It had made the hole bearable. But he didn’t have to worry about that no more.
He turned back to the dying man. No… dead.
Shit.
Fuck this. Eddie deserved the best, not plastic for cutting and definitely not a man for a plaything.
Everything was more satisfying with a woman. The piercing sound of the scream. The begging for mercy that wouldn't be shown. The look of disbelief when the cutting began, and the lovely horror when they realized the cutting wouldn't stop. It never failed to excite him. Never failed to get him hard. Blood was the best lubricant.
And now that Eddie was out, a free man, he would have the chance to live the fantasy again.
To make things right.
To make her pay.
And he couldn’t wait to begin.
Nikki
“You’re the only one who can do this, Nikki. You’re special.”
Nikki Dryden pressed the phone hard to her ear in an attempt to control her shaking. Growing up, she’d always dreamed she was special. Fantasized about proving it to the world. But it wasn’t until she’d met him that she really felt it could be true.
Every visiting day when he’d asked how she was feeling. When he’d listened to her problems, her dreams. His eyes riveted to hers, as if he couldn’t drink in enough of her. The day he’d married her was the most special of her life.
But this?
“Eddie, how did you get—“
“Not important. I’m out. And I need my wife.”
“What if someone follows me?”
“No one will. Not if you leave now. They don’t even know. Not yet.”
“I don’t… I don’t know the area.”
“You’ve heard of Lake Loyal?”
“It’s that little town, right?”
“It’s a town and a lake.”
“Right.”
“On the western shore of the lake, across from the town, there’s a park. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I’ve never been good at maps.”
“There are signs, sweetheart. Rossum Park. That’s what it’s called. Repeat the name.”
“Rossum Park.”
“Good girl. I knew I could count on you. I’ve always been able to count on you. Pack only what you need and get there. Fast as you can.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be late. Our real life together, it starts tonight. I can’t wait, Nikki.”
“I can’t wait,” she repeated.
Nikki kept pressing the phone to her ear, even after the line was dead.
She’d first written to Eddie because of Risa. But when he’d responded, and kept responding, it had been so exciting. Even though he’d had hundreds of girls contacting him, he’d kept writing to Nikki. Told her she was special. Asked her all about herself, the good and the bad, the hopes and the disappointment.
And he’d confided in her, too. Trusted her with things he’d never told anyone else. Not just the good, but also the bad. The way he’d let his wife take advantage of him. The reason he’d lost his temper with her. The way the system had twisted everything around.
Just like it had done to her father.
Four months ago, if anyone had asked Nikki if she would marry a convict, she would have told them they were crazy. But that afternoon in the visiting room, when Eddie had proposed, she knew he was the one. And the past month as Mrs. Dryden… it had been the happiest time of her life.
Nikki set the phone in its cradle. She pulled her suitcase out of the closet and scampered into the bathroom to pack her makeup case.
She might be scared now, but soon they would be together. No handwritten letters or visiting room tables between them. Just the two of them and the warmth of their love.
And Nikki wanted that more than anything.
Risa
Risa stared at the images flashing on the ten-o’clock news. Razor wire glinting in the sun. A fenced compound. A disabled garbage truck. A body bag being loaded into an ambulance. Her worst fear had become reality.
Edward Dryden had escaped from prison.
Her throat constricted. The way Dryden had leered at Nikki on their wedding day pounded at the back of her eyes. His taunting voice echoed through her mind.
Until death do us part.
Risa scrambled to her feet and raced for the kitchen, her robe billowing out behind. She’d been ready for bed when the terrifying story had come on the news. Now sleep was out of the question. Not until Dryden was behind bars. Not until Nikki was safe. She grabbed the phone from the kitchen counter. Fingers shaking, she punched in her sister’s phone number.
One ring… two rings…
She clenched the phone so tightly the plastic creaked. “Please, Nikki. Please be there.”
Three rings… four…
“Hi! Not here! Leave a message.”
It took forever for the beep. “Nikki?” Risa said. “Nikki? Are you there? Pick up. Now. It’s important. Nikki?”
Risa threw down the phone and ran for the staircase leading to her bedroom, bare feet slapping the hardwood floor. She had to get dressed. To find her purse, her car keys. To reach her sister before Ed Dryden did.
She took the narrow steps two at a time, knocking the teddy bears decorating the stairs out of her way as she ran.
The doorbell’s chime echoed through her little bungalow.
Could it be Nikki? The police?
Risa raced back down the stairs to the front door and peered through the peephole. Her heart stuttered then seized. Clutching her robe closed with one hand, she unlocked the dead bolt and yanked the door open.
Trent scrutinized her from the darkness, his face all sharp angles and hard planes in the yellow glare of the porch light.
Risa’s heart started again, pumping hard enough to break a rib. She hadn’t seen Trent Burnell in two years, not since he’d testified at Ed Dryden’s trial, and she’d never dreamed she would be glad to see him again. But for a moment, she was.
“You’ve heard,” he said.
“Just saw it on the news.”
“I didn’t want you to find out that way.”
She shook her head with frustration. The way she’d found out wasn’t important. Trent would have had to fly to Wisconsin from Quantico. That would take time. “How long have you known?”
“They called for assistance as soon as they noticed him gone.”
“How long?”
“A few hours.”
“We have to locate Nikki. I can’t reach her phone.”
Trent paused.
Cold penetrated Risa’s bones. “You know something.”
“Deputies have been to her apartment. Right after they called me.”
“And?” Risa was afraid to think, afraid to breathe.
“She’s not there. And her car is gone.”
Until death do us part.
Risa’s knees wobbled, and she felt herself sinking.
Trent pushed his way into her house. Leading her to the antique bench in the foyer, he shoved teddy bears aside and deposited her on it.
Risa’s mind stuttered. “She can’t be dead. She can’t—”
“We don’t know that she’s dead. I don’t think she is.”
Risa could feel her head nodding, every impulse grasping at the hope in his words. Trent knew Ed Dryden better than anyone. Even better than she did. “That’s why you’re here.”
“To find Dryden. Yes.”
“And Nikki.”
“Of course.”
“Let’s go.” She struggled to stand.
Trent’s grip tightened, keeping her planted on the bench. “A police officer from Lake Loyal is on his way to pick you up, take you to the station.”