The Perfect Couple (Last Stand #4)(25)
Author: Brenda Novak

"What day is it?" She was beginning to lose track of time. She spent almost every minute curled up, trying to deal with the cold, her constant hunger and the terrible fear that Anton had already convinced her mother they were better off without her.

"It’s Wednesday. Colin just went to work."

Sam hated Colin. She didn’t want to hear about him. But it was good to know he was gone. Last night had been so freaky.

"Aren’t you excited?" Tiffany frowned, obviously disappointed by Sam’s response. "Colin told me I could reward you with this if you’ll recite the rules to me."

Reward her? More pet stuff. If Tiffany was crazy, Colin was even crazier.

Sam hugged her knees to her chest, for warmth as much as cover.

"Why aren’t you at work?"

"Colin thought I should give my lip another day to heal," Tiffany explained with a shrug. "It’s practically healed, don’t you think?"

"I think you should leave him."

The smile disappeared from Tiffany’s face. "Don’t say that. He’s my husband."

"I don’t care. He’s not nice to you. He’s not nice to anyone."

"You don’t know what you’re talking about. He loves me–he’d walk through fire for me."

Samantha jutted out her chin. "What about your lip?"

"We bumped heads, that’s all."

"He told me he’d smash my face like he did yours if I didn’t quit crying."

Tiffany arranged an errant curl. Her hair was nearly perfect. She had makeup on, too. "You’re a smartass, you know that? Here I am, being good to you, and look how you’re acting." She tossed the blanket toward the door.

"Colin would never allow me to give this to you now."

Instantly regretting her behavior, Sam tightened the grip she had on her legs. "Wait, I know the rules." She hated to cave in so quickly. Maybe she wouldn’t have if she’d been fully dressed. But she longed to cover herself almost more than she longed for human food.

Tiffany tilted her head in consideration. "Are you asking me for another chance?"

Samantha remembered how hard it was to get underneath the bulky mattress. What would happen when she got well and Colin was no longer afraid to touch her? "Yes."

Tiffany’s eyebrows rose in challenge. "Yes, Mistress."

"Yes, Mistress," she repeated, but inside she was chanting, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.

"Fine." Tiffany was smiling again. "Tell them to me."

Samantha hadn’t eaten any of the pellets Tiffany had poured into the bowl by the door, but she felt like throwing up anyway. "I’m to address him as Master and you as Mistress."

Tiffany laughed. "I guess I gave that one away. What else?"

Sam stared at the litter box in the corner. "I’m to use that–" she pointed "–for a toilet and clean it myself every other day."

"And?"

"If I behave, I’ll be rewarded."

"With what?"

"Regular food. Treats. Better clothes. A chance to see the sun."

Wrinkling her nose, Tiffany used the toe of her shoe to push the kitty-litter box farther into the corner. "Did he say that? About the sun?"

"He said I’d get to do chores." But to work she’d have to leave this room, and the other rooms had windows. That was what she focused on–the chance to see the world outside: her street, her house, her mother.

"And if you try to escape?"

"He’ll kill me," Samantha replied. "If I make any noise, he’ll kill me. If I don’t do exactly what he says, he’ll kill me. If I don’t do what you say, he’ll kill me."

"Perfect." With a sigh, Tiffany dragged the blanket over to Samantha, and Samantha scrambled to cover herself with it.

Tiffany studied the food in the dog dish. "You’re not eating."

Samantha glared up at her. "Would you?"

"You have to eat. At least some of it."

The feel of the blanket brought such relief Sam wanted to cry, even though she’d already cried so much she didn’t see how there could be any more tears inside her.

"Samantha? I’m talking to you. Do you want me to take that blanket away?"

No! She’d do anything to keep the blanket, anything to stop the cold and provide a barrier against the fear. "N-no, Mistress."

She was trembling all of a sudden, and she had no idea why.

"Look at you," Tiffany said, as if the sight sickened her. "You’re going to wet yourself again if you don’t settle down."

Fresh tears dripped from Sam’s chin. "I c-can’t st-stop."

A hint of kindness entered Tiffany’s eyes. "I’ll tell you what. If you eat some kibble, just to make yourself start getting used to it, I’ll bring you a sandwich later."

Was this a trick? Samantha thought it might be but changed her mind when Tiffany spoke again. "If you ever tell Colin I gave you anything but that dog food, you’ll never get another morsel out of me, do you understand?"

Hope flared in Samantha’s chest and the shaking began to subside.

Was it possible that Tiffany might become a friend in this hellish place? "I w-won’t tell him," she said. "I swear."

"Okay, then. Make me one more promise."

"What’s that?"

Drawing close, Tiffany lowered her voice. "You won’t resist Colin no matter what he does."

Samantha twisted her fingers into the torn blanket. "Why not?"

Tiffany’s stare drilled into her. "He’ll kill you," she said without blinking. "He wasn’t lying about that."

Chapter 11

Jonathan woke with a start. He hadn’t realized he’d nodded off.

Blinking, he scraped a hand over his stubble-covered chin and checked his watch. It was after nine, and he was still at the kitchen table with his laptop, where he’d been sitting since he’d walked Kino late last night.

"Shit," he muttered through his fingers.

Kino, who’d been napping at Jonathan’s feet, whined in response and got up, eager for another walk, but Ronnie would have to take him. Jonathan had to find something that might lead him to Zoe Duncan’s father. And he had to do it fast. Time was slipping away….

He’d already spent hours searching various databases, including LexisNexis, for information on Ely Duncan. But everything that came up was so dated he didn’t believe it’d be relevant.

He decided to switch to the phone, to develop a chain of people to follow–someone who’d heard some gossip and was willing to share it or who could point him in the direction of a friend or relative who might tell him more.

Using a crisscross directory, he got the telephone numbers of Ely’s neighbors, but the ones he was able to reach wouldn’t talk to him. They didn’t trust him, even though he told them he was working for Ely’s daughter.