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Josh sang along with the music as he cruised along, feeling like a god. Before another day dawned, he'd have Georgie broken and subservient. And then, he'd teach her how to help him, and he'd bathe her in their victim's blood, and she'd be his forever.
That brought a rush of joy. He'd wanted her since the first time he saw her. Not met. Just saw. He'd been cajoled into attending a gallery exhibit. He wished he'd just refused. Until he saw her.
His little doll. Josh had waited his whole life for her to appear, and there she was. No, wait, something was wrong. No, not wrong. Perfect. His doll was broken, and unashamed of it.
She wore a skirt and knit top, a modest outfit but one that revealed her prosthetic leg. It started at her knee. He couldn't stop thinking how she'd look without it. Did she take it off at night?
Georgie became his obsession. His life changed that night. It took some work, but he got her name and started stalking her to see where she went and what she liked.
He'd make her his girl, no matter what it took. Two years later, he felt he was almost there. She'd accepted his ring, even though she refused to set a date.
Then Riggs showed up and blew everything to hell. Georgie couldn't talk or think about anything else.
That was about to change. Now, they were ready to be united in a way that would bind them forever. She'd be his.
His phone chimed, and he spoke into the air. "Answer."
It was a security alert. Alarmed, he sat up straighter and commanded the phone to access the video from all cameras.
Josh slowed, looking for a place to pull over. A mile down the road, a dirt road led to a spot where local kids went to fish. He turned onto what was little more than a dirt path, killed the lights, and reached for his phone.
Rage had him nearly hurling the phone from the window when he saw the live feed. Two men were outside the house. He couldn't make out features, but he'd bet his last dollar it was Riggs Walker.
How the hell had that man found them? No one could have figured out they were here. So, what was the explanation?
She fooled him. The realization rocketed his rage from a blaze to an inferno. Somehow, she sent a message on that iPad she found, and now Riggs was here.
Josh sat in the dark, thinking. After several minutes, he smiled. Wouldn't it be a kick in the balls to the Walker family for Riggs's body, along with the body of his partner,to be discovered at the site of murdered women? The bodies would be found, supporting the idea that Riggs and his partner were responsible for not only murdering Georgie and the woman in the trunk of Josh's car, but also tying them to all the other murders as well.
Yes, that would work, and with a bit of luck and a great acting job, he'd become a celebrity. And that might be worth sacrificing his little girl. After all, she only existed to please him.
And right now, it was starting to feel like her death would be tremendously satisfying.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Georgie rolled over onto her back, literally panting from the effort it took to work her way across the rough floor. The way Josh tied her, she only achieved forward movement by lying on her belly and inch-worming along. Her wrists were bound, and the rope extended up one arm to lash her arms together at the elbow. She used her elbows like a hoe, reaching out and pulling herself forward.
Her legs were tied from the thigh to knee. Since he'd removed her prosthesis, she had only her right foot to use to push with. It was slow and painful, thanks to the beating she'd taken.
But she wouldn't give up. The desire to survive was all she had left. Not hope or prayers or wishes. Just her. Surviving until 0630. No matter how scared she was, she couldn't give up because then Josh would win. And she wanted very much to be saved and have him arrested. He needed to pay for the evil he'd committed.
She just had to survive until 0630, and then Riggs would be here. He promised, and she trusted him to honor that promise. With renewed determination, she rolled over onto her belly and started again.
*****
Riggs' mind suddenly registered what his eyes had passed over an instant before. He stopped, took a step back, and pointed. Gunner's gaze followed the direction Riggs pointed, and then he looked at Riggs.
A thin, horizontal window was set into the wall about eighteen inches above ground level. It would have been invisible had it not been, for the bush in front of it was dead.
He knelt to get a look. There was no light. Either the basement was unlit, or the window was covered. From the look of it, he'd guess it was covered or maybe boarded up. It's the kind of thing you do when you're serious about not letting anyone see what was inside that space.
They proceeded on along the side of the house. It almost seemed like divine intervention when they reached the corner of the house and peered around. The window closest to them was locked.
Gunner tapped Riggs' shoulder, and when Riggs looked, Gunner indicated with hand motions he wanted Riggs to switch places with him. Riggs complied without question. The window had a top and base unit, each with three frames. The bottom slid up to open. On the horizontal rail of the base was a lock.
Gunner pulled a toboggan from one of the pockets in his fatigues and placed it against the top window frame, where the wood holding the left and middle panes met. He put his hand flat on top of it. One shove and the wood splintered. Removing the center pane and unlocking the window didn't take much effort.
It took only seconds for him to perform the action and another few seconds for them to remove the screen and climb through the window. Moving as a team, they swept the house. They found nothing on the floor where they’d entered or upstairs.