Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

“We need to get out of here and fast.”

The rope falls to the ground, and I watch as it coils softly on the dark wood. It’s so pretty.

The door bursts open. Anna shrinks behind me, but I step toward it, ready to take on the world.

Chapter 166

Going Concern

Anna

When the door bursts open with a crack, I flash back to Patrick killing that man. Then he stared at me with dead eyes and pointed the gun at my face. I shrink away from whatever the new threat is as Madison moves in front of me.

“Little one, who let you go free?” Patrick’s voice is pleasant, almost sweet. Fear trickles down my spine. He’s between us and the door.

Madison sways in front of me. Maybe we can barricade ourselves in a bedroom. I grab her arm to pull her back, but she collapses. I catch her before she drops, but instead of holding us both up, I fall with her to the floor, careful to protect her head.

“What a mess.” Patrick squats down in front of me and smiles. A smile I fell for a thousand times before. Back when I thought he was a great guy with some issues. The cheating wasn’t awesome, but he went to work every day. He was good with the kids. We even had a decent sex life. But underneath the veneer, he was always a monster.

He kept it hidden well.

When he reaches out to touch Madison, I pull her away from his hand.

His dark eyes lift to mine. The emptiness in them sends warning flares to my brain. Every instinct tells me to run from the predator cornering me.

Whitleys don’t cower. I can hear my grandfather’s voice in my head.

“What did you hope would happen here, Patrick?” I meet those emotionless eyes of his. He doesn’t even bother to wear the mask he showed me for years. How could I fall for this guy? How could I stay with him? I even helped him seek counseling for his sex addiction, which was his excuse for cheating.

“See, you were supposed to be dead now. You always think too small, Anna.” His lips smile, but his eyes remain lifeless. “I saw something I wanted, and I did everything in my power to have it. First you and now Madison.”

I fell in love with a charming man. A liar, a cheater, and a murderer.

My lips press together to keep from saying anything that could make him explode. Or worse, go get the gun and finish what he started. I’ve got to keep him talking. “Why her?”

His eyes soften when he looks down at Madison’s face. He used to look at me like that. Ice rolls down my spine.

He sits back and stares at her like we have all the time in the world. “The nights I drove her home. There weren’t many. She was so young and carefree. She’d ask if she could play songs on my radio.”

I put my hand on Madison’s wrist to check her pulse. It’s strong. Good. She needs to wake up, but what if she doesn’t? I swallow hard.

“The song. It’s like she wanted me to hear what she wasn’t saying. That she wanted me to love her. Such passion. Teasing me in those pretty sundresses. Lily talked about her constantly. Madison did this. Madison says that. I could tell our children loved her. She didn’t worry if wearing last year’s fashion to the benefit would be tragic.” He reaches out and rubs the fabric of Madison’s sundress between his fingers.

“This cost thirty dollars. She wore it all the time. She’s real and full of life. She doesn’t care what other people think of her. And the filthy things she lets those men do to her.” His eyes darken as he takes her in. “She can keep up with me.”

I want to drag her away from this monster I married.

Yes, I worry about things like how we’ll be seen in public. In my life, they’re important. People judge us on everything. He never understood that.

He sighs. “The roommate was a miscalculation, but she was effective. Pictures, video, audio. It satisfied me while Madison pursued her education. I knew our children would need more time with you to realize how lucky they were to have her.”

That stings, but I don’t say anything. He’s calm. He’s not waving a gun in my face. We’re just here talking, almost like normal people. Besides the fact he drugged Madison and she’s lying limp half on me.

I don’t need to ask him if he would have pulled the trigger and ended my life. I saw it in his eyes. He’s prepared to do what he thinks will fix his life. At least the children are in his plan.

I’m on borrowed time now because of this woman, so I’ll do my best to distract him while she fights whatever drug is in her system. To give her the best chance of escaping him.

He planned to have Hunter kill me, but one thing bothers me.