10. Kennedy
Kennedy
The second we turned onto my street, I spotted the flashing lights.
Red and blue strobes bounced off the windows of neighboring houses, making the quiet suburban cul-de-sac feel like a serious crime scene. I went stiff in the passenger seat as Malachi slowed the cruiser, jaw tight, eyes already scanning the scene.
There were two uniformed officers standing in the front yard. One of them had a flashlight trained on someone sitting slumped on the sidewalk.
Dec.
My heart sank the second I saw him. His wrists were cuffed behind his back, and he was swaying slightly where he sat. I couldn’t tell if it was from exhaustion or drunkenness, or both.
“Oh my god,” I murmured, unbuckling. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Wait, Kennedy,” Malachi said sharply, shifting into park. “Let me get out first.”
Before I could respond, he was already out and moving around the car. He had the presence of a protective force field: tall and broad-shouldered with that steely calm most guys only pretended to have.
Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how much I’d already come to trust him, or how much safer I felt with him around. It was a little crazy, because I barely knew the guy.
He opened my door and offered a hand, but I was already sliding out on my own. His jaw ticked, but he didn’t say anything.
“Stay behind me,” he murmured as we approached the officers.
Dec looked up at the sound of my footsteps, and the second he saw me, his eyes went wide and glassy, mouth falling open in a desperate gasp. “Kennedy!”
He struggled to stand, nearly falling over in the process. One of the cops grabbed his arm to keep him steady.
“Please,” he said, moving closer. “I didn’t mean to… just let me explain…”
Malachi stepped forward, body tense and commanding. “Back it up,” he ordered, his tone calm but firm. “You don’t get to lunge at her like that.”
“I wasn’t lunging !” Dec protested. “I just… she needs to know I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just trying to help!”
I stepped around Malachi, ignoring his warning glance. “It’s okay,” I said. “I want to talk to him.”
His shoulders were rigid. “Okay. But you’re not getting closer than two feet, for your own safety.”
I didn’t argue. I turned my attention to Dec, who looked absolutely awful. His face was flushed, and there was a smear of dirt on the side of his cheek, like he’d face-planted into the lawn at some point.
“What the hell were you doing?” I snapped, arms crossed tight over my chest.
“I was just trying to get in,” he mumbled. “After you called earlier, I felt really bad for not helping. So I figured I’d come and grab the stuff for you. Like you wanted.”
“So you drove here drunk ?”
“Course not! I took an Uber.”
“And then you decided to break into my house?” I said, eyebrows lifting.
“I know how it looks, but I didn’t mean it like that,” he insisted, swaying again. “I just couldn’t remember the code for the front door. So I thought… I don’t know, maybe I could get in a window or something. That’s all. I swear, Kenny.”
Despite how pissed I was, I didn’t see any malice in him. Just bad judgment and way, way too much beer.
I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. “You’re a complete idiot sometimes, Dec.”
“I know.”
I turned to Malachi and lowered my voice so that only he could hear me.
“I really think this was a stupid drunken mistake,” I said.
“I did call him about my car earlier, and I gave him the door code too. And like I told you last week, he’s going through a lot right now.
So I really don’t think this needs to turn into a big thing.
And I definitely don’t think it’s related to the Carver in any way. ”
Malachi’s expression darkened. “He attempted to enter a private residence through a locked window. Usually we’d press charges.”
“I get that,” I said. “But he wasn’t trying to rob me or hurt me. He was just being stupid.”
“I think you’re being too generous, given everything that’s going on right now.”
“Maybe,” I said, arching a brow. “But it’s my decision, right?”
Malachi didn’t look happy, but he nodded once. “All right. He’ll still have to come to the station so we can let him sleep it off in the drunk tank,” he said. “And tomorrow, we’ll be having a real conversation with him. About the letter. The ears. All of it.”
My heart started pounding. “You honestly think Dec is somehow involved with the Carver?” I asked incredulously. “Or actually the Carver himself?”
“I didn’t suspect him of anything before, but this incident has made me think he needs to be questioned, at the very least,” he replied, rubbing his jaw.
“He’s not the Carver, Malachi! And he’s not working with him either,” I said. “I mean, come on . Just the thought of that is ridiculous!”
“It might sound ridiculous, but we need to cover every base.”
I sighed, shoulders sagging. “Fine.” I turned back to my stepbrother. “Dec, the police want you to go with them to sleep this off. But I want you to know I’m not pressing charges. Just promise me you won’t do something this stupid ever again, okay?”
Dec’s head drooped forward, like the relief had physically drained what was left of his energy. “Okay. I promise.”
The officers helped him to his feet and started walking him toward the cruiser.
I turned away and headed up the porch steps. Malachi followed me, saying nothing until we reached the front door.
“You okay?” he asked, voice low. “I know it turned out to be your stepbrother, but this stuff can still shake you.”
I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure you want to be alone tonight? I could call Freya for you. Or another friend.”
“I’m really tired, so I think I’ll just head to bed,” I said. “But thanks for picking me up and helping me out tonight.”
Something passed between us then; an unspoken flicker of tension. He hesitated like he might say something else, but then simply nodded.
“I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how my chat with Dec goes,” he said. “Double-check the security system when you get inside. And keep your phone close.”
“I will.”
“I’ll get someone to fix your car and bring it back to you tomorrow morning,” he added.
I gave him a ghost of a smile. “Thanks, Malachi.”
Inside, I did as he said and checked every lock. Every window. Reset the alarm. Then I took the world’s hottest shower, scalding away the night’s anxiety.
After I dried off, I pulled on an oversized T-shirt and loose satin shorts. Then I finally climbed into bed, emotionally and physically drained.
Despite my exhaustion, sleep didn’t come easily. My thoughts kept circling like vultures. Dr. King, the fanfic site, the mysteriously-dead car, Dec at the window, the terrifying sense that the Carver was only ever one step away from me…
Eventually, I drifted into a light slumber.
I didn’t know how long I’d been out when I stirred again at the sound of a floorboard creaking somewhere. I didn’t think much of it at first. Probably the house settling. Maybe even my imagination. I rolled from my left side onto my back with a yawn, eyelids still heavy and closed.
Then the mattress dipped. And something— someone —was suddenly on top of me.
A gloved hand clamped down over my mouth, smothering the scream that rose in my throat as something warm and solid pressed me into the mattress. A heavy, muscular man's body was caging me in like I was nothing more than a pinned butterfly… but it was his mask that really paralyzed me.
A bone-white skull covered his face, empty eye sockets staring down at me. The teeth were etched into a grin, fixed and soulless.
Somehow, deep in my bones, I knew it wasn’t just a costume. Wasn’t just a sick joke.
It was the Carver.