"Doesn't that mean you're doing the same?" she said. "Taking advantage of women? Taking their bodies and using them as toys? They aren't dolls, Roy, they're people."
"Women are made to serve men," he said. "And I'm no fool. I can't take advantage of any woman. I'm too much of a gentleman for that. I want love."
"But why Meghan?" Nicky said. "You can let her go now, it’s okay. Let her go, Roy.”
"She'll be dead soon," he said. "I'll just let her burn. I make her suffer, but it's only because I love her."
He was sick. Talking wasn't going to cut it. Nicky needed to get Meghan away from him--even if that meant she had to kill this bastard.
She kept her gun aimed at him, ready to pull the trigger at any moment. He grinned at her, knowing he had the upper hand.
"Meghan didn’t deserve this,” Nicky said. “She's a good person. And I'm going to make sure she gets out of this alive."
"A real woman would try to get away with it," he said. "But not Meghan. She wouldn't try to run away. She'd just take it. She's the type of woman who'll take whatever I dish out. Because she wants to be a good wife."
He raised his hand and slapped Meghan across the face.
She gasped at the pain. Nicky's teeth grit. But she still didn't have a clear shot.Damn it!
"She'll never be a good wife!" he said. "She'll be a horrible one. She messed up our vows. I never should have trusted her!”
"Are you saying it was your fault?" Nicky asked.
"It wasn't," he said. "But I knew… I should have known. She doesn't care about the vows; she cares about the wedding night. She'll try to convince you that she'll keep her promise. But she'll soon realize what she's done. She'll realize she messed it all up. And then she'll try to run away. And then I'll snap her neck. You'll never see her again. I hate her, but that’s only because I love her.”
"That's not how love works," Nicky said. "Love makes you forgive."
"Love is everything,” he said. “Love is what I’m owed. It’s what was taken from me.”
She knew he was insane. But she was getting glimpses into his psyche.
"If you're going to be with Meghan, you'll have to be good," she said. "You'll have to be a real husband. You'll have to love and trust her. Isn't that right?"
"She's unworthy of me."
This was going nowhere fast, and Nicky needed a plan. She wondered what had happened in his life to make him end up this way. Why was he so obsessed with love, but not just love--marriage?
Nicky wondered about his own parents. Maybe his father wasn't a good husband. Or maybe his mother had left him.
"What about your parents, Roy?" Nicky asked. "Did they get divorced? Did your mom leave your father? Did your dad love your mom?"
"No," he said. "My mom was great. My mom was the best wife."
"What about your dad? Did he love your mom?"
"No," he said. "I told you. My mom was a good wife. He couldn't keep up with her."
"What happened to them?" Every moment she kept him talking was bought time.
She needed to use that time to get Meghan away.
"They're in a better place," he said. "They're watching over me. They'll be with me as long as I need."
"But you're still hurting," she said. "You're not getting what you want. Losing her will do that. You're not getting the love; you're not getting the family. You're still hurting. Admit it."
"I don't care about my failures," he said. "I don't care about people like you."
"You don't see," she said. "You're hurting. Let me help you. Let the girl go."