Page 23 of Jase

Scared. She should be scared.

Until I know you’re okay.

I’m o—

I cut off her ability to type, but not mine.

“You can lie to your friend, but you won’t lie to me. You’re not okay. Until you are, I’ll continue to be here.”

Chapter 10

Kody

There’d been a time when I allowed men to tell me what to do. So much so, I’d lost myself to one. When he left me for another woman, it almost destroyed me. Not that I could compare the murdering savior on my computer to George, but I promised I’d never find myself in that situation again. This man…although I missed talking to him, I didn’t know him. Yes, he saved my life, but over the last few days, I also let the truth sink in. This stranger killed a person. A bad person, but one, nonetheless. I should be afraid.I should be calling the detectives.

My eyes rose to the webcam at the top of my monitor.

I wouldn’t do that.

Despite that I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t imagine how terrified I’d be if David was alive. I may have still been rattled inside, but I wasn’t breaking to pieces at the thought of him coming back. Not now anyway. David was dead, and I had this stranger to thank for it. If it wasn’t for him…

I shuddered. Maybe he was a monster too. Maybe he was just as bad as David. Truth was, I couldn’t force myself to believe it. He was there for me during the torture. There for me in the hospital. He was with me when I was at my worst. His words reassured me. Not to mention, he’d risked his life to save mine. He had his chance to take me, kill me, rape or beat me. He didn’t. All I knew was the protector, and for the moment, I was okay with that. I was safe. I oddly felt safer that he was watching over me. We even shared something—blood. David shed mine, and he stopped the course of David’s. We were connected.

Again, I looked at my webcam.

“Can you hear me?” I pushed the chair back from the desk, drawing my broken hand up to cradle at my chest. “I know you can see; you mentioned my friend. You can probably do both. Am I right?”

I stared at the search box, waiting.

“I can hear you.”

I jumped at the deep voice that echoed through my speakers. I wasn’t very tech savvy, and from the small chuckle, he noticed.

“You should have said something before.”

“Probably.”

Nodding, I curled in tighter.

“Are you afraid, Kody?”

“Of you?” I paused. “Yes. A little. You saved me, but I don’t know you. Why did you save me?”

“Why? You have to ask?”

I reached over, grabbing the throw blanket from the back of my couch. “He said you found me. That you were buying me to kill me. Do you do that? Do you kill women?”

“No. It was the only way I could get him to bring you to me.”

“But you were watching the show. Why?”

Silence.

“Do you like to watch people being tortured?”

Silence.

My lips pursed, not sure how to take his lack of response.