The Hunted Chapter 23 snippet (new writing)

“You’re dead! I saw it happen!”
There was no way he could still be alive, Kate told herself, shivers racking her body against her will. How could the bastard have survive what nearly killed me? He was even closer to the blast then I was!

Nevertheless, Ferini stared back at her from where he sat.

There was nothing about him that had changed, she noted. The blonde hair was still immaculately coiffed and the tailoring just as expensive. A pair of blue eyes, empty of empathy and emotion locked onto her blue-gray eyes. Another shiver racked Kate’s body as she felt his eyes examining her body.

“Am I?” Ferini said, the blandness of tone exactly as she remembered it from Necko. “I distinctly thought the same thing about you, Katie.”

I should have died, Kate thought, letting her eyes drop to the floor. Matter of fact, if it hadn’t been for Reyes’ intervention, then that would have happened. Still, none of that explains how this sick **** is still alive!

“I’m hard to kill,” Kate said.

“I noticed that,” Ferini rubbed his chin. “You were efficient in killing your way through my organization.”

Ferini was the head of the Syndicate? Kate felt like throwing up. He was the bastard that put the hit out on me? Jesus, no wonder they seemed to know more about me then were possible! How couldn’t I have seen that coming?

“I should have known…”

“Yes,” Ferini said. “You should have.”

“Why did you put the hit out on me?” I think

I’m afraid to know the answer, Kate thought, but I need to know. “It certainly couldn’t have been because I turned Rachel down.”

“Actually that was the reason,” Ferini smiled. “You see, when I found out your were alive, I wanted you back.”

The urge to try to strangle Ferini was almost more then Kate could contain. He, wanting her back in his possession, had caused the trouble, pain and stress in her life? What a ****ing psycho! How many people had died because of his sick obsession?

“You don’t own me anymore,” Kate growled. “You’re not on Necko anymore and I’m an Alliance citizen.”

“Au contraire,” he corrected her. “If I want to own you I can.”

“Why don’t you cut the ****, Ferini,” Kate said. “And tell me the truth: why did you really come after me?”

Kate raised her eyes to lock onto his and they stared at each other for long moments. Finally, Ferini smiled and crossed his legs while not losing sight of her eyes. Despite what she thought of the man, Kate reminded herself, he certainly wasn’t a coward.

“You have been my property since I bought you from Selkirk,” he said. “Did you think I would stop looking for you after the escape?”

“Yes,” Kate said. “I did.”

“Ah,” The damned smugness was back. “You thought I was dead, no?”

“Something like that,”

Ferini hadn’t changed a bit over the past year, Kate noted. The same arrogant smugness he always had was still a trademark and it would be the cause of his downfall. Whenever someone thinks they cannot be beaten, that is when they are most vulnerable to losing.

The Games Master stood up from his chair and crossed over to where she stood. With an outstretched hand, he touched Kate’s face. It took every bit of her self control to keep from trying to kill the man; however, she settled for looking away from him.

How dare he touch me again after what he did to me, she thought, the bile raising in her throat. Wasn’t it enough to have his way with me every night? Jesus!

“Don’t you wonder how I’m still alive, Katie?”
The taunt whispered into her ear nearly had the desired effect. A shiver ran through Kate’s body as she fought herself. It was obvious he wanted to cause a violent outburst, and it was going to take every bit of her wits to keep it from happening.

“Frankly I don’t give a ****,” Another weary sigh was the only reaction she was going to give him. If he didn’t like that, then the man was old enough to get over it.

“But it’s such a simple little story, Katie,” His hands ran over her breasts and Kate bit her tongue to keep from screaming.

“Since you’re so excited to tell it,” she spat. “Why don’t you do so instead of trying to feel me up?”

“It’s so much fun this way, don’t you think?”