Chapter 7

Hathaway flinched and jerked forwards as he felt the cigarette burn the back of his shoulder blades. Zoe laughed and he held his breath while waiting for the next, inevitable, blow.

It was driving him mad, having his vision blocked by that bloody awful scratchy material, as he couldn't see where she was going to strike him next.

Another scorch, this time at the base of his neck, singeing the ends of his hair, and he hissed, shoulders twitching painfully.

It was even more maddening to have the smell of cigarettes that hovered around him constantly, tantalizing and teasing him, rather ironically not helping with his cravings in the slightest. Since he woke up here, a time he estimated mournfully to be almost an entire week ago, he'd gone cold turkey.

Well obviously, he grimaced, blocking out the fresh waves of pain that radiated from the new burns at the back of his neck, and the old, now blistering, burns marring both shoulders, collar bones, and arms.

He'd tried to give up smoking a few times since he started back when he was 14, more seriously in the last few years due to Lewis's hatred of the habit and his obsessive need to please the inspector, but he'd never lasted longer than three days, definitely not for five or six, and it certainly had never been as bad as this.

He could feel himself shaking with the addiction, hands trembling with the urge, body begging for his usual stress outlet in this very stressful situation, and he was furious with himself for it.

Considering everything that going on right now, cigarette cravings should have been the last of his worries.


He shivered.


His shirt had been lost long ago and his suit trousers had quickly been destroyed under her sharp knife, leaving him rather embarrassingly wearing just his boxer briefs. But nevertheless, it was still a small but blessed mercy that he'd at least been allowed to keep them on. And all of this, combined with being woken with a bucket of freezing water every time he blissfully managed to pass out, had all left him rather cold.

He wondered, vaguely, if he was hypothermic.

His entire body hurt with every shake too, as his latest sarcastic comment and attempt at cutting through the zip ties, had resulted in Kenneth knocking over his chair in rage. He had landed rather heavily on his right side, and was pretty sure he'd gone and sprained his wrist and damaged his knee somehow in the process too. Having been left there all night, he was freezing and stiff and sore, and his entire body just ached from the 'lesson' she had decided to teach him the next morning, kicking him a few times while he was still down. Based on his difficulty breathing and searing pain running up and down both his sides, she'd managed to bruise a few of his ribs too.


A sudden red-hot sting had Hathaway jerking back in shock as she slapped him.


"Darling, you're not paying me any attention!"

He gritted his teeth in response, cheek smarting, "I can't ever remember you being this needy".

Zoe growled, "You seem to forget the situation that you're in, James".

"I honestly don't think that's possible".

She hummed thoughtfully, "Yes, and apparently your dear ole' inspector thinks the same".

Lewis?

He unconsciously leant forwards in his binds, and she sighed, "And after all the trouble I went to making them think that you were dead... I even got an identical body to drive your car over that bridge. And yet something still tipped them off".

Lewis was looking for him?!

"Why do you think that is, huh?" She asked, slowly walking around his chair, her fingers trailing along his shoulders, "What made him realize that the body wasn't your?"

"I don't know" He admitted honestly, "Maybe you're plan isn't as foolproof as you thought".

Her hand tightened painfully around the back of his neck. "I beg to differ, James. The man that they found had extensive surgery to make his body identical to yours. I was very precise with my research".

His blood ran cold, "Your... Your research?"

"Well, you didn't think I spent the last few years just biding my time, did you? I've been planning this for months! Following you, taking photographs, marking down every single detail about your body to make you an identical twin".

"I'm honored" He snipped, fighting back the panic of how the hell didn't he notice her?! and Zoe sighed, "And now something's making them think otherwise... a missing scar, perhaps?"

Walking back around to face him, he felt her gaze scrutinize his body carefully, and he couldn't shove down the flush that rose to his cheeks under her intense study.


He jumped as cold fingers touched a long forgotten scar on his shoulder.


"Ah".

Hathaway held his breath as she stepped closer, unashamedly straddling his lap as she traced the old bullet wound with something that almost resembled regret.

"I never knew that this had happened".

"It was quite a while after we first unfortunately met" He responded, if only to prevent himself from leaning forward into her inviting heat.

"Oh James" She pouted, looping her arms around his neck, aggravating the fresh burns, "You wound me".

"They'll find me, you know" He responded, trying to convince himself as much as her, "Eventually, they'll come".

"I know" She replied, and he could hear the smirk in her voice, "But here's the thing, darling. We've got plenty of time until they do".

"You're underestimating them".

"I'm estimating them perfectly. I'll win this James! I'll burn you from the inside out!" She snarled, leaping back to her feet, and he couldn't help but grin in response, "You've lost before. And you sure as fuck are going to lose now".


His head snapped back as she hit him, hard, once more, and Hathaway felt his lip split under the force of her punch.


"I'll torture you until you're nothing but a broken hollow shell of a man!"

He turned back to her, the side of his face stinging and bruised, and give her a bloody grin, "No rack can torture me, my soul at liberty, behind this mortal bone, there knits a bolder one".

He spat blood in her face.

Kenneth shrieked in anger, hitting him once more before storming out and slamming the door behind her.


And didn't that do wonders for his migraine.

At the same time, however, he felt his heart pound with renewed hope.

They were looking for him.

Robbie was looking for him.


Still smirking, he straightened up in his seat, refocusing his attention once more on wearing away the zip ties, despite the very little progress he had so far made.

His arms were stinging, his wrists were bloody, and his fingers were numb, but it was worth it.

He was going to get out of here.

The police force was looking for him.

He was going to get out of here, go home, and drink beer and eat cheap takeaway on the couch with Lewis, just like they've always done.

All he had to do now, was sit, wait, and count down the hours until his freedom.