“Killed her dog. I buried him somewhere.” He laughed again. “I forget where. My sister was oh, so frantic, trying to find him. I think she cried for weeks.”
“They’ll catch you,” Jordan warned. “You know that, right?”
“No, they won’t. Aren’t you listening? I told you I’m going to leave. Get your head out of the clouds for once and pay attention, buddy. I already got offered a job in South Dakota. So, I’ll be moving. I told you, I always have a plan.”
Jordan decided to play a bluff. “They’re onto you now, Kent. They know where I am. They’re coming for you.”
Kent walked toward him. “Really? Is that so? Well, in that case, I have no choice but to kill you and the girl right now.” He looked over at her. “Do you want me to do her first?”
He stepped away to grab a tire iron from the table. Holding it tightly in his hand, he stood in a batting position.
“Batter up!”
“No, don’t!” Jordan cried out. “I lied. They aren’t coming. Please don’t hurt her.”
Kent frowned. “Why do you have to spoil my fun? Aren’t we friends?”
“Listen, you can put a stop to this, okay?” Jordan said. “Please.”
“My sister was beautiful, you know?” Kent told him. “But she was always so jealous of me. That’s why she convinced my parents I was crazy. She wanted me out of the picture. And her little scheme worked. But I got my revenge. I stabbed her to death. Her white-trash boyfriend got the blame for it, too.”
“Okay, so you killed your sister because she hated you. What did the other women do to you?”
Kent smiled. “They reminded me of her. I just couldn’t escape dear sweet Georgia. Then I soon found something out.”
He walked back over to Jordan and leaned into his ear to whisper the words.
“I rather liked it.”
75
“KENT,” JORDAN PLEADED. “Stop what you’re doing.”
“Why?” Kent asked, pretending to whine. He stamped his foot. “Why is it every time a prisoner knows they are going to die, they have a tiny bit of hope that if they beg like worthless dogs, they’ll be freed?”
Jordan didn’t respond. Despite the cold, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
“I really want an answer,” Kent said. He went to work at unchaining the FBI agent’s girlfriend’s wrists.
Jordan’s own wrists were sore from trying to break his own chains.
Kent tossed the girl onto the tarp like she was nothing but a rag doll. He grabbed the tire iron from the table and turned to stare at her. She tried to roll to her knees, but each time, she fell back down.
“Don’t do it, man,” Jordan said when Kent began to near the girl.
Kent ignored the plea and connected the edge of the tire iron to her knees. The only sound the woman made was a sharp, agonizing gasp.
“Stop it!”
Kent landed another blow against her temple. She fell backward, hitting her head on the cemented ground.
“Kent!”
“Will you shut up?”
Kent ran to him and slammed the tire iron against Jordan’s temple.
Stars exploded in front of his eyes.
Kent hit him again and now Jordan could taste blood in his mouth.
Jordan fought against the pain and looked into Kent’s angry face. He forced a weak laugh, which was even more painful, but he didn’t care.
“Is that all you’ve got, friend?” He lifted his head to see the chains. “You’ve got me chained to the wall and you’re beating me. Why is that? Are you afraid I’ll manage to defend myself? Come on, man. You want to act all macho and everything, fight me like a man.”
“I’m going to tape your mouth shut.” Kent grabbed a roll from the nearby table and began to draw out a long slip of tape.
“That’s right, I forgot,” Jordan said. “You’re not a man. You kidnap women, beat them until they can’t take anymore, then you murder them.”
Kent jerked the piece of tape from the roll.
“You want to know the real reason you never could find a happy family?” Jordan taunted. “It’s because even at a young age, they knew you wouldn’t grow up to be a man. They knew you wouldn’t be worth it. That you weren’t worth loving.”
Kent placed the tape over Jordan’s mouth.
“I said shut up,” he grumbled.
He turned to face the girl.
“Reporters ruin all the fun, don’t they? I’m sorry about that. Where were we? Ah. Yes. Now I remember.”
He swung the tire iron against the woman’s shoulder.
Kent’s laugh began to fade as Jordan fought against the pain. He couldn’t pass out. He refused.
He looked around the dark basement, trying to figure out a way to save the girl and himself.
But unless Kent unchained him, he was helpless.
Something vibrated against the far table. Kent stepped over to retrieve the phone.
“Y'all sit still, all right? I’ll be back in a second.”
Kent disappeared up the stairs and then the door closed behind him.
Jordan watched as Agent O’Reilly’s girlfriend lay on the ground.
She turned to face him, her face shining with blood and tears. She crawled to the table where the keys were, but she couldn’t stand to grab them.
Come on, you can do it, he thought.
As though she read his mind, she tried to lift herself but again failed.
This time, she stayed on the floor and continued to cry.
He spoke through the tape but knew she wouldn't be able to understand him.
“I can’t do it,” she cried. “I think he broke my knees.”
He wanted to tell her that if she could get him down, he’d protect her.
The woman’s eyes skirted to the door before she tried to heave herself to her feet again. Finally, she was able
