Her prayer was answered by Hillary banging on the door and demanding what was wrong. Neal looked down at her and with his hand still covering her mouth and the other holding the knife he brought the knife down to her neck, more as a threat than to cause actual harm.
"Tell him that you are alright." He hissed at her quietly. "You know what will happen if you say anything you shouldn't!" he took his hand from her mouth.
"I'm alright Hilly." She shouted breathlessly.
"Lara let me in, why is the door locked?" Hillary asked through the door.
"Make something up." Neal said grabbing her throat to stop her making an escape.
"I… I felt safer with it locked." She shouted back to him, Neal grip loosened slightly to allow her to talk.
"Understandable, I heard you scream what happened?" Hillary questioned while still trying to get into the room.
"I just caught one of the bruises on something that's all." She lied.
"Well let me in so I can check it for you." He asked. Lara looked up at Neal who shook his head.
"We have some unfinished business here do we not?" Neal whispered.
"He won't leave!" She whispered back.
"Lara? Lara what's wrong?" Hillary shouted obviously concerned that she hadn't answered him for a while.
"I told you it's nothing Hilly."
"If it's nothing then you would let me in." He questioned her knowing that it was true.
"I'm not decent at the minute." She told him.
"Lara you normally throw your towel at me, it has never bothered you before. I'm getting worried let me in."
"Honestly Hilly I'm alright." She said although her voice gave her away. Hillary had been with her since she was a young girl and knew all of her traits. She sounded panicked and it worried him.
"Either you let me in Lara or I force my way in, something's wrong, you can't lie to me!" Hillary shouted with more authority in his voice.
"Get rid of him." Neal hissed at her.
"I can't, till he sees me he won't leave." She whispered to him. He looked down her body and saw where he had made the cut earlier, holding the knife in the palm of his hand to free his index finger he pressed against the cut. Tears welled in her eyes. She dare not scream for fear of what he would do.
"Go to the door, get rid of him. Or I'll make this hurt a lot worse." He let her get up and go to the door, him shadowing her every move. Lara opened the door to a now frantic Hillary as Neal hid behind the open door. Hillary eyes immediately noticed the blood coming from beneath her shirt and leant over to investigate.
"What did you do?" he asked her. Neal had hold of her wrist from behind the door and squeezed it hard to let her know to keep it between them.
"I caught it while I was getting changed. That's what you get for rushing me Hilly." She smiled in an attempt to throw him off the subject.
"Sorry, I was just worried, come on lets get this sorted out and stop it bleeding." Hillary took her free arm and tried to walk her through the door. She stopped.
"I'll get a clean shirt and meet you downstairs in the kitchen. No point in wearing this dirty one." She told him. He smiled at her.
"Don't be long." He told her as he walked towards the staircase and down the stairs. When he was out of sight Neal dragged her back in the room and stood her against the wall behind the door. Running his hands over her shoulders he tracked down to her waist and put his hands under her top. She brushed him away in instinct.
"Do you enjoy pain? I was just going to help you put on a clean shirt." He told her. She allowed him to take the hem of the top and pull it over her head, afraid of what he could do if she stopped him. He then stood in front of her and let his eyes roam across her amazingly toned upper body, she shivered even though the temperature was still cripplingly hot and Neal handed her a shirt that was hanging on the back of the door. "There, you better go now, Hillary will be looking for you again." He told her but this time in a caring tone of voice. Confused she went to walk past him when he reached out and caught her arm. He leant over and kissed her neck in the same sickening way he had done in the kitchen. After a moment he let her go and simply said in a cruel voice; "Thank you."
Lara walked as quick as she could away from him thanking her stars that the situation hadn't got any worse. Neal simply took hold of her silk bathrobe that also hung on the back of the door and wiped the blade of his knife clean, then walked back to his room with a satisfied smile on his face. She was his now.