lids. He was a vision, but the tension in his neck gave away his anxiety. I’d mistaken it for excitement. I should’ve prepared him better.
He’d fumbled at the scene of the accident, tripping over every task and almost bumbling my carefully orchestrated timeline. Capturing Jillian should’ve taken under one minute, but it had taken much longer. We weren’t far enough away from the crash site for my peace of mind, but it didn’t seem as if anyone had followed us off the city streets and onto the highway. Despite Gabe’s ineptitude, everything had turned out fine. Fate was smiling down on me, as she always had.
“You’re going to enjoy this, Gabe.”
“Sir?”
“There’s nothing like having complete control over another living thing. I wish I could’ve taken you to Detroit.” A wistful smile spread over my lips. “Maybe I’ll find another, and we’ll do it again. You don’t have a twin, do you?”
“I-I don’t have any siblings, sir.”
“It’s probably for the best.” I focused on my breathing, which had grown ragged. Every breath was torture, and a thick fog hung in my mind, muddling my thoughts. My eyes grew heavy, the smooth road beneath the tires soothing the throbbing ache in my head.
“Clements Ferry Road is the next exit. Where do I go from there?”
His voice startled me. I blinked, turning to the clock and hissing on an inward breath. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Yes, sir.”
My head ached a little less than before as I turned to look in the back seat. The woman was curled into a ball on the floor, so limp I was sure she was dead. But she coughed and wheezed, moaning a few times before going silent again.
“There’s an unmarked road on the left about two miles down. You’ll miss it if you’re not paying attention.”
“Understood.” He cast a worried glance my way. “Are you feeling any better?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped. “Just took a hit in the crash, I guess. I don’t remember.”
“I saw a sign for an urgent care. We can drop her off at the warehouse, and I’ll bring you back—”
“No,” I shouted, and immediately regretted it as his face fell and he looked wounded. My jaw clenched, causing the pain in my head to swell. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“Of course, sir.”
I pointed at a narrow opening between two trees that concealed an almost dirt drive. “There’s the turn.”
Tips of tree branches screeched against the metal roof, making my teeth vibrate as he turned in, and I cringed. Gabe eased the large SUV through the gap, bouncing through the ruts.
“Take it easy,” I growled.
“Sorry.”
“Follow this until you get to the end.” I closed my eyes again. This time, I didn’t doze, every bump and jolt jarring me down to my bones. A few minutes later the driveway smoothed out and took a sharp left turn. “Park around the back.”
When the SUV stopped, I forced myself upright and opened the door. The familiar scent of untamed woods that surrounded the dilapidated building quickened my pulse. Memories faded, but scents stuck with a person for most of their lifetime. And this scent; this was the fragrance of fear and power. Of desperate choices and pointless bargains. This was the warehouse I’d taken Ellie to on that dark night and the place I’d killed countless young women who could never hold a candle to Ellie’s flame.
Gabe let out a shuddering breath and shifted in the seat. “What about the girl?”
I turned to the back seat, surprised to see she was still breathing. “Take her inside. We’ll tie her up like we did before.”
My assistant paused before saying, “Okay.”
“Ernest, I need you to hurry.” I sputtered, realizing I was calling him by the wrong name. I shook my head to try to clear it, then pressed my hands to my temples when it threatened to explode with the movement. “Gabe. Hurry.”
“Of course, sir.”
Lumbering to the front of the warehouse, I took my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the padlock that secured the rusted metal door. A quick scan of the surrounding area showed no threat, only a sedate country view. I was nervous, which was unlike me. But I chalked it up to bringing the woman here in broad daylight.
I did my best work at night.
I held the door open while Gabe lumbered in under Jillian’s dead weight. One hand hung limp, banging against the side of his leg with every step. Her foot hit the doorframe, her shoe slipping off. Kicking it through the opening, smiling as the memory of another one-shoed girl made my pulse hum. I switched on a flashlight and let the door close behind us.
Her constant, labored breathing echoed off the cinder brick walls as I glanced around my old playground. The chair in the middle of the room was crumbling, over a decade old, and well used. But then I blinked, and in its place was the wooden phlebotomist’s chair I’d placed there on Monday. A fresh roll of rope balanced on the wide arm.
Rubbing my eyes, I fought the flashes of the past that floated through my mind. They were melting together, making it hard for me to distinguish between now and then.
I stumbled to the sink at the wall and turned the cold water on. The pipes knocked and sputtered, spewing brown iron-stained water for several seconds before it ran clear. I inhaled, and when I was sure the water was safe, cupped my hands together and splashed the icy liquid over my face.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Are you all right, sir?”
“I’m fine, just tired. Is the girl in the chair?”
He nodded.
“Good. Help me tie her down.”
We made quick work of securing her, the industrial rope strong enough to hold a raging bull. But this captive was docile, still completely unconscious.
“What now?” Gabe asked when we were done.
“I have some errands
