Free Predator - A Stand Alone Suspense Romance by Michelle Horst Page A

words for the anger I feel.
    One thing I did pick up on is that she put up one hell of a fight every single time they beat her, but with each beating, she got weaker and that was hard to watch.
    I’m relieved that this is the last memory card. I lean back in the chair and take my phone from my pocket. I go through my messages and see that there’s one from Jeff. He’s heard from the guy who is taking care of the paperwork for Cara’s new identity. That’s good.
    I hear the familiar sound as they open the door to the container but I keep checking my messages, because it’s normally the same thing. They first set up the camera. There’s another message from Jeff saying the final payment for the Johnson girl came in. 
    “So now you’re going to beat me? You finally grew a pair of balls, Steven?” I hear Cara’s voice echo through the speakers. The anger in her voice makes me look up. As always the light is on her.
    “No, Henry does the beating,” a new voice says. It’s not the fucker who usually does the beating and talking. I can’t see him yet, but Cara must see something, because she strains to get to her feet and then hisses, “I’m not letting you fuck me.”
    Wait? What?
    I lean over and turn the volume up by one notch.
    “Come on, Babe. It will be like old times.”
    Old times? So she knew this guy? How stupid could she be to get caught like that?
    She darts out of the camera’s view, but seconds later I hear something hit the floor. The camera doesn’t follow her this time. I frown at this. Normally there are a couple of guys in there with her. One on camera, one holds her down and the other beats her.
    There’s only one man with her so maybe she tackled him? Hell if I know.
    “Get off me!” she screams and I quickly lean forward to turn the volume down before Cara hears it. I stay close to the speaker so I can hear.
    For a few seconds there are only scuffling sounds and then a clear, ‘ NO ’.
    My heartbeat speeds up as I realize why the there’s only fucker in there with her. Fuck.
    “Please don’t.” I hear the pleading tone, almost frantic and it makes my blood burn through my veins.
    “No!” she screams and this time it’s a hopeless sound that guts me. I close my eyes. I drop my face to my hand and my other fists around the phone. Fuck … Fuck!
    “No.” The word sounds hollow. The fight is gone from her voice and it makes something primal rip through my chest.
    “Don’t worry, babe,” the fucker grunts. “I’ll be quick. You won’t remember this for long.” I can clearly hear the sound of skin slapping on skin and it must be the most fucked up sound I’ve ever heard. “Tomorrow Henry gets to shoot your brains out.” I hear him grunt as he finds his release, and the sound makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t imagine how Cara must have felt, how she must still feel. No wonder she has nightmares.
    “You didn’t think you were going to live, did you?”
    I hear movement and then he shoves her into the light, up close. There is a wild look in her eyes and I don’t get it. There’s still life in her eyes, unlike now – they’re vacant.
    “There’s nothing left of her, Tom. You should have given us the money when we asked.”
    He shoves her hard to the floor and seconds later the recording stops.
    It’s finished?
    I check through the other memory cards and I count only three. I press rewind until I have a clear shot of her face, then I pause.
    I lean closer and stare long and hard at those eyes. “What happened, Cara?” I whisper. “What broke you?”
    I keep staring at her green eyes, sparkling with tears – but mostly, they are alive.
    I think back to when I found her. She was filthy as shit … and she reeked of vomit and piss. Not once did she puke on any of the memory cards I’ve watched, not even with the last one when the fucker raped her. Sure, she could have puked afterwards, off camera.
    But something worse must’ve happened to kill the life in her