Richard blew over his cup of coffee while staring at her from his seat on the upholstered glider across the room. She was finally waking up. Last night, he’d forced her to swallow ground-up sleeping pills dissolved in water, the only way he got any rest. Even though she was tied to the wrought iron railing that separated the sunken living room from the kitchen, she still flailed and kicked her feet. The pills were the only way to silence her—short of knocking her out cold.
“It’s about time you woke up.” Richard shooed away the cat with his foot.
Gina squinted in the direction the voice came from, then the realization hit her. He could see it on her face and chuckled.
“Nope, it wasn’t a nightmare. You’re really here with me, and we’re going to have all kinds of fun.” Richard rose from the chair and crossed the room. He knelt a good five feet from her in case she decided to spit in his direction. “Man, that’s quite the knot you’ve got on your forehead. It’s a nice shade of purple, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say your eyes are turning black and blue too.”
“Why am I here? You fooled me into believing you were a cop just so you could kidnap me. Detectives Mills and McCord never sent you to my apartment.”
“Damn it, girl, you’re smarter than you look.” He walked to the chair and picked up his coffee cup. “It was either kidnap you or kill you. I’d say yesterday was your lucky day since you’re still alive.”
“You son of a bitch murdered my sister!”
He stuck his finger in her face and poked her swollen forehead. “I didn’t kill your sister. Somebody else did, but you should be thanking me.”
She winced and pulled back then spewed her words at him. “Thank you for what? I’m tied to this railing, and that’s after you cracked my head into the countertop, rolled me up in a rug, and threw me in your trunk. Then you drugged me after we got here. Sorry if thanking you wasn’t the first thing I thought of.”
He snarled at her. “You should thank me for killing the two men who murdered your sister.”
“And now you’re going to kill me.”
“True enough, but I’m going to have a little fun with your detective friend before I do it.” He rubbed his chin as a grin formed on his face. “Consider it a game, like a race against the clock. If Detective Mills wants to find you alive, he has to play by my rules since I’m the one calling the shots, not the Chicago PD.” Richard circled Gina then grabbed her ponytail and wound it around his hand. He pulled her head back against his face and whispered in her ear. “I wouldn’t get too sassy if I were you. Keep in mind, you’re the first person who has lived longer than five minutes after I got my hands on them. I have an itch, you know, and love to watch the life and blood drain out of people’s bodies, particularly women. Remind me to show you my photo collection later. You’re in for a real treat.”