Page 37 of Strings Attached
24
Trust
Sneaking into Jack’s home was getting expensive. Why did he have to live so far out from downtown?
Privacy to murder.
I went back into his home, using the same method as last time. Before checking the desk, I grabbed a stool, pulled it to the shelf, and climbed. I didn’t want to take the chance he’d discover the camera, so I took it down, proud I’d gotten away with all this. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him—I kept repeating that to myself. Still, I couldn’t help the pang of guilt churning my stomach.
When the camera was back in my messenger bag, I strode to the desk, eager to finally see what the red binder held inside. I pulled out the drawers in the same order he had, and finally, the middle one. My pulse quickened when the binder came into view, and I grabbed it with trembling hands. I let out a breath as I grabbed the cover and opened it.
Empty save for a note.
I don’t tolerate betrayal, Jill.
The words didn’t make sense at first. It was as though I understood them, but they weren’t registering inside my mind. I dropped the binder and took a step back as though it would suddenly attack me. He knew. How? I closed the drawer and rushed to the door, grabbing my bag as I went.
Locked.
It was as though my heart was stuck in my throat, and I couldn’t breathe. Why was it suddenly locked? What happened? The doorknob turned, but it hit something with a heavy clunk. I ran to the windows, but my heart sank when I realized most didn’t open; the few that did had bars at the bottom or were too small for me to get out of.
My breath was shallow as I stared around. Black spots obscured my vision, and I crouched on the floor, dropping my head low. I had to think. There had to be a way out. No way would I stay here and wait for him to come home.
He already knows.
No. He couldn’t. I’d been so careful. Chills ran down my spine as I straightened and looked around. The elevator. Maybe the basement had a way out of here. I ran to it, shaking as I opened the freight door and stepped inside. My fingers trembled as I pressed the button to go down, and I held my breath. All I had to do was find a door. Or something. If worse came to worst, I could hide somewhere and try leaving when he got back and the door unlocked again.
Why was it locked? The question kept repeating in my head over and over again.
The elevator stopped, and the freight door was already opened. My mind went blank as I stared at Jack.
He stood in the middle of the room, near a tarp on the floor, arms crossed. His calm exterior didn’t match the fire burning in his eyes, and I took a step back. I’d never seen him this angry before. Was this what he looked like beneath the mask when he was about to kill people?
“Jill, Jill, Jill,” he cooed my name, and for once, it didn’t send the usual butterflies in my stomach.
I backed away as he approached, raising my hands up as though that would somehow stop him. “Please no. No, no.” Tears flooded my eyes, and I didn’t care I was crying. I was terrified. Not of death but of dying then and there. It wasn’t time yet.
I backed into the corner of the elevator, and he stopped a few feet away. He was beyond angry; he was furious. He didn’t look it, but I could tell by the way he stared at me. This wasn’t something bargaining could fix.
“Do you really think I’d keep any trophies here?” he asked quietly. “And don’t you think I’d already have cameras installed here to keep people out?”
My heart hammered in my chest. “I?”
“Imagine my surprise last night when I got an alert that someone broke into my home.” He slid his hand behind my head, grabbing a fistful of my hair. “I watched you install that little camera of yours, and all I had to do was play your little game.” He wrenched back, and I hissed through my teeth at the pain.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Not yet.”
“Please tell me how to fix this. I’ll do anything. Please, Jack.”
He stared at me for a few seconds. “You want tofixit?”
“Yes,” I nodded despite it pulling harder on my hair. “I want... I need you to forgive me.”
He scoffed and released his grip as he took a step back. “Betrayal isn’t something?”
I fell to my knees and crawled toward him. I wasn’t afraid of dying. Not even if it was then and there, but to have him angry with me in my last moments? That I couldn’t deal with.
