Page 58 of Nothing Hiding

She stepped forward, heart beating fast.

It wasn't. It was a black bag, positioned behind one of the stones, as if it had been left there, just for her to see. To draw her attention.

Realization hit, a flood of ice down her spine.

And then, from behind her, something smashed down onto her skull. She tried to twist away, but the world went dark.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Light—such as it was—filtered back. Awareness followed.

Juliette was on her feet, dizzy but upright. Breathing in the night air. But she couldn't move. Ropes were wrapped around her.

Her head pounded as slowly, painfully, memory returned. He'd snuck up behind her and hit her on the head. Now, she was in the stone circle. She could see their looming shapes around her.

And she was tied to a stone, the cold rock at her back, the ropes wrapping her tight.

Where was he? He'd gone, for now, but Juliette knew that when he came back, she'd be in terrible danger. She was here alone. And she was tied to the stone.

She was waiting for the next sacrifice. Herself. He’d planned it and had cunningly enticed her here.

Gritting her teeth, Juliette began to struggle. Hard. She was fighting for her life.

She twisted her body, trying to free herself from the ropes, but they only dug deeper into her skin. She felt the rough rock scrape against her back as she strained against her bindings.

The fear was all-consuming, but she pushed it down, focusing on the task at hand. She had to get free, had to find a way out of this nightmare. Redoubling her efforts, the sweat beaded on her forehead.

She wriggled and twisted, trying to loosen the knots that bound her. The stones loomed above her, dark and silent, seeming to mock her vulnerability. The weight of history and power that emanated from them brought her no comfort now.

Her fingers grazed against something sharp, and she realized that it was a piece of roughened stone. That might just be her only chance. She began to saw the rope against it, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Gritting her teeth, she sawed faster, feeling the rope heat up and begin to fray. And then, with a sudden snap, she felt the rope around her left wrist give way.

She'd gotten one arm free, but he’d tied her wrists separately. Carefully, her heart pounding, she drew it free. Now, she needed to work on the other, which was more tightly bound and on the crisscrossed ropes holding her body to the stone. One free arm was not enough.

But it was all she was going to get.

Footsteps, soft but audible on the grass, drew closer, and Juliette held her breath.

The killer was coming back.

As the man came into view, rounding the giant stone to her left, Juliette turned to look at him, clamping her left hand quickly behind her so that he wouldn't realize she'd gotten it free.

That small element of surprise was her only weapon now.

The killer stared at her for a while, looking extremely calm, nodding in a satisfied way as his gaze roamed her face.

He was lean, with graying hair overdue for a cut, dressed in black, but otherwise, he had a forgettable face. Clean shaven, average looking, and no wild, insane light was visible in his eyes. It was all the more chilling to see that his madness was so well hidden. No wonder he'd been able to blend into the city, unnoticed and unseen.

"I did the right thing to choose you. It’s time to send you to the stones," he muttered in a matter-of-fact voice. Then he frowned at her. "You've caused me a lot of trouble. I've had to change my entire sacrifice protocol because you made London too difficult. Now, I'll be starting afresh. But I think they’ll be appeased. The stones are calling for you." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Can you hear them? I can."

He moved forward, his hands reaching for her neck. Strong, weathered hands with powerful fingers.

All she had was one free arm, and the strength of will she could summon up to fight. She didn't know how she could win this, but knew she'd have to try.

"You will not get me!" she shouted, hoping someone would hear, even though, with the guard gone, she doubted anyone was within earshot. The closest farmhouses seemed miles away.

The noise made him flinch but only for a moment. Then he reached her, and she felt the cold touch of his fingers on her neck.

Juliette's left hand flew up. She grabbed his arm. Twisted as hard as she could, wanting to hurt him, to sprain something, to break a bone if she could. He cried out in shock, trying to pull his arm free. She hung on, gripping his wrist with a single-minded intensity.

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