Devoted in Death (In Death #41)(81)

She circled around that, wondered if Ella-Loo subscribed to the Stella school of motherhood. You have a kid because it may be useful or profitable, and keeps your man locked to you.

Then she let it slide away as she couldn’t see how it applied, for now, to the investigation.

Wait for your man. Head east when he’s sprung. In the same truck he boosted from Hanks. A truck that’s showing its age now, and Darryl hasn’t been able to maintain it in those three and a half years.

Does what he can when he gets out, but it gives up on that quiet road over the Arkansas border.

And that’s where it really began, she thought. That’s when the spark went off like a rocket.

“I know you now,” she murmured. “We’ll get more, but I know you. And I’m going to find you.”

Soon, she thought, it had to be soon, or it would be too late to save Jayla Campbell.

17

She’d lost track of time again. The pain, beyond imagining, woke her. But the ferocity of it radiating everywhere let her know she was still alive.

Jayla Campbell, she thought, fighting through the haze of pain. I’m Jayla Campbell, and I’m alive.

She turned her head, very slowly, as even that had agony raging. They hadn’t hurt him again – Mulligan, Reed Mulligan. When they’d found him unconscious on the floor, they’d hauled him back onto the makeshift table. They’d treated his broken wrist with some ice, even given him some sort of meds.

He had to be strong enough, she’d heard them say, to rape her again.

They’d discussed it, giggling over some of the details. They’d ease back on hurting him – for now, and maybe up the dose of Erotica so he’d last longer.

They’d given her something that made her nauseated and weak, but she’d heard them discussing her as if she were an animal.

She stank, in Ella-Loo’s opinion, and needed to be cleaned up if they were going to keep her for another day or two.

She tried to fight when Darryl hauled her up. The pain rose up in a hot flood, took her just under the surface, but she tried to fight. Tried not to weep when she heard them laughing at her.

They weren’t human. The drugs, dehydration, shock had her seeing them as monsters, demons with red eyes and flicking tongues. The gag choked her screams as they dropped her into a tub of water so hot it scalded.

Someone pushed her head under; someone pulled it up again by the hair. Again and again while she swallowed water, gagged, and finally prayed for it just to end.

She woke on the table again, naked, shivering with cold and drowning in the pain.

And listened to the quiet.

“I think they’re asleep.”

This time when she turned her head, Mulligan’s eyes were open and on her.

“They tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t come around enough, so they went out for a while. I don’t know how long. They gave me something, I kept passing out. And then I heard them laughing and having sex. Then it got quiet. I think they’re asleep.”

She tried to lick her dry lips, but it was like sand against sand. “You don’t know how long?”

“I don’t know. They gave me something. I just don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to the knife. I tried again, to get loose and get it, but I couldn’t.”

She’d nearly forgotten. That moment of hope felt like weeks had passed. “Your hand.”

“It doesn’t hurt as much. If I can get loose again, I might be able to get something.”

“They’re not going to hurt you, or not as much. They want you strong enough to rape me again.”

He shut his eyes. “God. Oh God. I don’t want to —”

“It doesn’t matter. I told you it doesn’t matter. But more, I heard them. They cleaned me up because they want to keep me alive for a couple days more, so you can rape me. They get off on it. I want to stay alive, so you have to do whatever they tell you to do to me. But I’m going to scream and try to struggle. I’m going to make them think it matters. You’ll know it doesn’t. They’ll keep us alive as long as they get off.”

A light came into his eyes, fierce and dark against the pallor and bruising. “I want to kill them.”

“Maybe you will.” There was a glimmer of hope in that ugly wish. “Make them think you’re weak and scared.”

“Jesus, I am weak and scared.”

“Not as much as they think. And next time you’ll get the knife.”

“Next time,” he said. “Do you have somebody? I mean, are you with somebody?”

“Not now.” She thought of Mattio. He seemed like another lifetime. She thought of Luke, and that was a comfort. Just a little comfort.

“But there’s this guy I should’ve paid more attention to. I wish I had. I want to have a chance to pay attention. He lives across the hall from me. Do you have somebody?”

“Not now,” he said and tried to smile. “But there’s this girl. I’m crazy for her, but I haven’t had the guts to make the move. I want a chance to try.”

Tears burned at her eyes. Hope hurt. “We’re going to go on a double date, right? Deal?”

“Yeah. Deal. They’re looking for us. Our friends, our family. The cops. They have to be.”

“Yeah, they’re looking for us. We’re going to do whatever it takes to stay alive until they find us. Double date,” she said, and closed her eyes.