Insidious(110)

I still couldn’t see anything with this stupid sack over my head, but the light pouring in from the hallway illuminated two silhouettes as they walked into the activities room.

A long, noisy exhale. Someone didn’t sound too pleased.

“Oh, lighten up. Where else was I gonna put her?” sighed Daniel, presumably talking to the other individual. “Besides, she’s perfectly fine. Arent’cha, Kat Nip?”

He brushed a finger under my chin, and I blindly thrashed my legs up to where it sounded like he was standing. I only kicked at the air, making Daniel laugh all the more.

“Screw you,” I gritted.

He clicked his tongue. “Such poor manners, especially when I come bearing a gift for you.”

“Unless it’s a gun for me to shoot you in the face with, I’m not interested,” I snarled.

“Oh, I beg to differ.”

The ends of the sack tugged around my neck, and I instinctively jerked, half expecting to be strangled. Instead, the bag lifted from my head. Only one section of the lights was turned on in the room, but I still winced at the sudden brightness that flooded my vision.

I’d been right. A brief glance around the room, and I could see the stacks and the wall of mirrors, not to mention my reflection across the way. Sure enough, I was handcuffed to the pull-up bar. Bastard.

But that’s not what I was looking at.

Gaping at the sight, my mind fought to find answers. But I couldn’t even form a single question. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.

I had to keep blinking, waiting for the phantom to erase from my vision.

It wasn’t leaving.

I wasn’t…breathing.

I couldn’t quite digest the unnatural blonde hair, but I knew those cheekbones. I knew those crystal blue eyes. I knew him.

“…Blaine.”





Chapter 31

Sucker For Pain





Everything about him was off. The hair, the clothes, the way he carried himself. The Blaine I knew always looked perfectly polished. Prim, proper, always a gentleman. Hell, that’s why his nickname had been ‘Gatsby.’ This person, this imitation, was not him. He laxly leaned against the doorway, hands in pocket. Where perfectly groomed black hair used to be now rested bed-head, bleached-blonde locks. His head-to-toe Armani attire had been replaced by faded black jeans, beaten up riding boots, a black leather jacket, and an untucked, half-unbuttoned dress shirt. I just continued to gawk stupidly at him, my brain unable to process what stood in front of me.

His lips tipped up into a pirated grin. “Hey, Kit Kat.”

I finally managed to tear my eyes from him long enough to look at Daniel, seeing the side of his face still marred by the silver I’d burned him with. “What the hell is this?”

Daniel motioned to Blaine with an exaggerated Vanna White gesture. “Your present, of course. Don’t you like it?”

Blaine just looked at me, expectantly. He sighed at last when it was clear I wasn’t going to answer. “You seem surprised, and reasonably so, but I thought for sure you’d be happy to see me again.”

“How is this possible? You… I mean, the police reports… You were decapitated.”

He and Daniel shared a knowing, Cheshire grin.

“We have what you’d call, ‘friends in low places,’” said Daniel.

“Not to mention a few members of the police force in our pockets to fudge some facts,” added his cohort. “With the way death is treated around here, it’s best to convince everyone that you won’t be coming back, especially with the likes of Reynolds snooping around. And nothing sounds more absolute than beheading.”

“Where’s Reese?” I growled. “What did you do to him?”

Blaine cast me a mocking smile. “We took care of him.”

Daniel outright laughed, seeing the blatant horror in my eyes. “Relax, Kitty Kat. Not like that. The Boss thought it would be in poor taste to start your new union   together by offing your previous beau. Even if it is Blackburn.” He cocked his head in amusement. “You really do have lousy taste in men, don’t you?”

Blaine clicked his tongue. “Now, now. No reason to be mean. I’m on that list too, remember.”

“I, for one, have to admit. I’m quite impressed with you,” said Daniel, crooking a finger at me. “I mean, I always knew you had tenacity, but this?” He eyed me up and down, shivering his shoulders theatrically.

He brought his hand up again to my chin, and I instantly snapped at it with my teeth. Daniel startled back with a laugh. “That’s the spirit. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what the Boss saw in you at first, but I stand corrected. Quite the little fighter you are. You just might make a fine, ferocious princess after all.”