CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Kerry yanked viciously at the back door, praying that it wasn't locked. To her shock and relief, the door swung open and Kerry stumbled into the house.
She spun round when a shadow moved behind her. A man was standing between her and the door. Raising a bloodstained knife to his lips, the man smiled and locked the door behind him. “Shhhh,” he said.
Kerry made a strangled sound and backed away.
“So, you're Simone's friend,” the man drawled, stalking towards her. “Kerry, right?” He chuckled and continued, “You're the one who kept calling and texting. Simone's phone rang and buzzed every few minutes. You just don't give up, do you, Kerry? I had to smash the phone to silence the bloody thing!”
Kerry turned and saw Simone leaning against the wall. Her left eye was swollen shut and there were dark, ugly bruises on her arms and around her neck. One side of her face was covered with blood.
“Simone!” Kerry rushed to her friend and supported her as she began to slide down the wall. “Oh God!”
“Don't hurt her, Trent. Let Kerry go. It's me you want,” Simone whispered.
Kerry looked up at Trent with revulsion and rage. So this was Trent, Simone's ex-husband. She'd heard Simone mention him only once but she had never met him.
This abusive piece of shit had hurt Simone, again. “Oh Simone, what has he done to you?” Kerry sobbed, trying to clean the blood off Simone's cheek. “I need to get you to a doctor. You're badly hurt, Simone. I...”
“You are not going anywhere,” Trent said in a calm, reasonable voice when Kerry tried to help Simone up.
“Get out of the way,” Kerry snapped. “She needs a doctor!”
“Put her down. And sit down.”
When Kerry ignored him, Trent pressed the knife to her neck and hissed, “I said sit down.”
Kerry sucked in a breath but she was too mad to back down. The sight of Simone bleeding and crying broke her heart and made her blood boil. She was angry, so angry at herself for not coming to Simone earlier. Why hadn't she known that her friend was in trouble? She hadn't cared enough to find out what was happening in Simone's life. She had been too absorbed and wrapped up in her own affairs.
Trent moved towards Simone but Kerry blocked him. “You're not touching her. Get away from her, you piece of shit!”
Trent laughed. “Simone is my wife.”
“Was! She divorced you. She's got nothing to do with you now. You are out of her life. Leave her alone! I'm calling the cops right now. You are going to jail—where you belong!”
Trent strode forward and backhanded Kerry across the face. She cried out in pain as she fell to the floor.
Trent grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. “Busybody bitch,” he hissed.
“Trent,” Simone pleaded. “Please...don't!”
“Don't tell me what to do.” Trent pointed his knife at Simone. “Unless you want me to cut your other cheek open.”
Trent threw Kerry on the floor beside Simone and warned, “Not a sound,” he told Kerry. “If you make a sound, I will cut off her fingers one by one. Shhh!” He made a slicing motion with his blade to show her that he meant business.
Grabbing some rags from under the sink, he deftly fashioned them into a rope and bound Kerry's wrists and ankles. Kerry struggled as hard as she could as he gagged her.
Kerry eyes widened in terror when he pressed his blade against her ear. Simone tried to reach her but Trent kicked her away.
“Now,” Trent cooed to Simone. “You would rather be beaten and disfigured than give me the money. You don't care about yourself, but you care for your friend here, right? She came all this way for you. You wouldn't want me to cut off her ears and disfigure her pretty little face, do you?”