Page 28 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

Julia

“What happened next?” I asked after a prolonged silence, my insides twisting at the thought of Nick harming this woman because of me.

“They had dinner, during which time he asked about Imogene’s studies. Acted as if it were completely normal for him to call this woman Julia and ask about a daughter she didn’t have, all while Christine’s husband was tied to a chair, bearing witness to all of it. After dinner, Nick took out a cell phone and put a song on repeat, forcing Christine to dance with him—”

“He has a cell phone, too?” Wes pressed, jaw twitching, nostrils flaring.

Agent Curran nodded gravely.

“How?”

“Our guess is there’s someone helping him.”

“Who? Who could—”

“What song did he play?” I interrupted my brother, needing to know the answer.

Although I feared I already did.

Agent Curran hesitantly turned his eyes to mine, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “‘Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me.’”

I expelled a shuttering breath that bordered on a sob. Nikko clutched my hand as I did everything to fight the chills overtaking me.

Just hearing the title of what Nick considered to be “our song” made my skin crawl, bile rising in my throat. Most people would consider it a romantic song about being so in love you felt crazed, detached from reality.

Now knowing what I did about Nick, it had a vastly different meaning.

“He made her dance with him, all the while bringing up memories of dancing to this song on their wedding night… Your wedding night,” he corrected.

“I know,” I replied quickly.

“He made her kiss him. Tell him how much she loved him. How he was the only man for her. And then…”

I drew in a breath, fearing what would come next. I knew Nick killed this poor woman’s husband. And tried to kill her, too. I wanted to believe that was it, as horrible as it was. I didn’t want to think he’d do anything else.

But knowing Nick, knowing how much he craved power and control, I knew I wouldn’t get my wish.

“Then he raped her…”

I squeezed my eyes shut, every muscle in my body stiffening.

“With the blade of a knife.”

I released a shuttering cry, my stomach roiling at the thought. I glanced toward Londyn, her own eyes brimming with tears, hands trembling.

“Kept saying something along the lines of ‘Now you know how it feels, Julia’. We believe this is his way of seeking revenge for when you stabbed him in the groin, which eventually led to his arrest and imprisonment.”

Chills rushed through me, a dizziness overtaking me as a sour taste formed in my mouth.

“When Jason begged him to stop, that he couldn’t bear to watch any more cruelty, couldn’t stomach listening to her harrowing cries, Nick grabbed his gun, positioned the angle of it in order to make it appear as if it were self-inflicted, and fired. Then he cut Jason free from his restraints, wiped his prints from the gun, and smeared Christine’s blood all over her husband’s hands and clothing before placing the gun in his right hand. Once he seemed satisfied, Nick approached Christine, the knife in his hand, and plunged it into her stomach. The last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was Nick saying—”

“‘Till death do us part,’” I whispered.

“Yes.”

The room fell silent for several moments as we all attempted to absorb everything Agent Curran just shared. No wonder he had paled. The entire ordeal sounded incredibly…sadistic. And the fact she suffered such brutality because Nick deemed her an acceptable replacement for me, at least for the night… It sickened me even more.

Why was he doing this? Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?