Page 101 of My Turn

“Do you like Saw?” I asked.

“Saw?” he rasped. His fingers were trying to get between the rope and his neck, but it was too tight with the tension.

“Yeah. Deadly, high-stakes games. You can save yourself, but it’s gonna suck in one way or another.”

“W-why?”

“A test of character, maybe. See, you’ve proven to be more than an asshole. You want to use people to dig yourself out of a hole. Tell me, Mike. Did you kill your wife?”

His eyes widened. “Of course not! She was in a car accident.”

I nodded slowly. “Fair enough. What about Jake? She left him everything and you were angry. That sounds like motive, Mike.”

“You’re insane. I didn’t do anything.”

“Do you think everyone will believe that? I mean, he had everything Hailey owned, Alicia’s estate, and he was trying to get custody. I can see how the guilt for setting that fire would drive you to kill yourself.”

Mike looked up at the beam, realization setting in. “Please, don’t.”

“Relax. I told you I’d give you a chance.”

“Anything. I’ll do anything.”

Turning around, I opened the garage door. When I grabbed my motivator, she screamed. It was muffled by the cover over her head, but it still made me wince. Dragging her into the living room, I forced her onto her knees.

“You wanted to put yourself above Alana, to trick and manipulate her. You would’ve fucked her, wouldn’t you?”

He stared at us in horror as her shoulders heaved with her sobs. “What is this? What are you doing?”

“This is your chance. I want you to choose.”

“Choose what?” he cried.

“Whose life is more important.”

“No, no, no.” He shook his head frantically. “You can’t do that. Youwouldn’tdo that.”

“You know nothing about me.”

“You love her.”

I cocked my head. “I was obsessed. It’s different. She pissed me off and I found myself free of it. Killing her sounds better than loving her, actually. I mean, I dideverythingfor Alana and all she’s done is deny her feelings. She wanted nothing to do with me after you ran off earlier.”

“You can’t do this!”

“She’s a pain in my ass,” I continued. Pulling a knife from my pocket, I poised it at her throat. “Maybe I’ll just do it anyway.”

“No!” he shouted.

“You’ll die for her?”

His mouth snapped shut and he averted his gaze. When it was clear he wouldn’t answer, I returned to the garage.

“Let’s sweeten the pot.”

It was easier to drag the smaller girl into the room. She fell to the ground and covered her head.

“Oh my god,” Mike gasped. “Is that…”

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