I couldn’t help but be thankful for the fact that Elias’ obsession was what had saved us. Not only my marriage, but, most importantly, my daughter’s life. Without his cameras, there was no way I would’ve made it in time. Without all the evidence on his computer, it may have been harder to nab him for his crimes.
The police still don’t know what he was planning to do with Rory once he’d finished with me, only that he’d told her to get dressed and pack a bag because they were leaving. He’d been so close to stealing her away from me…
Maybe he would’ve kept up the ruse forever. Lived the rest of his life as Brody. I couldn’t bear to think of it. If she’d packed faster, or if he hadn’t had her pack at all… There was a good chance Elias would be somewhere in the world with my baby girl, and I’d have no idea how to find her.
As I sat down at the counter, the door beyond the glass opened, and he walked in. He’d lost weight, his skin sallow and sagging off the bone. His eyes were dark as if he hadn’t slept in days. Maybe he hadn’t.
When he saw me, a sly smile lifted one corner of his mouth. He sank down in the chair across from me, lifting the phone to his ear. I did the same, his breath on the other end of the line sending chills across my skin.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” he whispered. How had I never seen the pure evil that lingered behind his eyes?
“This is the only time I’ll be here.”
“Oh, no. You don’t want to come visit me?” he teased. “I thought you were my best friend.”
I clenched my fist involuntarily. “You’re never going to see us again. Do you hear me? Rory. Addy. We’re moving. You’re stuck in here, and we’re out there. You’ll never see us again. Your plan failed, Elias. You failed.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asked, his voice a low growl. “You’re acting a little bit crazy right now. Maybe you should lie down.” He winked.
“Play your mind games all you want. It doesn’t matter to me. I won. Do you hear me, Elias? I won, and you’re stuck in here. You thought you could break me. You thought you could ruin me, but I won.”
He chuckled, the sound growing into a full-blown laugh.
I smacked my hand on the glass. “What the hell are you laughing about?”
“You think you’re free, but you’re not. You never will be, Wes. Don’t you get it? How will you ever feel safe? How often do you check over your shoulder, wondering if I’m watching you? How many cameras do you think you’ll be able to avoid forever? All of them? Even the ones you don’t know exist? I’ll get out of here someday, and I’ll find you… Maybe I’ll look a little different then. Maybe I’ll be calling you father-in-law by then.”
“You’ll never—” I smacked the glass, standing from my seat, but stopped, lowering my voice. I couldn’t let him get to me. That wasn’t why I was there.
I swallowed, watching the evil expression bring life to his face as I took a seat. “You’ll never get out of here. You went too far, Elias. You’re done. You’ll never have her.” I didn’t know who I was talking about—both of them, maybe.
His cocky grin made me sick. “You think you’re rid of me, but you don’t know the half of it. She was mine the day I met her, and she’ll always be mine,” he said. “I’ll never stop. Not until I take my last breath. So, feel free to run, Wes. Run away. But just know that I haven’t ever given up, and I won’t ever give up… I’ll be watching you again soon.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Actually, I will be watching you, Elias.”
It caught him off guard, his brow bouncing up.
“Oh, that’s right, I didn’t tell you. I figured out what I’m going to do now that I’m not with the agency, and the best part is that I get to do it from wherever I am. Anywhere in the world.”
“What are you talking about?” he sneered.
“See, it just so happens that I’ve been able to land a remote security monitoring position for this place. They needed someone to keep an eye on the prisoners…let them know when they’ve done something wrong so they can punish them. They have cameras everywhere here… The showers, the halls… Everywhere you go, I’ll be watching and reporting. There’s no privacy here, Elias. No secret room where you can be alone and live out your fucked-up fantasy. Well, unless you mean solitary confinement.” I stood up, tapping the counter. “I’ve heard that place can make a person go crazy… Gee, I hope you don’t have to spend any time in there.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as I lowered the phone slowly, letting what I’d said sink in. It was the first time I’d ever seen him look scared of anything. I spun around, walking away from him with a growing grin.
What I’d said wasn’t true, but that wasn’t what mattered.
He believed me. I’d seen it in his eyes.
I’d scared him for once.
He could live out his time with that niggle of fear in the back of his mind.
The guard opened the door, and I walked through, a free man.
Who’s paranoid now, bitch?
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