The only problem was, she wasn't sure exactly what that explanation would be.
Maybe there was a way to figure out the answers she needed. To figure herself out. She’d thought it was something she could do alone. Something that would sort itself out if only she gave it enough time.
She was strong, independent, and used to doing things herself.
But sometimes, that wasn't possible.
Sometimes, you needed a little help.
“Eric, can I have your brother’s number?”
*****
11:11 P.M.
He watched with eager anticipation.
Surely, it couldn’t be much longer before the girl woke up.
Avery Ormont was a little bigger than he’d realized. Heliked his women small, fragile, vulnerable, helpless, and if he’d realized Avery wasn't quite as tiny as he’d thought, he would have picked someone else. She’d bulked up a bit since he’d last seen her. She must have been working out at the gym.
It wasn't that he was worried about her potentially having a little extra strength; she was still only a bit over five feet tall while he was comfortably over six feet. If it came down to a battle of physical strength, which it never would, he would easily win.
He just preferred to break little things.
He was starting to get impatient. When he’d seen that Avery was bigger than he had anticipated, he had upped the dose of tranquilizers he’d given her to knock her out. He must have over calculated and given her more than she’d needed because she had been out for a lot longer than he had expected.
Still, surely it couldn’t be much longer now.
As if on cue, Avery moaned and began to stir.
This is what he lived for—to know that these beautiful, breakable girls were completely and utterly at his mercy. It was such an invigorating feeling. Nothing compared to it.
“Hello, Avery.” He stood and walked closer to the bed, but not too close; the girl wasn't restrained, and he wasn't in the mood to have to physically restrain her should she try to attack him. He didn't want to have to injure her.
Yet.
He was very precise and specific about how and when he touched his girls.
Avery was waking up quickly, and she clearly knew something was wrong. She scrambled up into a sitting position, and when she caught sight of him, she shuffled backward on the bed until she was pressed into the corner.
The room was small. A bed, a toilet, a tub with a showerhead, a table with two chairs—which was where he’d been sitting—and the table where he performed his work. He had locked thedoor, and he had the key hidden in a pocket on the inside of his sweater. He was also armed. He wouldn’t shoot her, of course; he couldn’t risk destroying his work before he even began. But it was amazing how far just the threat of being shot went to convince someone to do what you told them to.
“I'm so glad you're awake.” He smiled at her.
Her dark eyes assessed him, then scanned the room, trying to decide what her best option was. Should she try to fight him, or should she try to run?
Neither was a viable option.
He just hoped Avery was smart enough to come to that conclusion on her own.
It seemed she was because she didn't move. Her face fell as resignation settled over her. But her eyes. Her eyes remained alive. They blazed with anger and indignation.
A fire began to burn inside him.
This could be theone.
The one that actually worked.