“Where is the photograph?” he roared.
She shook her head, cowering so badly that the chair almost toppled over. “I’m not telling you.”
Little Stevie stepped away, running a hand over his face. He seemed to think for a moment, then snapped his fingers at one of the henchmen.
“Set up protocol three, would you?”
The big burly man disappeared into the nearby shadows. Augusta couldn’t see where he went or what he was doing, and it only increased her fear. Little Stevie lit up another thin cigar and walked slowly back to her, so he could look right into her eyes.
“I find anticipation to be the most effective of all emotions, don’t you?” he shivered his shoulders and gave her a wide grin. “When you’re waiting for something to happen, well, there’s just magic in the air, isn’t there? You can’t keep still. The closer the thing gets, the more excited you become.”
Augusta watched him, thinking that she had no idea what the crazy fuck was going on about. Maybe he was so unhinged that he wouldn’t hurt her too much, but she wasn’t counting on it.
“Instead of beating people senseless or cutting off parts of them,” Little Stevie said, getting closer to her. “I find other methods to be more rewarding.”
He leaned over, his eyes very close to hers. When he reached out to tug on her sleeve, she jumped, letting out a shrill, short scream. Little Stevie laughed.
“Some people like to use hot pokers. Others like blow torches. I know one guy who keeps an ax sharpened for torture purposes.”
Augusta whimpered, shaking her head.
A light nearby snapped on, revealing a block of ice nearby. She was so confused for a moment that her head swam, and she wondered if she’d been knocked unconscious.
“Take her,” Stevie yelled. The guys grabbed her and dragged her across the room. They forced her up onto the block of ice, and then, when a rope was shoved around her neck, she understood.
Little Stevie approached, humming a silly tune as he dragged a heater across the floor. He set it in front of the block of ice, and it began to eat away at it immediately.
“Now,” Little Stevie said, pulling his chair over so he could sit right in front of her. “You have until the ice melts to tell us what you know. You’re free to talk about anything, of course, but you know the information we’re after … the only words that can set you free.”
She shook her head, too terrified to speak. Little Stevie grinned.
“I know it looks like a solid piece of ice and a fairly small heater. That’s purposeful. Like I said, anticipation is the most effective emotion for so many reasons. I’m quite comfortable here, Augusta, my dear.”
He cracked a grin. It was the ugliest and most vicious expression she had ever seen. He rubbed his hands together, lighting another cigar.
“I know you feel pretty strong right now,” he hissed. “But I think when that rope starts to tighten, you’ll get motivated really quick.”
Stevie laughed.
“Cutting off limbs, burning holes in the skin, drowning, these things are all so very brutish. All one really needs is to see their demise approaching, knowing that it is utterly inevitable. Fear is more debilitating than pain.”
From the way he glared at her, Augusta knew he’d tested this theory many times. She believed him, utterly and completely. He was going to sit there and watch her slowly die. Even if she told him what she knew, he was still going to let her die.
She was fucked.
Chapter19
Ray
He was only out of the car for a few minutes. He knew that much. He went into the building and went straight to the darkroom where she had last placed the photo and its negative. He had grabbed it and left just as quickly as he had entered. He had only been in the building five minutes tops.
He took two stairs at a time and hurried back to the car. He noticed the passenger side was empty. He froze and blinked. Surely, he was seeing things wrong. He walked closer, looking into the car.
The seat was vacant, so he rounded the car. She wasn’t outside of it. He did a circle, glancing around the open space.
“Augusta?” he called. “Augusta. Where are you?”
Silence.