1. Her

1

HER

" W hat do you want?"

"I already told you. And I'm not a fan of repeating myself."

He tossed the small wooden chair across the room, watching it hit the concrete wall and splinter before turning his icy glare on me—I could feel the chill behind his eyes even if I still couldn't see them. Then he stalked forward, pinching my cheeks between his thumb and index finger.

"I want everything you took from me, my pretty little thief." He sank his teeth into my earlobe, piercing flesh through the thin material of his mask. There was an audible pop as he imprinted the likeness of his canines into the malleable cartilage.

I bit into my lip, trying to hold back the tears. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. "I've never stolen anything in my life…"

"A thief and a fucking liar, I see… Honestly, I'm disappointed in you, Emily."

I watched him pull away and circle me, his steps measured, precise, nearly soundless until he forced his boots to squeak when he pivoted to look at me again. Sensation was finally returning to my upper limbs, but only enough so that I recognized the weight of the chains currently riveting me in place. There was no point in fighting against them. I knew it wouldn't get me anywhere.

I needed to be smart. Not impulsive, no matter how hard my fight-or-flight instincts were urging me otherwise.

He knew me, my name, but how? Or did he…? Maybe he'd just found my driver's license… Or overheard my name somewhere… Honestly, his knowing who I was did little to tell me who he was… and I needed to know that, to also know what he wanted.

"Who are you?" It was the next obvious question, not that I thought it would be that easy.

"I already told you, pet. I'm the man you stole from." I could hear the grin curling his lips. But it wasn't something pleasant. No, it was the sort of grin that preceded a sudden bout of rage. A violent grin.

"How am I supposed to know what I took from you, if I don't even know who you are?" I tried again.

"Not my problem," he hissed in response.

"It is your problem if you want it back…"

Keep him engaged, Em. Interested in continuing to play whatever game this is.

My subconscious urged me to maintain the fa?ade. Be whatever, whoever it was he needed me to be. Part of me knew my inner voice was right, while another part was wondering how long it would take to chew through the meat of my wrist in order to free myself. The same part that realized I would bleed out long before I was able to make it to the door.

He was growing impatient—who was I kidding? The psycho was impatient from the moment I first laid eyes on him, likely long before that too. It was evident in the tense posturing of his shoulders. In the way the biceps of his crossed arms flexed and loosened as though he were moments away from closing the distance between us and landing the full force of his knuckles into my face.

He hated me but why?

There was nothing about his voice that was recognizable, nothing about his build that was the slightest bit familiar. The man was a stranger to me. I was sure of it, as sure as he was that I'd taken something from him…

He pushed off the wall and stalked towards me again. I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting for the blow that never came. Until I chanced a glance through my lashes and watched as he stomped to the only entry point instead. A metal door. Fireproof, I was certain. And not something I could break down.

"Wait!" I couldn't be left alone in here. Alone with my thoughts and rising panic… I just couldn't… "Let me help you?—"

His laughter broke through my plea. The sound was humorless and bitter. "Help me? How the fuck do you expect to help me, pet? Do you even realize how fucked you are right now?" It took seconds for him to appear at my side again, less than that for him to bring us nose to nose.

"That's not what I meant?—"

"Then tell me what the fuck you meant, my sweet girl…" His tone was suddenly gentle, like something you'd use to soothe a small child, and I didn't know what to make of all the mood swings.

"If you won't tell me who you are, or what it is you think I stole…"

He raised a questioning eyebrow but I continued all the same.

"…then at least give me an opportunity to figure it out… please?"

He threw his head back in genuine laughter this time. " Please ?" He wheezed in a breath, obviously amused. With himself or me? I couldn't tell. "Yes, because proper manners will get you out of this one." He dropped his jaw and glared at me with his neck cocked to one side, as if observing me for a moment. "Go on. What's your proposal? I'm just dying to hear it, pet."