My chest tightened. My mouth opened but no words came out. My throat felt dry as sand.
He leaned in closer until his face was inches from mine. I could feel the heat of his breath. “You think you can play games with us, Lisa? Keep lying, and you’ll spend the night here and maybe a few more after that. You want that?”
I swallowed hard, shaking my head. “No,” I whispered.
“Then tell me the truth.” His voice lowered, but the menace in it made me shiver. “Why did you steal it?”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Every excuse I had built started to crumble. The walls felt like they were closing in, the light above me too bright, the air too thin.
But even then stupidly and stubbornly, I whispered, “It wasn’t me.”
He stared at me for a long, cold moment. Then he stood abruptly, grabbed the
