Page 48 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

“That would have been Ms.Bart,” Owen continued.“It makes sense that he would use the person closest to Simone.”He paced another lap.“The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced he has Evie somewhere on Ms.Bart’s property.”

“Didn’tthe other kids like you?”Evie pressed, knowing she might hit the wrong button.Working the handcuffs, she managed to slip one of her hands out.

Lawrence squeezed his eyes shut and started to shake his head.

“Did they make fun of you?”The other wrist had been secured better in the handcuffs.Panic gripped her.Her pulse raced.She could feel her heart hammering against the inside of her ribs.“Oh, they did, didn’t they?”

Hadn’t she detected a slight lisp?

“You talk funny, don’t you?And the other kids teased you.”

“Shut up.”He started humming loudly to drown her out.

“Lispy Larry,” she continued, continuing to distract him.Damn, the right wrist was too secure.She glanced around.What could she use to fight him off?

Lawrence’s eyes opened.His hands came down.“Take it back.”He came toward her like a missile on a mission.Once within arm’s reach, he slapped her across the face.

Her cheek felt like it just exploded, and her eye felt like it might pop out.

Evie refused to back down, to cower.“So, now, what?Do you like to hurt women?Is that how you get your kicks?”

Another blow caused her head to snap to the side.

Lawrence’s skinny fingers clawed her shirt.He jerked his hand away, ripping the cotton.“This is your fault.You did this.”

“I’m not my sister,” Evie said.“My name is Evie, not Simone.You have the wrong person.”

He blinked.“No, I don’t.”

“Simone ran away from town to get away from Lispy Larry.”Evie wriggled her wrist behind her back, praying she could find the right angle to slip out of the cuff.

“Liar.”This time, he backhanded her.“Screen Siren would never do that to me.She loved me.”

Evie laughed.It was forced, but Lawrence wouldn’t know the difference.“Is that what she told you?”

Her other cheek felt the explosion as his hand connected with the cheekbone.Despair clawed for purchase inside her mind.Let it take hold, and she would stop fighting.No way.With her last breath, she would continue to fight.

“She didn’t say those exact words,” he defended.“She said I was special.”

Another haughty laugh escaped.“And you think you’re the only screen buddy she ever said that to?”

Mind made up, he was going to have to kill her.She would never submit.

Her second break came when her wrist slipped out of the cuff.With free hands, she could do a lot of damage.

“You said that,” he corrected.“You said I was special, that what we had was special.”

“Was that before or after you sent more cash?”

Face muscles pulled taught in anger, shock, and disbelief, and he delivered another blow.This time, he caught her across the mouth.

Warmth flooded her.Blood.He’d popped her so hard, her tooth cut into the inside of her lip.She smiled at him anyway.

“See what you’ve done,” she said, showing him the blood she felt on her teeth.“Am I beautiful to you now?After you’ve beaten me?Is this how you saw your relationship go down?Forcing another human being to do something that makes her want to gag?”

He reared his hand back to deliver another blow, then caught himself mid-strike.He sat back on his heels and smiled.“I know what you’re trying to do to me.You think I like it rough.You think fighting is my kink.But you guessed wrong, Screen Siren.”

“My name is Evie.”She injected truth to break through the fantasy.If she could burst the bubble, could she break the person?“I work in Dallas.I’m living in my sister’s house because she is away on a trip.”The last lie was solely to keep the possibility of fulfilling his fantasy alive in order to spare Evie.“Evie,” she repeated.“Say it.”

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