Busted (14 page)
But he didn’t. He just stood there holding his Bible to his chest. ‘Please, don’t be scared of me. You have no reason to be afraid.’
‘Why are you here?’
‘I want to help you. To save you.’
‘I don’t need saving. I need money.’
‘I told you I’d give you all the money you need.’ He tucked the Bible under his arm and took out his wallet. She could see bills stacked neatly in the fold. Hundreds. He fanned them out in his hand. ‘I want to take care of you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.’
Her chest shook. She eyed the money. There was at least five hundred there, possibly more. ‘I don’t know you.’
‘No, not yet.’
Lucy’s foot stepped back, but she needed to go forward, needed to grab the cash and run. If the man sensed her plans, he didn’t show it. He stood there with the hundreds looking like postage stamps in his large hands, not moving, not speaking. All that cash. Five hundred dollars. She could rent a hotel room, keep herself off the street for months, maybe a year.
Lucy felt her heart banging against her shattered rib. She was torn between snatching the dough and running for her life and just plain running
from
her life. The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. Her hands were shaking. She felt heat radiating somewhere behind her. For a moment, Lucy assumed the sun was coming up over Peachtree Plaza, streaking down the street, warming her neck and shoulders. Was this some sign from above? Was this finally her moment of salvation?
No. No salvation. Just money.
She forced herself to take a step forward. Then another. ‘I want to know you,’ she told the man, fear making the words slur on her tongue.
He smiled. ‘That’s good, sister.’
Lucy made herself return the smile. Made her shoulders curve so she looked younger, sweeter, innocent. And then
she grabbed the wad of cash. She turned to run, but her body jerked back like a slingshot.
‘Don’t fight me.’ His fingers were clamped around her wrist. Half her arm disappeared inside his grip. ‘You can’t escape.’
Lucy stopped fighting. She didn’t have a choice. Pain was shooting up her neck. Her head was throbbing. Her shoulder crunched in the socket. Still, she kept her fist wrapped around the money. She could feel the stiff bills scraping against her palm.
He said, ‘Sister, why do you crave a life of sin?’
‘I don’t know.’ Lucy shook her head. She looked down at the ground. She sniffed back the blood that dripped from her nose. And then she felt his grip start to loosen.
‘Sister—’
Lucy wrenched away her arm, her skin feeling torn, like a glove ripping off. She ran as fast and as hard as she could, feet slapping pavement, arms pumping. One block. Two. She opened her mouth, taking deep gulps of air that sent stabbing pains into her chest. Broken ribs. Busted nose. Shattered teeth. Money in her hand. Five hundred dollars. A hotel room. A bus ticket. Safety. All the H that she could handle. She was free. Goddamn it, she was finally free.
Until her head flew back. Her scalp felt like the teeth of a zipper being wrenched apart as chunks of hair were snatched out at the root. Lucy’s forward momentum didn’t stop. She saw her legs shoot out in front of her, feet level to her chin, and then her back slammed down flat to the ground.
‘Don’t fight,’ the man repeated, straddling her, his hands wrapping around her neck.
Lucy clawed at his fingers. His grip was relentless. Blood poured from her torn scalp. It went into her eyes, her nose, her mouth.
She couldn’t scream. She blindly reached out, trying to dig her fingernails into his eye sockets. She felt the side of his face, his rough skin, then her hands dropped because she couldn’t hold up her arms anymore. His breath quickened as her body spasmed. Warm urine ran down her leg. She could feel his excitement even as a sense of hopelessness took over. Who was Lucy fighting for? Who cared if Lucy Bennett lived or died? Maybe Henry would be sad when he heard the news, but her parents, her old friends, even Mrs Henderson, would probably feel nothing but relief.
Finally, the inevitable.
Lucy’s tongue swelled in her mouth. Her vision blurred. It was useless. There was no air left for her lungs. No oxygen going to her brain. She felt herself start to give, her muscles releasing. The back of her head hit pavement. She stared up. The sky was impossibly black, pinholes of stars barely visible. The man stared down at her, the same concerned look in his eyes.
Only this time, he was smiling.
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Version 1.0
Epub ISBN 9781448184828
Published by Cornerstone Digital, 2013
Copyright © Karin Slaughter 2013
Karin Slaughter has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
Cornerstone Digital
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