Marlaina gave her a sweet smile as she walked past. “That’s why I stopped by. I thought that maybe we could eat together.” Marlaina tapped her red-painted nail against her chin. “You know I never taught you how to block your thoughts from mental attacks.”
Lydia leaned against the counter. Her head had started to pound; as if tiny pinpricks were attacking her brain. A migraine was starting to form. The pinpricks became more profound and apparent. Lydia lifted her hand to rub her temples. “I’m sorry. I’m not feeling very well. If it’s all the same to you, I think that I’ll just skip dinner and go to bed.”
Marlaina took two steps toward her. “You feel that, don’t you?” Marlaina tilted her head to the side. “That’s me causing your headache.”
Lydia dropped to her knees. The pain intensified ten-fold, worse than any migraine she’d ever had. She clasped her palms around her ears. “I think you’ve made your point. You can stop now.”
Marlaina walked around Lydia’s fallen body. “Oh, I don’t think so.” She dragged one of her red dragon nails around Lydia’s shoulders. “You didn’t listen to me when I told you leave him alone, and now you’re going to pay.”
Lydia’s head felt like it was going to explode. She hadn’t meant to piss Marlaina off, but the bitch was trying to torture her. Lydia fell on to her side, holding her head. She needed to think, but with the mental assault that Marlaina had on her, it was almost too much. Almost.
Lydia glanced around the room, and her vision landed on the half-full warming coffee pot.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Lydia closed her eyes and thought about the gun that Rick had given her. She imagined the coffee pot lifting in the air and hovering in front of Marlaina, distracting her.
“Is that all you’ve got? Really, you don’t stand a chance against Floyd. He is coming for you, and I’m going to hand you over to him on a silver platter.”
Lydia mumbled, “I thought we were friends. You’re supposed to be one of the good guys.”
Marlaina laughed. “You don’t know me at all.”
Lydia squirmed on the ground. Her hand coming in contact with the steel hiding beneath her couch. She slid the gun from beneath the couch. Marlaina lifted her hand to block the coffee pot that was aimed at her head when Lydia aimed and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot rang out through the room. The pain in her head immediately ceased, and Lydia pulled in a breath. She used the remainder of her strength on the lights. The lights blinked three times before the power went out. She knew if someone had heard the gunshot and the lights had gone out, someone would come looking for her. They’d know she was in trouble.
Her vision blurred from the use of her power and what Marlaina had done to her, and she passed out.
****
Having Marlaina wear a wire had been a stroke of genius on his part. Jimmy adjusted the earphones to make them more comfortable. If he had his way, Marlaina would have left the compound, but he guessed she had a point. She would be able to keep him informed of what was going on. She’d texted him and told him she was going after Lydia. She’d said that she was going to disarm the redhead, that Lydia wouldn’t even see her as a threat.
Jimmy turned up the volume and listened as Marlaina taunted Lydia. Whatever she was doing with her mind thing seemed to be working because Marlaina sounded smug. Jimmy adjusted his jeans as he listened to Marlaina’s voice. The sweet, evil tang of her villainy shone through and made him hard. He couldn’t wait to have her again. The little wench couldn’t get enough of him. His heart sped up at the thought. Another fifteen minutes and he was going to leave to meet up with Marlaina. She was going to be leaving the compound for good. She’d agreed to come with him, to start a new life. The only way Floyd wouldn’t miss him was if he had another playmate to keep him occupied, and giving him Lydia to keep him busy was the only thing Jimmy could think of.
Jimmy listened as Marlaina said, “Is that all you’ve got?”
A shot rang through the receiver before it made a loud screeching noise, and then there was nothing but static. “Shit.”
Jimmy snatched the headset off and threw it across the room. He reached for his phone and texted Marlaina. That was the only other way they had to communicate. She didn’t reply. He tried again; his fingers shook as he tried to type the message. If anything had happened to her, he was going to kill the redhead himself. Screw Floyd. No reply. He threw the phone against the wall and watched as it shattered into a million pieces.
Jimmy ran his hand through his hair before he cupped his face. His hatred was like a living thing. Marlaina had told him everything before she left to find Lydia. Jimmy laid his head back against the chair and closed his eyes, trying to envision his revenge against Lydia. His heart felt empty; his reason for living had been torn from his grasp. Marlaina had been his light. She was going to save him from the hellhole of a life he’d found himself in. He’d been planning on spending every last minute of his life devoted to her. Jimmy’s eyes flew open. “That bitch is mine.”
Chapter 21