“I appreciate the optimism, but since you’re planning on living through this, maybe you shouldn’t be sitting up or talking right now.”
He ignored that, using his interrogation voice. “When did he leave? How long until he comes back?”
“Don’t know and don’t know. Must have left my glow-in-the-dark watch in my other dress.”
“I’m assuming you don’t have a phone either.”
“Surprisingly, they didn’t give me one. Guess they figured I would call someone.”
The low sound he made was more frustrated than amused. “Where’s Major?”
I sobered. “Lost him along the way.”
“So no one knows you’re here?”
“I’m sure your precious cops are on their way to help. It’s a good thing they don’t have red tape or bureaucracy or anything that would slow them down when they come rescue us.”
His stern look was overshadowed by the mosaic of blue-green bruises across his skin. “Laying it on a little thick with the sarcasm today?”
“Well, I’ve been on the run for my life for weeks now. Abandoned by you. Kidnapped. Forced to become a hooker. Again. It’s either irreverent sarcasm or a nervous breakdown.”
“Keep on with it, then,” he said gruffly.
So I did. “You’ll be pleased to know I found a wrench, so if we need any furniture assembled, we’re covered. Speaking of which, there are a few tables over in that corner. That’s all. A table, a chair. It’s all very minimalist, very contemporary. The dirt is a nice touch, kind of like tree-hugger modish.”
He stood with a low moan that raised the hairs on my arms. Before he’d had time to recover or become steady on his feet, he followed the walls, feeling for himself. After a minute and some rustling I heard, “Take off your stockings.”
“Just like that? No dinner date first? No down payment?”
“I’m going to fill them with rocks.”
“Oh, I see. We’re making homegrown weaponry, like prison inmates. It was only a matter of time, being locked up like this. It’s like some kind of social experiment. Pretty soon we’ll turn on each other.”
He filled them with the loose nails and crumbled concrete. “I didn’t abandon you, by the way. Not exactly. I thought you were dead.”
“What?”
“First it just seemed like you were passed out, some kind of sedative.”
“And then you left.”
“I thought you’d died. I was back in fifteen minutes to get you, but you were gone. No trace, and Jeff told me…” He paused, his grief saturating the air around us. “I thought you were dead,” he repeated, and I heard the uncertainty, as if he still worried it might be true. As if I were just some beating-inspired hallucination.
“I’m here.”
“I know.” A hollow laugh came from his chest. “I heard what Henri told you. I knew you must be real then. I couldn’t have made that up even in my nightmares.”
Was that a denial or confession? “Henri’s a bastard,” I said quietly. “I don’t care what he said.”
“Don’t you? I sure as hell do. The whole time we’ve been talking, that’s all I can think of. Why haven’t you asked?”
Tears sprang to my eyes, warm and plump. “If you wanted me to know something, you’d tell me.” No matter how I tried to placate him, it only seemed to make him more agitated. More accusatory.
“Ah, so you do believe him.”
“Tell me what you want me to say,” I whispered. “Just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
“Right,” he said with a cruel twist, “because you’re whoever I want you to be, you’ll do whatever I say. God forbid you ask me a goddamn question. God forbid you care.”
“Why?” I asked thickly. “Would it matter if I did? Would you actually want to be with me then, or would you keep pushing me away?”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you. You keep everyone at a distance. Do you know how hard I had to work to get close to you? It’s a struggle to get any information from you, even the goddamn time of day.”
“What is there to know? You want me to spell it out for you? Home life wasn’t so great. Daddy didn’t like me too much, except when he did, if you know what I mean. But I showed him. I got out of there, and here’s some good news. The only skill I had was worth a hell of a lot of money per hour. All I had to sell was my fucking soul, so I guess everything is just peachy. But you already knew that, didn’t you? I’m a walking cliché. So tell me what secrets I’ve been keeping.”