"Hello belle," I heard the voice before I saw him.  He was standing casually at the corner of the warehouse, smiling just slightly.  And even though I knew to be guarded, I was struck again by his presence, and it surprised me.  

He wasn't all that intimidating or even overly handsome, objectively speaking.  About six feet tall, lean build, not muscular, his brown/gray hair cut very close and slightly receding.  His ever-present sunglasses were perched on his somewhat sharp nose.  Just the hint of unshaven jawline, something he knew I liked.  And yet I always felt something in my heart drop to my stomach when I saw him.  For a moment - and only a moment - I felt that familiar ping-pong in my chest.  Then I remembered what had brought me here, and my gaze became as cool and detached as his was.

"Hello Eric, and my name is Beth."  I walked past him into the empty warehouse and sat down on a discarded wooden box.  "So why am I here again?"

He walked in and pulled an old folding table over next to me.  Leaning against it, he lit a cigarette.  For a few minutes neither of us spoke.  I wrinkled my nose at the smell of the smoke even though he was polite enough to blow it away from me.  "Ah yes," he smiled, "You do not appreciate this habit.  I had forgotten."  He dropped the cigarette onto the floor and extinguished it with the toe of his shoe.

"very charming, as always," I remarked.  "But you didn't forget.  And I have other places to be today."

I saw the flash then.  That bit of ice from his eyes that managed to make me shudder for just a second or two before he recovered himself and smiled again.  He stood then and offered me his arm.  "Walk with me.  The fog on the water is lovely."

"Eric, I am not walking with you.  I am not riding with you.  I am only here out of curiosity.  You will say what you need to say, and I will go about my day....and my life.  And you will not be in it.  neither will the rest of them."

At this, his smile disappeared, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me up roughly to face him.  "I am afraid that is not how this day will go for you, belle.  And as for the others, you have nothing to say to them, nor will you.  Because you will not be leaving this warehouse."  He paused and chuckled a bit at my expression.  "I'm disappointed, Beth, that you did not see this coming.  Did you really think that I would let you live?"