“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Helen?” “No,” she said. “No?” he asked, increasing the pressure against her throat. He felt her swallow beneath his hold. “Or never?” She did not answer, and after a moment, he dropped his hand, pleased by the way she seemed to slump when he released her. He thought he almost liked her fear more than her acquiescence. “If you had said never, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “And then I would have killed you.” She didn’t even blink, and he could not decide if she was brave or foolish.
