Claimed

Kelsey’s heart was beating high in her throat. “Please,” she managed to gasp, her voice sounding small and far away. “You’re really scaring me. Please, James,” she implored, “this has to stop. Let me up. Let me go home. Please, just let me go!” Kelsey was shaking so hard her teeth began to chatter.

“Hey, calm down. Stop it, Kelsey.”

To her vast relief, James put the gun down on the night table and reached for her wrists. He tugged at the knots for a few moments, and finally her hands flopped down from the headboard. For a moment she felt nothing, and a surge of panic hurtled through her at the thought that her arms were paralyzed.

But after a few seconds, she felt them tingling to life. The tingling became painful as the blood rushed back to her cramping arm muscles. She brought them forward over her breasts.

James, meanwhile, was busy loosening the ties around her ankles. When she was free, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. His body was lean and hard against hers as he carried her into the bathroom.

He set her down on the toilet. “Go on,” he said impatiently. “Do your business. Hurry up.”

Kelsey realized her bladder was full, painfully full. She understood she needed to seize this chance. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on letting go in front of this madman. Finally her body relaxed enough to let her pee. When she was done, James pulled her up from the toilet and pointed to the bathtub.

“Climb in. Go on. Move. Don’t touch the faucets. I’ll handle that.”

Though she would rather have showered, Kelsey welcomed the chance to wash the bastard’s stink from her body. She felt soiled from her head to her toes.

She stepped over the side of the tub and sat on the cold porcelain, wrapping her still-tingling arms protectively around her body.

James reached to turn on the faucet, and warm water began to fill the tub. Bending over her, he lifted his hand. Kelsey winced, afraid he was going to strike her. But he only reached for a plastic bottle of liquid soap that sat on a narrow ledge set into the wall. He thrust the bottle toward her. “Clean yourself up.”

Kelsey wasted no time, scrubbing herself vigorously, though she couldn’t wipe away the fresh memories of what he’d done to her. Rage bloomed inside her, and she tried to hold onto it. It felt better to be angry than terrified.

She would have to bide her time to get herself away from this lunatic. She would have to get hold of that gun. She had no idea how to use a gun, but how hard could it be? She’d aim the damn thing at him and pull the trigger.

Could she actually kill a person, when her own life was at stake? Maybe she’d just shoot him in the shoulder or the leg or something. Then she’d call 9-1-1, if she could find a phone. Once she shot the bastard, she would take his car and get the fuck out of there as fast as she could.

She glanced at James as the tub filled. He was standing at the toilet, urinating without a trace of self-consciousness. When he was done, he moved toward the sink, where he began to brush his teeth, as if this were just another work day.

Work!

James had said he was going in to the office. Did he plan to lock her up there at the house while he was gone? Was he going to make up a story about why she wasn’t there, or just feign ignorance? Jenny and Sarah had her cell number, but would they call or text? What would it matter if they did? James had thrown her cell phone in the back seat of the car.

Surely someone would look for her eventually, but who? She hadn’t been in the city long enough to really set down any roots. She connected with people from home from time to time on social media, but it wasn’t like she was on there every day. She regretted now that she didn’t have a roommate—someone to miss her when she didn’t come home at night. She regretted that she only checked in with her parents down in Florida once every six weeks or so.

It was chilling to realize there was no one to miss her, at least not right away. No one at all.

She stared at the broad back of the naked man standing near her. If only she hadn’t dismissed Jenny’s comments about his watching her. Jenny had been more right than she knew. James had not only had a crush on her, he’d been stalking her. He’d been watching her after hours, monitoring who she went out with, all the time harboring some crazy idea that they were meant to be together.