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first."
    "What is it?"
    Her acrylic fingernails curled into her palms. "Um...you know how I said everything went okay today?"
    His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Yes?"
    "It didn't go so well." She could barely force herself to look at him.
    "What do you mean it didn't go so well?"
    She dropped to her knees and held up her hands in supplication. "It--it wasn't my fault, Colin. Please understand. He was alive!"
    He grabbed her by the wrist. "You knew he was alive. You called to tell me that."
    "But I didn't expect...I mean, he'd quit moving. And...and then I opened the trunk and..."
    He used his free hand to pinch her nipple, twisting so hard she cried out before she could stop herself.
    "And what, Tiffany? What did you do?" he asked, his voice as rough as gravel. "You didn't let him get away. Tell me you didn't. I could forgive you anything but that."
    He still had her nipple in a viselike grip. Tears welled up, but she didn't struggle or cry out again. Experience had taught her that would only make matters worse. "There was nothing that I could do," she whispered.
    "He...he sprang out at me and--" She swallowed a yelp as he yanked her forward and bit her on the shoulder.
    "And what, you stupid bitch! And what?"
    Panting from pain and fear, she struggled to think. "And ran away.
    He--knocked me down. He was yelling. He--"
    "Why didn't you go after him? You were in the woods, for crying out loud! And there's no way he could've run very far. You saw what I did to him. You helped me."
    Because he'd made her. She'd hated every minute of it. "I couldn't go after him b-because--" Colin clenched his other hand in her hair and used it to yank her head back, but she kept trying to explain, talking so fast her words ran together. "He was screaming bloody murder. I panicked, Colin.
    Please, please don't be angry. I'll do anything you want. Anything. I said you 31

    could have your friends over tomorrow night, didn't I? If you want, we'll put on a show for them, do it live."
    He pinched even harder. "You should've been prepared. But you weren't."
    She blinked, trying to see through the blur of tears. "Yes."
    "Yet you just told me everything went fine! I was sitting right across the table from you."
    "I didn't want to ruin your dinner." Dizzy from the pain, she closed her eyes. "I knew it would upset you."
    "And lying doesn't upset me?" Because she expected the blow, she flinched, which infuriated him. "Turn over," he said and removed his belt.
    She knew what was coming, but at least he'd let go of her nipple.
    Covering her breast in a fleeting moment of relief, she rolled over before he could kick her. She could survive this, she told herself. He spanked her even when he wasn't angry. He enjoyed it. And she didn't mind. Except tonight the beating was far more vicious, and he wouldn't stop. The more he hit her, the more he wanted to hit her.
    Bile welled up in her throat, but she choked it back. If she vomited on the carpet, he'd make her lick it up, like he did with Rover.
    "You--" whack "--idiot!" He didn't raise his voice. He knew how to avoid unwanted attention from the neighbors. He was an expert at blending in, appearing calm and normal, no matter what. "Do you--" whack "--want to see me--" whack "--in prison?" Whack, whack. "Is that what you're after?"
    He kept hitting the same place on her back. She wasn't sure how many blows she could withstand. In desperation, she rolled over, lifting an arm to stop him, but she realized that was a mistake when he threw down the belt and slipped his hands around her neck. "I should kill you! You know that?
    You don't deserve me. Look at this place. Look at everything I've given you!" He began to squeeze. "You aren't worthy of it."
    Black spots danced before her eyes, just like the time he'd used Rover's choke chain on her a few weeks ago. She was about to lose consciousness. She had to tell him about Samantha Duncan. That was the only way to stop this. But she couldn't breathe.
    Although her