Page 84 of Jessica's Hero
“Please,” I plead. “Just let me go. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I know you won’t,” Adam chuckles. “Because you’ll be dead. That’s the most effective way of covering your tracks, you know. Making sure there’s no one alive to report you.”
“Adam. Please. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but you’re making a mistake.”
“But I’m not. None of my victims are mistakes.”
Victims? As in plural? As in, I’m not the first?
“But I have to say, I’ve been waiting to use this location for a while.” His arm tightens around me as we head down a flight of stairs, his footsteps echoing on metal with every step. “I wouldn’t recommend struggling,” he adds. “Or I might drop you. And then you’ll probably end up with a broken neck. Which, again, isn’t really what I’m going for.”
A flare of anger makes me snap, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to ruin your plans, would I?”
He stops. And for a moment, I wonder if he’s about to fling me down the stairs, anyway. “I could be angry with your attitude,” he finally says. “But actually, I like it. It’s more fun this way. Rather than you just passively taking it like some of the others.”
Then he continues his way down the stairs, humming as he goes. And that’s actually creepier than anything he’ssaid so far. Just hearing this odd, off-tune melody that sounds like a messed up version of a child’s lullaby.
I think about my necklace again, wondering if it’ll still work despite the metal walls, or if the signal will be blocked. If I can somehow trigger the alert once Adam puts me down. And desperately, I wish Kane was already headed here. That he’ll come to my rescue like he always has.
We keep descending deeper and deeper, down at least five flights of stairs. The walls are dark with mold and rust, and a rotten scent grows worse the further we go.
Then Adam stops again. Bends down to set me on the ground. He straightens, stretching his arms above his head and rotating his neck. “For such a skinny girl, you weigh more than I thought you would,” he grouches. “I’m going to need to schedule a massage after this.”
Rage surges again. This asshole knocked me out, kidnapped me, tied me up and threatened to kill me. And now he’s whining about how I’m too heavy? Which I’m not, for the record. Not just complaining, but talking about getting a massage afterwards?
Wriggling into a seated position, I glare at him. “Why are you doing this? I never did anything to you.”
Adam stares at me. A few seconds go by before he says, “I wasn’t going to kill you. Not at first. I admit, I had fun messing with you. Breaking your birdhouses, leaving footsteps around your house—I used boots that were too big, just in case—and then moving all your furniture around. That was probably my favorite. You looked so scared when you raced outside after that.”
“Youdid that?”
“I did.” His smile shifts to a scowl. “Not the rocks. Thatwas that stupid bitch. She had no right. You were mine to screw with. Not hers. So… I had to punish her.”
My heart skitters in fear. “What did you do?”
“I killed her.” Adam bends down so his face is level with mine. “She made you leave your house. Made you move in with that cop. And she was just like the other ones.”
“The… other ones?”
“Yes.” Like a flipped switch, his scowl stretches into a smile again. “The others. Women who think they’re too good for a regular guy like me. Women who only care about how they look. About milking men for money so they can buy fancy clothes and jewelry.”
“I don’t?—”
“Youdidn’t.” Adam’s expression turns thunderous. “You didn’t act like that. Until you started whoring yourself out to that cop. Tricking him into bringing you gifts. Fixing your house. Which I’m still pissed about. I couldn’t break in anymore once he upgraded your security. He took away my fun.”
My breath catches. Panic rises. “Don’t do anything to him. Please. He’s innocent. Punish me. Not him.”
“Oh, Jessica. I’m not that stupid. Killing a cop is never a good idea.” He pauses. “Stupid women who live alone? That’s another story.”
“But… I didn’t…”
I don’t know how to talk my way out of this. Don’t know how to convince him I’m not some evil woman who deserves to die.
“So you see,” Adam continues. “Once I realized you were like the rest, I knew I had to kill you. And this is the perfect place to do it.”
I glance around again, scanning the cavernous space we’re in. It’s round, with a narrow walkway around the circumference. A rusted railing is the only barrier between the walkway and a gaping darkness below.
What’s down there?
