Chapter Fifty Four

“You know, I thought about keeping you.” Brian cocked his head to the side as he studied Queen Bee. Her head bobbed against her chest as she went in and out of consciousness. He had been meticulous with the sedatives he used and knew she would be waking up soon.

Queen Bee felt the wrenching pressure in her arm sockets but couldn’t think clearly enough to recognize that she was hanging by her wrists from the end of a chain that he’d hooked into the ceiling.

“You are a beauty,” he continued as he let his gaze wander over the lines of her body. “I would love nothing more than to put that pompous rich boyfriend of yours in his place. I’ve been expanding my horizons lately; maybe I should fuck you until you don’t know your own name, and make sure he knows it. He’d never be able to look at you the same again. He’d sure as hell never want to touch you after I was through with you. You see, I’ve always hated rich people; the way they act like everyone is beneath them. Yeah, I’d love to return you to him after you were all used up. But I’ve got to kill you. It’s not my preference, you understand, but it’s unavoidable. It’s the only way I’ll get Teegan’s attention.”

He circled her, reaching out and pushing against her shoulder. Her toes were barely touching the floor so she easily began to twirl from the end of the chain. He liked watching her moving at his command, having surrendered all control. He’d like it better if she wasn’t so drugged, but he hadn’t wanted to risk a full-blown fight during the drive over, so he’d made sure to give her the hard stuff.

“I had to find a different place for our time together tonight. Those fucking FBI agents have been keeping an eye on my house. They think I don’t know, but I’m not stupid. They were inside my house!” he bellowed, then closed his eyes and struggled to regain control. He swallowed harshly, then continued with some effort. “Things…had been moved. They’re circling and planning my demise. But I’m too smart for them. I made sure we weren’t being followed. The old fart who owned this dilapidated fishing cabin didn’t have many more years to live anyway. I did him a favor by killing him.” He paused and grinned. “More like a public service, really.”

He grabbed her shoulders, bringing her twirling body to an abrupt stop so suddenly that her bleary eyes flew open in fear. “Ah, there you are!” he said brightly. “I’m so glad you’re awake. It’s so much more gratifying to kill when they know what’s going on. Do you suppose anyone will miss you? Or will you drop off the face of the earth and no one will even notice?”

Her mouth felt dry and her tongue felt so thick she could barely whisper, “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can.” He shrugged dismissively, as if he couldn’t believe she was even asking him such a dumb question. “Personally, I think you’ll just drop off the face of the fucking earth and nobody will care. You have no family and the one so-called friend you did have set you up. And your boyfriend will just think you’ve lost interest and moved on. But that bitch Goldie is the reason you’re here. Beauty has a price—envy.”

It made him happy when he saw a single tear trail down her cheek. “Aw,” he pouted, “didn’t you know your best friend set you up? No?” He shook his head pityingly. “She’s always been jealous of you. Your friendship was a farce.”

He turned away from her and crossed the room to turn on a small CD player with classical music. When he faced her again, he was holding a box of clear plastic kitchen wrap and a large roll of white gauze. He stepped close to her and tossed the supplies on a nearby chair.

“Shall we begin?” he asked softly as he stepped in close to her and pulled her against him. He ran his hands over her torso, down her back and over her ass. He inhaled deeply and released a shuddering breath as he squeezed and stroked her sleek curves. “Damn. You really are something else. I’m going to enjoy this more than I should. When I’m through with you, Queenie, there won’t be anything left. Won’t that be nice?”  

When she mumbled frantically and tried to twist away from him, he laughed and shoved her aching shoulder, sending her spinning in a wide arc around him once more. He turned slowly, smiling serenely as he watched her progress until she slowed to a slow, swaying motion in front of him.

“Dizzy, are we?” he asked solicitously. “Here, then, let me help you out of your pretty dress.” He gripped the zipper tab and slid it down her back. “Oh dear, I’m afraid this won’t do at all.” He pulled out his knife and sliced through the fabric over her shoulders. The silk dress slithered down her body, landing in a heap on the floor. He stood back and admired her delicate, lacy Agent Provocateur lingerie. “Terry does have excellent taste, but I’m afraid these will have to go too.”

He stepped toward her, licking his lips as he slid a trembling finger beneath the scrap of silk that covered her genitals.

Queen Bee frowned and shook her head, unable to understand why her shoulder muscles still felt like they were on fire, and unable to make any sense of the bizarre scene before her.

As Brian gripped her panties in his cold, clammy hands and began pressing wet kisses down her belly heading south, her eyelids drooped once more. Nothing was making sense. As everything went dark, her last thought was that it was probably better that way.