Page 20 of West Bound

“What about being on a private plane makes you think we need money?”

“The fuel bill?” I snark right back at him.

“You have a smart mouth.”

“So we’ve established. Are we done talking in circles yet? I’d really like to get back to the convent. There will still be damage to manage, but it might be doable. We land somewhere else…” I shake my head. “Hopeless.”

“We’re not changing plans.”

“Where are you taking me anyway?”

“Colorado.”

I feel a wave of nausea. He’s leading us right to the slaughter. We’ll be sitting ducks. Ripe for the taking the second we’re wheels down in my father’s state and so close to my husband’s home.

“Are you mad? Have you done any of your research?”

“Research is all I’ve been doing for weeks.” There’s a sly smile teasing at the corner of his mouth.

I realize now that every conversation I thought I had with him was a practiced trap. One he was luring me into. Everything I thought I’d felt or seen in him was manufactured. Carefully crafted in order to get my attention and prey on my weaknesses. I hate him for it.

“Not enough. Clearly.” His pride over his intelligence is a weakness I’m willing to press on.

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

“Your friend doesn’t seem happy about it. I imagine this wasn’t the original plan.”

“Not exactly. I didn’t expect you to be lying about being a nun.”

“I didn’t expect you to lie to me abouteverything.” There’s a hint of anger in my tone, and I’m trying to control it. It won’t help me, not if he’s anything like my husband. He’ll just punish me more for making him feel guilty.

“Why did you have drugs in your room anyway?” He’s uninterested in my accusation.

“A backup plan in case things ever went badly.” I meant it for my husband if he ever returned to take me, but this man made me waste it. Now I have to find more.

“You should have practiced tying your knots a little tighter as part of that plan.”

“I’ll be sure to make notes for the next time. Trust me.”

There’s a flash of amusement over his face before the well-practiced mask returns.

“I’ll make sure we have extra security. Do you want to tell me your husband’s name, or should I just keep going through this phone?” He holds up the secondary phone I kept hidden under my mattress.

I rarely use it. Only for my required check-ins. It’s the only connection to my husband I still have left besides the inconvenient piece of paper that keeps me bound to him. I’d burn it if I could. The man tortured me with the offer of an annulment whenever he needed my compliance. But it’s been eerily quiet lately, like maybe he finally started to let me go.

My disappearance would certainly be the end of that silence though. Any disobedience of his rules was an attack on his ego. He'll be back with a vengeance unless I figure out a way to stop it. I jump up and grab for my phone, but he yanks it back out of my reach.

I’m tall, five eleven to be exact, but this man still has close to a half dozen inches on me. He can dangle it high enough to keep it just out of my grasp.

“If I can text him, maybe I can explain.” I try to reason with him.

“Explain what?” He looks at me like the thought is ridiculous.

“That there was a misunderstanding. I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

“Why do you have two phones? Why not just talk to him on the other one?”

“This was my old life. That one is my new one.” I feel my heart sink when I realize the phone has too, straight to the bottom of the lake. I'll never get those pictures back or the memories I've saved in it.