“And if she’s not?”
“I don’t know. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
“She has feelings for you. That’s obvious from the way she looks at you.”
“I want to believe she does.” But enough to upend the life she’d built and move to Myrtle Beach? And if she wasn’t willing to move, would he give up everything he’d worked for since heand his brothers had created The Phoenix Three? Because he couldn’t imagine not having Kendall and Livie in his life on a daily basis.
Chapter 28
“Why, John? Why did you kidnap me when I was a child? Why do it again?”
His brows scrunched together. “Why are you calling me John?”
“You said that was your name.”
“No, I didn’t. Why are you messing with my head?” He slammed his hand against the wall, causing her to jump. “Stop it. I know what you’re trying to do, and I won’t fall for your tricks again.”
The man was seriously unhinged. “What should I call you?”
“My name.”
“I’m sorry, but I think I’ve forgotten it.”
“It’s Chad.”
“Chad. That’s a nice name.” Maybe if she humored him, she could make him think she wouldn’t try to escape. “Why did you kidnap me when I was a child?”
“I was going to send you to my sister. Lisa’s an angel in heaven and I wanted her to have a friend.”
He’d intended to kill a little girl…her? “And now?”
“I think I’ll keep you for myself.”
“You can’t just decide to keep someone.” She understood now his talk about angels in the emails he’d sent her. She almost asked what happened to his sister but thought better of it. It might set him off. Not that he wasn’t already scaring her, butif his sister’s death was a violent one, who knew how he’d react being asked about it.
His expression turned mulish. “You’re mine, and I can keep what’s mine.”
There was one thing she wanted to know, and also, if she kept him talking, it would give Cooper more time to find her. “How did you find me again?”
“Funny story that. It was by chance. I’ve been a fan of your podcasts almost from the beginning. There was something about you that drew me in. Then I got to thinking about the name you used, Kendra Hartley. That was too close to your real name to be a coincidence, so I did some investigating.”
Why hadn’t she used a name that was nothing like hers?
“I came back to get you after you escaped, but your family had moved away, and there wasn’t a forwarding address.”
Yes, her parents had feared he might come back for her. A week after her kidnapping, they’d moved into a gated community where it felt safer. Now, she thanked her parents for their foresight.
“I made you dinner.” He turned and walked out of the room.
She stood where he left her, indecision warring within her. Should she play along with his delusions, maybe find an opportunity to steal the key from him, or should she refuse to do anything he said? She certainly didn’t want to sit down and have dinner with him, but what would he do if she refused?
Before she could decide, he appeared in the doorway. “Don’t try my patience, Kendall. I can treat you like a queen, or I can keep you caged like an animal. It’s your choice.”
Would he actually put her in a cage or was that just a figure of speech? She didn’t want to know. She had to be smart about this and make him believe she wanted to be here in the hope that it would buy her the time Cooper needed to find her. Or until she could get her hands on that key.
“Which will it be?”
“I am hungry, so I’ll come eat.” She wasn’t sure she could eat anything, but she followed him to the dining room. The table was set with two plates across from each other, and on the plates were mac and cheese and… Was that Vienna sausages?