Her laugh is strained, but it’s a laugh, so I’ll take it.
“Talk to you soon.”
After I hang up, I flop back on the bed, staring up at the white ceiling and suddenly feeling homesick. I’ve never been this long without seeing my parents. We’ve always been close, and I go visit them at least twice a week. Or they come to my house to see me. What I wouldn’t give in this moment to have them both wrap me in their protective embrace and tell me everything is going to be okay. I’m not a Momma or Daddy’s girl. I’m a parent’s girl.
The vibration of my phone against my stomach, followed by Hosier’s Take Me to Church, has me sitting up in bed. Expecting that it’s probably Mom having forgotten to tell me something, I don’t even look at the screen.
“Hello?”
There’s nothing but static at first, then a muffled sound.
“It’s been too long,” a dark voice that has shivers racing down my spine answers.
“Diego,” I utter through a dry throat.
“You’ve kept me waiting long enough, Eden. Too long, in fact.”
At first, I’m frozen with shock and can only sit there stiffly on my bed. Memories of the pain I endured by Diego’s hands, the fear of what he would do next, of realizing there were no lines he wouldn’t cross, holds me hostage. The stinging bite of my nails against my palm is the only thing that brings me back to reality. I pull in an encouraging breath.
“What do you want from me?” I ask quietly, trying and failing to keep the fear out of my voice. Diego’s the type of person who thrives on fear, and I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he scares me shitless.
His tsk across the line is condescending, like he’s reprimanding a child. “You’re a smart girl. You know what I’m after. Give me the fucking chip, and I’ll leave you be.”
“I don’t have any chip,” I cry then clamp my lips closed, not wanting to alarm Jenny or Judge. “I never did. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a Goddamn liar,” he spews furiously. “I have video footage of you running from my office the day you took off from my house.”
I frown because he’s not making any sense. “What? I only went in to get my purse.”
“It’s pretty fucking convenient that the day the chip goes missing is the same day you went into my office without me,” he growls. “You obviously have a death wish. Now tell me where the Goddamn chip is!”
I shake my head. “Diego, I swear—”
“Hey, Eden, Judge and I are….”
I glance at the doorway just as Jenny pokes her head around the corner. Her voice trails off when she sees the look on my face. Her gaze darts to the phone in my hand then back to my eyes before she spins and hurries away.
“Who is that I hear?” Diego asks. “Is that the pretty blonde you’ve been staying with? You know who she reminds me of?” he continues. “She reminds me of the girl I had in my room the day you left. The one who was chained so beautifully to my wall. All bruised and bloody, her guts lying at my feet.” He hums, like he’s savoring the memory like he would a delicious meal. His words make me feel sick. My stomach actually twists and plummets, and I’m forced to cover my mouth. “I bet she’d look just as beautiful, but I think I’d play with her a bit first.” His voice changes, deepens into a deathly growl. “Get me that fucking chip or we’ll see just how beautiful she’ll be with her insides hanging from her body. I have it in my hand, and I’ll leave you be.”
I gag and it’s only sheer
force of will that keeps the contents of my stomach down. His words are no idle threat. It’s a promise. He’s also lying, because I know damn good and well, he won’t leave me alone. He can’t chance me staying alive when I witnessed him murder a woman. No, even if I did have the chip and gave it to him, he’d kill me.
I look up just as Judge storms into the room, anger making his scowl look dangerous. Jenny is hot on his trail. He stalks over and grabs the phone from my hand. It’s too late though, Diego’s already hung up.
“Who in the fuck was that?” he demands once he realizes there’s no one on the line.
I hug my stomach and hunch over, feeling drained and helpless. “Diego.”
“Goddamn it, Eden,” he grates with aggravation. “Why in the hell didn’t you get me as soon as you knew it was him.”
“Calm down, Judge,” Jenny orders, coming to sit beside me on the bed and putting her arm around my shoulders. “She’s already upset enough.”
“Fuck,” he snarls and spins away from us, raking his hand through his hair angrily. He turns back to us. “We could have tried to put a trace on the call.”
I lift my eyes. “He’s smarter than that. He would have used an untraceable phone.”
“What did he say?”