Page 75 of Deadline for Love

I was scared.

I was terrified, and I realized that my life was in danger. All the last moments I had with the people I loved the most flashed in my head like a movie. I hadn’t experienced many things yet, I hadn’t done many things yet, and, above all, I hadn’t expressed how much I loved my friends and family.

Did the girls who were murdered have the same fear and thoughts as me?

My heart tightened, and the crushing feeling spread to the pit of my stomach. Life was far too short to do everything right, to know right away what was right or wrong. But where had my first mistake been? Was it my mistake that I was weak? Was it my fault that I knew the murderer?

“You’re about to pass out on me.” A cool hand touched my cheek, causing me to recoil in shock. A sweat of fear formed on my forehead, and my legs began to tremble. Julian, who was far too close, grinned at my reaction and grabbed my face.

Only now did I realize that the car was parked in front of a store that looked empty. There were buildings around us, but they looked empty, too. Then I remembered... It was an old industrial street no longer inhabited after a fire five years ago. And I knew that a few meters away was completely uninhabited. If I managed to run away, I might be able to get help.

I was promptly torn from my thoughts when Julian stuck something in my mouth and then dug his hand into my hair; he started pulling hard, and my scream was caught by the tape. He dragged me out of the car by force and then lifted me up. My arms were useless because of that stupid rope. Despite this, I tried to free myself, but he was still much stronger than me even if he didn’t look like it. He hissed in rage and shook his head at my futile resistance.

He opened the door and pushed me in, causing me to hit the ground first and bang my head against the concrete floor. My face contorted in pain. The impact was violent, and I lay therehelplessly. Before I could calm down at all, I was dragged deeper into the room by my legs and then lifted onto a wooden chair. He roughly picked up my arms and dropped them behind the chair’s backrest.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to wait a little longer before I can start.” He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back to make me look at him. With a quick movement of his hand, he pulled the tape off my mouth, and I yelped at the pain of the adhesive pulling from my skin.

He released his grip, and my head automatically went back down. I gasped for air and tried to collect myself. I tried to think more clearly again, but I was relatively certain I had a concussion and aside from that, my great was all but paralyzing.

“Hey, that’s enough. I’m talking to you!”

Julian knelt in front of me, grabbed my chin, and forced me to look into his poisonous blue eyes again.

“Do you know what I hate the most? I hate being ignored.” He pressed on my thigh with a sharp object that I imagined was probably a knife. I felt like I was losing consciousness, but somehow, it helped me to think clearly again. The spot went numb, and I felt something wet.

I bit down hard on my lower lip and stared back in anger.

“We don’t even know each other.” I forced my voice out of tightly pressed lips, which sounded pained and harsh.

At this comment, he pushed harder against my leg and then threw away the thing he had just stabbed me with.

It had been a screwdriver, which now lay with my blood on the gray asphalt floor. The room we were in looked like a flower shop. It was big with old burnt pots laying in the corners. Dust and the smell of burnt wood hung in the air.

“It wasn’t my idea to choose you to talk about my art. But when I observed you a little, you aroused my interest. Too bad you ruined everything.”

He raised his hand and tapped my mouth, making me flinch again.

“I have two more women here, I was going to take care of them today, but you fucked up all my plans.” He grabbed my shoulder with one hand, and the other went over to the buttons of my blouse.

“But my masterpiece will be complete with you. I already have a beautiful picture in my head.”

I felt sick at his words, and it only worsened when he started unbuttoning my blouse with his filthy hands.

“Wait! Let me do that.”

All the hairs on my neck stood up when I heard an old, familiar voice behind me. My heart stopped. Time stopped. My breathing stopped.

Another hand gently placed itself on my shoulder, and I didn’t want to turn my face to check if I was right. But I didn’t have to because Julian climbed to his feet and clapped his hands joyfully, gesturing for his companion to take his part.

The hand on my shoulder moved away, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to acknowledge it.

“Open your eyes, ma Bella. Look at me.”

I shook my head violently, but he stopped me with a gentle touch and stroked my hair. Tears wanted to fight their way through my eyes, but I held them back.

I couldn’t think anymore when I lifted my gaze and looked straight into green eyes staring at me lovingly. Was that even loving? Could I even interpret the feelings? Did I even know the person?

“Fernando,” I managed to get out in a hoarse voice, “Please... tell me it’s all just a bad dream.”

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