Ruin (Rhodes #1) by Rina Kent

                             “Are you going to kill me?”

                             Again, no answer.

                             “Torture me?”

                             Nothing.

                             “Would you say something?” I shout, gripping his shirt harder.

                             “Shut up or I will make you.” His gentleman’s voice takes an irritated turn.

                             I’m smart enough to abide by his threat. The rest of the walk is spent in deafening silence. Only the sound of my heartbeat buzzing in my ears keeps me company.

                             Images of butchered dead girls come back to haunt me. Will I be one of them soon?

                             Don’t go there, Mae. Don’t.

                             We enter the box-like room, and he kicks the door shut with his foot. I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I’ll take the faint light in this room before the darkness outside any time.

                             He puts me to my feet with a gentle gesture as if I’m a precious prize.

                             Maybe I am.

                             Perhaps he’s one of those psycho killers who, by killing their victims, think they’re doing them a favour.

                             He’s wearing a tuxedo’s black trousers and a dress shirt. The refined-looking material screams status and wealth. He’s not a stereotype kidnapper, is he?

                             Trails of blood travelling from his forehead to the left side of his neck, soaking his white collar.

                             I did that?

                             A smudge of remorse tugs at my chest. Never in my life have I been violent. But he made me. I had to hit him or I would’ve died.

                             I’m dying anyway now.

                             He fixates me with glassy grim eyes, I stare back as if I was captured by the devil.

                             Hell. I probably am.

                             He stalks towards me, the same way he did the night he took me outside the nightclub. Only this time, I don’t back away.

                             “I gave you a valuable piece of advice and warned you against provoking me.” He stops a few inches closer. “Yet, you chose to disobey.”

                             “What did you expect, huh?” I throw my hands in the air, my voice anything but scared. “Did you think that I’ll wait for you to kill me like a lamb for slaughter? I told you that’s not going to happen, mister!”

                             He hums. My stomach sinks.

                             I need to stop the sassy attitude. It’s not playing in my favour at all.

                             His bottomless eyes bore into mine. He doesn’t move for several seconds, unblinking, as if he’s in the middle of watching the best scene in a film.