"Don't hurt her," I pleaded.
"Why are you so devoted to her? She hurt you and here you are, begging me not to hurt her. Don't you think she should burn the way you did for her?"
"No! No, please-"
A chuckle. "Please, what? You'll do anything I say? Or, wait...I'll pay for this? No, no, wait, I've got it. You'll never get away with this. Yeah, that's always a good one."
"Ray, please."
"I like when you say my name."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Hey, I only wanted to talk to you. See you. But your Army guy had to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. And then you ran from me. That really hurt my feelings, Eden."
"I'm sorry! Let her go and we'll talk. I'll meet you."
"Got your attention now." He laughed.
"Please. You can't do this."
"Eden, I already did. Now. Meet me and let's get this over with."
My shoulders sagged. "Where?"
"The woods. Under the power lines. You know the place."
Not really. I'd never been there but heard about it. That's a known hang-out where the kids who liked to party spend their Friday and Saturday nights. Not my scene.
"I'm leaving now."
"Great!" He said it like we'd made a date to see a movie or something. "I'll see you soon. And Eden. Remember. Tell no one. If you don't come alone, I'll know." His tone was calm, even polite, but it did nothing to reassure me. In fact, it had just the opposite effect.
"I won't, just... please don't hurt her."
Dial tone.
Oh, God, Belinda. How had Ray gotten near her? School just ended. The bus wasn't out of the lot yet. Maybe she'd cut class.
It took me only ten minutes to reach the wooded area under the power lines Ray described. I didn't have four-wheel drive, so I left the loaner car on the shoulder of the Long Island Expressway, slipped through the hole cut into the fence and ran for the clearing where my classmates hung out on weekends. I'd seen enough pictures posted online to have a vague idea where the spot was and picked my way through the trees, using the power lines as my guide.
It was hardly four o'clock but the shadows cast by the sun through the thick tree growth hid me well. Could I surprise Ray, sneak up behind him and knock him cold? I saw a short thick branch and picked it up, just in case.
A twig cracked.
My eyes darted to the sound, detected a flash of something black that blurred. A crow flew for the open sky.
I blew out a sigh, forced my system to relax, let my eyes slide shut for a second. Deep breaths. Silent, controlled exhales. No panting. Slowly, I moved forward again, the branch clutched tightly in my hands.
"She won't come. We're not talking anymore."
Belinda! Relief flooded through me. She was alive. I couldn't tell if she'd been hurt, but she was alive. That was something. I nearly ran to the sound of her voice but then I heard his.
"Of course she will, you stupid bitch." Ray's voice, calm and conversational, replied. "She loves you. Why, I don't know, considering how much you've hurt her. I should kill you just for that."
Belinda whimpered. I crept closer toward the sound, saw Ray shake her by her hair.
"I get it! You like her, okay? Just back off." She shouted.
