Twist Phelan, author of Sorry Sorry, is the author of the Finn Teller Corporate Spy and Pinnacle Peak mystery series. Her novels have been praised by Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, Margaret Maron, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Booklist.
She also writes short stories, which have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and MWA anthologies. Accolades for her work include two Thriller Awards and the Arthur Ellis Award, and nominations for the Shamus, Thriller, Ellis, Anthony, Derringer, Canada AofE, and Irish Book Awards.
*****
Torrey worried the plastic cuff where it chafed her wrist. It’d been easier to get out of the building than out of the stupid bracelet.
The pickup truck had stopped beside her. It was the first vehicle she’d seen since she started walking along the dirt road two hours ago.
The driver, a man in his twenties wearing an AC/DC T-shirt and ball cap, was looking at her over the hood. “You sure you’re okay, miss?”
“I’m fine,” Torrey said.
“Where’re you going? Next town is ten miles away and there’s nothing between here and there.” The man walked around the truck’s front like a coyote tracking prey. “It’s not safe walking out here by yourself.”
Torrey edged backward. “It’s okay. I’m fine.” A lone hawk floated past overhead. Torrey had never felt so isolated.
The man moved closer. His sleeves were short, showing arms ropy with muscles, veins braiding down to his wrists. “You don’t even have real shoes.”
Torrey glanced down at the rubber shower slides. The toes of her socks were red with clay dust.
“What kind of gentleman would I be to leave a young lady out here on her lonesome?” The man fixed Torrey with an overbroad, ingratiating smile.
Torrey’s heart beat hard and high in her chest. “You should get back in your truck.”
The man’s hand shot out and grabbed the door handle, making Torrey jump. He barked a laugh and opened the door.
“Easy there, girl. Jus’ get in.”
“No, really—this is a mistake.” Torrey heard the quaver in her voice. He probably did, too. What was it that made men see her and think victim? It wasn’t like she was asking for their attention. She licked her lips, tasting dust. “I don’t really want to—”
“I’m not leaving you here.” The man’s tone was as flat and empty as the surrounding desert. He spread his arms and moved forward, herding her into the truck’s cab. “Get in the truck.”
Heart pumping, Torrey clambered awkwardly into the seat. The familiar sense of helplessness washed over her, the one she always felt right before she was about to make a bad decision.
Dr. Stevens had talked to her about it. She knew what he’d say if he could see her now. Torrey, I’m disappointed you—
The man slammed the door beside her, jolting Torrey out of her thoughts. She watched him scamper around the front of the truck and climb in beside her. He dropped a hand onto her thigh and gave it a little squeeze, then grinned at her.
“Now this ain’t so bad, is it?”
The man let go of her leg, started the truck, and put it into gear. “How ‘bout some tunes while we get acquainted?” He tapped the dashboard screen as the truck moved forward.
Dr. Stevens’s voice ran in a loop through Torrey’s head.
Torrey, I’m disappointed you skipped group therapy. Torrey, I’m disappointed you didn’t take your meds.
Sorry, was all she could ever think to say. Sorry, sorry.
The next instant, the man wrenched the wheel hard to the right. Torrey screamed, a thin primal cry, as she grabbed the handle over the door to stop herself from being thrown forward.
The truck lurched left, then rolled forward another few yards and stopped. The man lay slumped over the wheel.
Torrey pushed the gear shift into park, scrambled out, ran around to the driver’s door and opened it. She grasped the man’s upper arm and tugged hard.
He spilled onto the dirt road and lay there, motionless. Torrey stepped over the body and got behind the wheel.
There was blood on the knife she’d stolen from the kitchen. She wiped the blade clean on the seat, then used it to slice through her hospital ID bracelet. As she flicked the strip of plastic out the window, Dr. Stevens’s voice returned.
Torrey, I’m disappointed you did it again.
Sorry, Torrey thought as she drove away. Sorry, sorry.
*****
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