Held Read Online Free PDF

the fear and the lump in my throat. He was holding her here all this time knowing that she had a family. “Yeah, well I’m happily married and I don’t do stuff like that.”
    He nodded. “Good. You shouldn’t.”
    “You’re going to give me a lecture on things I shouldn’t do?”
    “You find that odd?”
    “Yeah. You kidnap people, hold them here for no telling how long, do no telling what to them, but your morals are intact enough to know that I shouldn’t sleep around? That’s crazy.”
    “You think I’m crazy?”
    “I said that’s crazy, but now that you mention it, yeah. I think maybe I should count these cards because clearly you’re not playing with a full deck.”
    He threw his cards on the table and stood up so fast his chair couldn’t keep up and toppled over backward onto the floor, making a noise loud enough to cause me to nearly jump out of my skin.
    He began to pace back and forth across the room. He started off mumbling something to himself, but then he talked louder. So loud, in fact, his voice boomed around the room, echoing off the walls. He alternated between waving his arms around and placing his hands on his hips.
    “I am nothing but nice to you and you call me crazy. I bring you into my home and treat you well and you call me crazy. I could’ve taken you straight to the basement and locked you up down there, but I didn’t. And yet you call me crazy.” He walked quickly over to me and leaned down, his face inches from mine. “I can show you crazy. You haven’t seen crazy. Would you like to see crazy, Nicole?”
    This guy was nuttier than a squirrel turd, but it was obvious that he didn’t think so. It brought to mind a book I read once called Annie’s Revenge . The author stated many times that insane people never doubt their sanity. I guess she was right. Crazy people don’t know they’re crazy.
    Quickly, I thought of a way out of this situation. I hadn’t failed to notice he’d mentioned locking me in the basement with what’s-her-name. I didn’t know what all was down there or what went on, but I’d seen her and I wanted no part of it. So I had to do something, anything, to keep myself from her fate.
    “Look, Ron, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that you’re crazy. It’s just that I felt like you were insinuating that I slept around, and it made me angry. I was just lashing out.” I surprised myself with how calm I was being. Inside, I was shaking like a Chihuahua in a snow storm. But outside, I was so cool cucumbers were jealous.
    Ron stood up and put his hands on his hips. He stood there looking down at me for a minute. Then, he smiled.
    “That’s why I like you. You’re full of fire, but you know when you’ve crossed a line. None of the others ever had sense enough to know.” He reached out and placed his hand on my head. I wanted to pull away, but knew that it wouldn’t be wise to do so. Even as he slid his hand down the back of my head and neck, I didn’t move a muscle.
    Consulting his watch, he said, “I’m afraid I didn’t learn all I wanted to learn about you and it’s getting late. I have many things to do before going to bed. But I suppose there’ll be plenty of time to learn all I want about you, won’t there?”
    I nodded, fighting back tears.
    He crossed his left arm over his chest and brought his right arm up, placing his thumb under his chin and his index finger over his lips. Clearly, he was thinking. I was afraid to even imagine what was on his sick mind.
    As if he could read my mind, he said aloud, “I’m thinking that maybe you should stay up here with me.” He looked at me to judge my reaction, but there wasn’t one. I didn’t know where I’d rather be, other than home.
    “Yes, the basement is a nasty place, and I like you too much to put you down there. Yet, anyway.” He smiled. I didn’t.
    He unlocked the cuff from the kitchen table, but not from my wrist. He held it tightly and pulled me up. He held my shackled wrist in one