Deadly by Sarah Harvey Page A

roll away from her, but I’ve got his arms behind his back. One of her kicks connects with his balls. He shrieks and curls into a ball. Amy kicks him in the face.
    â€œI need to tie him up,” I say, struggling to hold on to him. He’s a big guy—bigger than me, but not stronger. “Then I’ll call the cops.”
    Amy stops kicking him and runs over to a weird pile of furniture next to the wall. She grabs something and tosses it to me. “I don’t need this anymore,” she says. Her voice is hoarse. She collapses on the mattress again while I tie Jason up with what appear to be bras. I don’t ask. This is so messed up. I just want to get her out.
    Once I have Jason hog-tied, I pick up his keys from where they’ve fallen on the floor. “Let’s go,” I say to Amy. “I can call the cops from outside.”
    â€œNot before he tells me why,” she says. She gets up and crouches next to Jason. “Why, asshole? Why did you do this?”
    â€œI love you, Amy,” Jason whimpers. “I just wanted you to love me again.”
    â€œSo you thought you’d kidnap me?”
    â€œI thought if you had some time to yourself, away from him”—he jerks his head toward me—“you’d remember how good we were together, how much you loved me.”
    â€œI never loved you, Jason.” Amy leans closer to him and spits in his face. “I barely even liked you.”
    â€œI wasn’t going to hurt you, Amy. I was always going to let you go.”
    Amy rocks back on her heels and stares at him. “You’re insane, you know that? Why the essays? The seven deadly sins.” I have no idea what she’s talking about. I can’t even remember what the seven deadly sins are. I want to leave. Get her away from here. From him.
    Jason squirms and mutters, “I saw it in a movie. I thought it was cool. And scary.”
    â€œYou thought it was cool. And scary,” Amy repeats, shaking her head. Her hair, which is usually shiny and thick, is lank and matted.
    â€œYeah,” Jason says. “I’m sorry. Nicki said it would work. She said she’d get Eric back, and you’d be with me again.”
    â€œNicki?” Amy sounds dazed.
    â€œSo Nicki’s the criminal mastermind?” I ask.
    Jason nods. “It was all her idea.”
    â€œEven the rape?”
    Amy gasps. “What rape?” Her face is ashen, her eyes wide. She gets up and backs away from Jason, tripping on the mattress.
    â€œVanna Bryson,” I say. “Jeremy’s little sister. Jason raped her. Nicki took pictures. It’s all on her phone. Which I have.”
    Jason groans. “It wasn’t rape, man.”
    â€œLooked like rape to me,” I say. “Statutory. Guess the cops can figure that out.” I pick Amy up off the mattress, where she has curled herself into a ball. She smells bad, but I don’t care. I look around the room before we leave. There is writing all over one wall. And pictures. Crazy pictures. An animal, a devil, a treasure chest, a lightning bolt and a fat man with a huge hard-on. The tower of furniture leads to a small opening in a row of glass blocks. I can see a little square of blue sky. I carry her out of the room, locking the door behind me. She buries her face in my shoulder as the elevator drifts silently down to the ground floor. Once we’re outside, I put her down on a low stone wall and drape my jacket around her shoulders.
    â€œWhat is this place?” she says. Her teeth are starting to chatter.
    â€œSome building Jason’s parents own,” I say as I call the police and ask for Detective Rayburn. “It’s unoccupied. I guess that’s why no one saw Jason bringing you here.”
    â€œHow did you find me?”
    â€œI followed him. He wasn’t exactly hiding. Just being Jason. You know— stupid.”
    â€œBut how did you know it was