Page 72 of Forsaken
Every frantic beat of her heart caused it topound against her ribs until it felt bruised, but she couldn’tmove. How long had this thing been stalking Julian andthemif he knew about Kyle and Cassidy too? She had to warn Julian, butshe had to get away first, and she couldn’t figure outhowto do that.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
“Julian knows why.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Of that, she wascertain.
“Oh, believe me, he knows what he did, and ifhe can’t remember, then I will jog his memory. Originally, Iplanned to grab you, use you, and kill you,” Gerald said.
Bile rose in her throat at the idea of thisthing inside her; she’d die before she ever let him rape her. Shedidn’t know how, considering her body was useless right now, butshe would find a way.
Gerald leaned closer, and she almost threw upon his five-hundred-dollar shoes when he pressed his lips againsther ear to whisper. “Then I saw how much he cared for you, and Irealized it would be much more fun ifyoukilled him.”
“That will never happen!” She picturedshoving her hands into his chest to get himawayfrom her.All she managed was a twitch of her fingers.
He laughed as he leaned away from her again.“Never say never, my dear.”
He skimmed his knuckles down her throat andbetween her breasts. An inward shudder racked her as involuntarytears pooled in her eyes. She hated herself for those tears, butshe hadn’t felt this helpless since she was on the island.
Except, this was so much worse. Then, she’dat least been able to use her body; now, she was nothing more thana puppet. Then, there was no Julian. And though she swore she wouldnever harm him, this fucker had control of her and could make herdo things she wouldn’t normally do.
“Oh, don’t cry,” Gerald murmured as he wipedaway the tear sliding down her cheek. “It’s so unbecoming. Besides,I’m not here to fuck you now. We’ll have fun afterward, I promise,but we’re going to play with your boyfriend first. Now, tell me,since you’ve been friends for years, what is the worst thing heever did to you?”
Aida kept her mouth closed against herresponse as she gazed at the painting over his shoulder. If shefocused on the artist’s use of red to emphasize the wrath of hissubject, then she could almost ignore the hand fondling her breast.If she admired the broad, sweeping strokes of his brush, then thehot breath against her cheek wasn’t as repellent.
“Answer me,” he commanded, and clasping hercheeks, he pinched them cruelly together as he jerked her headtoward him. “Tell me, what is the worst thing he did to you? Therehas to be something; everyone hurts the ones they love. Tell mewhat he did to make you cry.”
The rest of the hallway faded away as his redeyes filled her vision.Don’t answer him!Her brain screamedthis at her while her tongue worked weirdly in her throat.
She tried not to respond, but she couldn’tstop herself. “He left for four years, and I never heard fromhim.”
“Aw, you poor thing. Did it break yourheart?”
Julian, she whimpered, hoping he wouldsomehow sense her terror, but if it was a distance thing and he wasat her apartment, then they were probably too far apart. She’d giveanything to punch this guy, kick him, beat him, or tear out histhroat with her teeth; instead, she found her mouth opening toanswer him again.
“Yes.”
“How could anyone forsake you?” Geraldmurmured. “He never should have done that. We’ll make him pay.”
“No,” she whimpered.
“Oh yes, my lovely little doll. This is goingto be such fun. Now, listen carefully to me.”
The last of her resistance melted away as hecontinued speaking. Like a beautiful, haunting melody, his wordswove their way into her mind. Her brain stopped fighting as heseized control of her mind, and his power overwhelmed her.
When he finished speaking, he released hishold on her. “Stay here.”
Like a well-trained dog, she remainedstanding in place. He retrieved her shoes and walked back to handthem to her. “Put those on.”
Aida slipped her heels back on her feet.
“You are going to forget all about our littleconversation and what transpired here. You’ve simply been showingme all these beautiful paintings. Do you understand me, Aida?”
“Yes.”
“What have we been doing?” he asked.
“Looking at all the paintings,” she said.
