I'm the one that fucked up his whole life. I'm the one that forced him to spend years in jail. Not Jade.
If he wants to hurt anyone, I'm sure it's me.
“If you return Jade, you can have me. Just make sure she gets back home safe and sound, not a scratch on her, and I will do whatever you want.”
I know I sound desperate, and it's not like I have any leverage to use against him. But maybe the promise of getting what he wants will be enough.
“And how do I know this isn't a trap, sweet Hazel girl? You seem to have a lot of powerful friends in high places. You hear those sirens in the distance. I know I can, and I'm over here.”
I don't know what Neil is getting at, but I do hear the sirens in the distance.
I know that police are coming to the house because they need to check out the scene of the crime where he broke into the circuit box, where he took Jade from her bed, and left her window open.
Is he close by? Is he just hearing this through the phone line? Is he just taunting me?
I always feel like I'm five steps behind him. He knows all the moves, and he's playing a different game of chess than I am, and I've never been very good at that game anyway.
My heart is beating furiously against my ribs, and my voice cracks when I try to speak again.
“I promise. I promise this isn't some kind of trap. I just want Jade safe. She's what matters. Please don't hurt her.”
A menacing chuckle rings through the line, and I can hear how very proud of himself he is. Neil was always a huge fan of gloating, of showing you just how much he has and how little you have.
He always struck me as the type of person who cared about power more than anything else.
Sure, there was the fleeting joy of getting to assault young, beautiful women. Still, it always felt like the thing that he really got off on was how much of a power difference there was between us, how much he could do to us without us being able to retaliate.
This feels exactly the same.
He knows he can hurt me. He knows he can say whatever he wants right now because I have nothing in my power to stop him.
“You sound so broken up, Hazel. Maybe now you see how serious this all is, how you can't just go around messing with people's lives, getting them thrown into jail when they're just trying to make a buck. All right. I'll hear you out for now, but if I see anything, just know that I have no problem killing the girl.”
I suck in a breath, nearly vomiting at the sound of that. But he's going to do it. He's going to hear me out, at least for now, and I have no choice but to do as he says.
“I promise I won't bring anybody with me. Just tell me where to go. You can text it, and I'll write it down on my hand, and I'll delete the message. I promise I won't bring anybody else with me.”
“All right, Hazel girl, you meet me at midnight at the address I'm texting you right now. Don't bring anybody with you, don't tell the police, and just know that I have connections that can see Jade shipped across the country, across the globe, and you'll never see her again. I feel like that might be amuchworse fate than just snapping her little neck.”
I choke on a sob that I won't let break free, nodding to myself too much.
“I promise, I promise, I promise. I-I won't tell the police. I'll be there. I'll be there at midnight. Please don't hurt Jade.Please.” The need to know if she’s even still alive bubbles up. “Can I talk to her? Can you tell her that it's Hazel? Can I?—"
Click.
The line goes dead. Neil’s hung up on me.
I still don't know if she's alright. I don't know if he's already moved her across the country, across the globe.
But I have to go on faith that getting me is more important to him than keeping Jade. So, I tuck my phone away in my pocket, vowing to write down the address on my hand and then delete the message.
I'm trembling as I walk back inside the house. Easton is just getting off the phone as I look into the living room, and he looks up at me, his eyes wide, his hair frazzled.
We both look like a complete mess right now, and I don't blame either of us for that.
“Okay, great. Uh, yes, I will await your officers here. Thank you.”
Easton hangs up, sets his phone down on the kitchen island, and walks closer towards me.
