His Broken Submissive : Mercy

43 Mind Games

Jonathan

Days tick by at a snail's pace but the police are no closer to catching Alec than they were, to begin with. They have surveillance footage at the gift shop, showing it was clearly him, but he paid with cash and slipped away like a ghost.

To think Izzy almost saw...

My knuckles crack under the pressure, from balling them so hard. Every day he's free just eats at me.

"You haven't heard a word I've said have you?" Viktor chides.

"Sorry, I can't seem to focus anymore." I sink down into the chair opposite of him and pick up the glass of Vodka he poured for me, tossing it back in one go.

"You better learn," Viktor grumbles. "That girl." He motions to the window where Izzy, Becca and Natasha lounge by the pool. "She relies on you."

"Fuck, I know!" I palm my forehead trying to will my mind to get on board, but it's no more responsive than it was yesterday.

"I can't stop thinking! All bloody day when I have work to deal with, all I can think about is he's still out there, waiting. When I look at her, my chest tightens at the fucking thought of anything happening to her."

"You can't control the world, only you and what you do." His pointed look is the same one I would give him if the tables were reversed.

"I know," I whisper. "I know all of this and yet I worry constantly every time she's out of sight that something might-"

"What ifs?! Jonathan, you know better than that! I ought to tell Anne, she'd paddle your ass for that." He grins.

Viktor opens the curtains wider and once again gestures outback. "Look out there, what do you see?"

Izzy is wearing a simple baby blue bikini and is laying on her stomach on the lounge chair. Her friends are in their bikinis too and all looking at Natasha's portfolio, laughing and having a great time.

"She's not scared, she's just having a good time with her girlfriends," he reasons.

He's right. For whatever reason, she seems far less affected than I am, but she didn't see.

Anne sent me a picture of the 'gift' Alec sent. A single white rose with blood dripped over its pristine petals. The note was simple and simply said I can't wait to see you again.

I of course deleted the picture right away, yet I see it clear as day, every time I close my eyes. My mind won't let me forget that some psychopath is out there, just waiting for the perfect moment to get at her again.

"Let me ask you this, if Izzy was really struggling with a problem, what would you tell her?" He leans back in his seat and crosses his leg casually.

I frown but know exactly what he's after. "I'd tell her to break it down, figure out what parts she has control over and which she doesn't."

"Because there's no point in wasting energy on things out of our control," Viktor finishes. "Seems to me that a shrewd businessman imparted the same wisdom to me. I have to admit, it has served me well."

"This businessman sounds like a hack," I dryly reply.

"He has his moments," Viktor replies with a chuckle. "So what's the problem?"

I roll my eyes, Lord knows I've thought about this for hours. Viktor just raises a brow, intent on seeing this through.

"He's out there."

"So?" He shrugs, looking unbothered.

"So?!" His non-challant attitude sets my nerves on edge.

"So. What. He was always on the loose, so what's the problem." He leans forward, narrowing his gaze at me in challenge.