Page 67 of Into The Rabbit Hole
“This is crazy,” Regina balked, balling herfists.
“No, it’s not crazy at all. It’s simple. If you care if this man lives or dies, come, if you don’t, then I’ll chop him up and feed him to the fish. If you come, you never know who else you may get a chance tosave.”
What did he mean by that? “I do this and you will leave my family alone,” shesaid.
“We’ll see, huh? I’ll send the address.” He hungup.
She looked at Brian and searched his eyes. She didn’t know what he wasthinking.
Aaron had Ben. Why should she care? Why should she do anything? Ben made this mess himself, and quite rightly so, he was someone else’s problem now. Brian was next to her. This man had suffered so much at Ben’s expense. Why should either of them care what happens as a result of his own evilways?
But that wasn’t her. She couldn’t allow a man to die when she knew she could save him. It didn’t matter who hewas.
Would Brian understandthat?
“I’ll go grab my keys. We’ll take mycar.”
She threw her arms around him as he said that, loving him even more than she thought possible for hiscompassion.
* * *
Taylor
* * *
What was that smell?
It was sweet and sickly, like cotton candy being burnt. Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was the stone wall above her. Stone, actual stone, like she was in a cave. The first thing that came to mind was her school trip in eighth grade to the mines. Black Mountain canyon in SanDiego.
She hated it because Wade had made her watch a stupid horror film about these kids who ventured down into a cave and awakened some evil demon, who then possessed them and went on a killingspree.
This felt like that movie. Her young mind never allowed her to forget that film because she hated horror. It was outside of the romantic lover shewas.
That aside, where was she now? This…placewas…
Wherewasshe?
She moved her head as she looked at the ceiling and tried to remember what had happened. It was like she’d been asleep for hours and had forgotten everything. Fragmented memories came into hermind.
She remembered being in the kitchen at the beach house with Chloe, feeling so excited that Chloe and Wade were getting married. Thenwhat?
The burning in her eyes and the strong smell of something chemical, like too much chlorine in a swimming pool, she remembered green smoke filling the room and then this. She lowered her head and her eyes came in the direct line ofRichard’s.
“Richard,” she gasped. She almost jumped back when she sawhim.
“You’re awake,” hesaid.
She looked at him and wondered what he was doing here, wherever here was. It didn’t matter, wherever they were, they were in danger. That green smoke knocked her out. They had get out of here. She could scream at him after and tell him to leave her alone when they were away from here, safe. And she needed to find Chloe. She must have been affected by the smoke,too.
“Richard, we need to get out of here,” she said in a hurried voice. Taylor tried to move but realized she was tied to a chair. She looked down at her chest and saw that she was wearing a vest. Attached to it was what looked like a firework, along with several other little explosives. “Richard, help me,” shecried.
A bomb! That was what was attached toher.
She looked at him, tears running down her cheeks, and couldn’t have been more appalled when he laughed. “Richard.” Shewinced.
“Oh, Taylor. Richard—you know I really hate that name. I don’t know why I chose it.” He smiled in a really manic way. “My name’s actuallyAaron.”
She looked at him in disbelief. At first, she stupidly tried to recall where she’d heard that name, but then it came to her and she pulled in a sharpbreath.