24 Everleigh From Finner—Of Monsters and Men #2
Covering him with my arms, I swallow hard while daring to peek up at his assailant. He’s tall. Slim. Confidently poised. A black balaclava covers the lower portion of his face, shielded by a raised hood beneath his jacket. Dark and nondescript in his camouflage.
But not to me.
No amount of disguise can hide those steely, midnight blue daggers. They’ve haunted my dreams every single day since I left London. Through countless nights slept on the street to the relative safety of my new home, my nightmare followed me every step of the way.
“Mrs. Banks,” he greets, as formal as ever. “Thanks for joining us.”
It takes a moment to unpeel my tongue from the roof of my dry mouth. “Christopher.”
“Stand up slowly and keep your hands where I can see them. Don’t try to be clever, Everleigh.”
“What did you do to him?”
“Don’t worry about Mr. Vale.”
“Did you drug him?” I fret through spiralling terror.
Christopher pulls an empty vial from his pocket. “Just a little medical-grade sedative. This wasn’t part of my plan, but lover boy here presented a wonderful opportunity to me.”
On the ground, Leo’s eyes have slid shut. I don’t know how long the shot will last, but he can’t have been injected long ago. I doubt Sterling or Fletcher will wait long before following us out here to smooth things over.
These disjointed facts rapid fire through my mind as I raise my hands, standing to step over Leo. The way Christopher seems to drink me in, even hidden by his disguise, makes my skin crawl as if with flesh-eating bacteria.
“What on earth are you wearing?” he seethes.
“A skirt,” I reply timidly.
“Christ, Everleigh. You look like a common whore. And you changed your hair.”
“Yes . . . I did.”
“Thankfully, I know an excellent wig constructor who will fix this mess once we’ve shaved it all off.”
“E-E-Excuse me?” I stammer.
His visible skin wrinkles in a disgusted sneer. “We’ll have to grow that horrific colour out. It simply won’t do back in London. We can start again to fix the mess you’ve made of yourself.”
A tiny whimper tears past my lips. “I’m not coming with you.”
“We can discuss your other disobediences on the way home.” He ignores me, reaching into his pocket. “Right now, we need to leave this hovel.”
“I said no!”
“What was that?” His tenor drops, cracking into a whiplash. “I thought you said no, but I must be mistaken.”
My blood freezes into an arctic wasteland at the scalpel he pulls free, the razor-sharp tip glinting in threat. That’s when it clicks—I’m not looking at Doctor Banks, famed psychiatrist to the stars. No. This is the real Christopher.
The man she met.
A monster who lavished in his depravity.
Her killer. My abuser.
“Make one move in the wrong direction and I’ll demonstrate just how easily the carotid artery can be sliced with the right professional training,” he warns, watching me closely.
“You can’t kill me.”
“I was referring to Mr. Vale here, darling Everleigh. I have no intention of killing you.”
“Christopher . . . Please, I’m begging you. Leave him alone.”
“Then do as you’re told,” he says curtly. “Take my arm.”
My teeth grit, holding back any protest. I can’t think beyond getting this monster far away from Leo. Christopher snatches my arm, then pulls me into his side, allowing him to nestle the scalpel against my ribcage.
“Walk,” he barks.
“Where are we going?”
“I have a vehicle parked a couple of streets over. Don’t think about playing any games with me. There’s plenty I can do without killing you.”
Nodding, fright quakes in my limbs. “Lead the way.”
“That’s more like it, dear wife.”
With a final look at Leo’s unconscious body to verify his chest is pumping, I let Christopher steer me down the street. The blade pierces my chiffon blouse as we walk, cutting skin beneath the thin material.
Being touched by him again is enough to make vomit burn in my oesophagus. I keep my teeth gritted, willing myself to walk. We’ve almost reached the corner to disappear out of sight when someone shouts my name.
“Eden!”
Stumbling, the scalpel slices into me, scraping along my ribs.
“Keep moving,” Christopher hisses.
“Eden!” Footsteps race after me in the distance. “Those two idiots are looking for you! And my uncle said—”
“Move, Everleigh!”
“She’ll only follow us,” I hiss back.
“Then she’ll have no one to blame but herself for what happens.”
Tugging hard on my arm, he forcibly drags me around the corner and down an unlit street. Still Piper pursues us, shouting my name. I don’t know if she spotted Leo passed out or not, but it doesn’t slow her down.
“Hey! You!” Piper yells, thumping closer behind us. “Let her go!”
“This bitch,” Christopher curses.
“Please don’t hurt her . . .”
“Shut it, Everleigh. This is your fault.”
“Just leave her alone!”
“I said shut up!”
Before Piper can catch us, Christopher mercilessly smacks me into the nearest building using all his body weight. I crack hard against solid stone, bones crunching as fierce pain explodes across my side and torso.
“Stay down!” he roars.
My limbs have no choice but to crumple, caught off guard by pain and surging adrenaline. As Piper skids to a halt near us, she catalogues the situation without showing the hesitation any normal person would.
“I don’t know who you are, but you’re going to leave her alone right now,” she warns, utterly fearless. “Walk away, dude.”
“Such an insolent child,” Christopher spits at her.
“Excuse me?”
“Were you not taught to mind your own business?” He flips the scalpel in his hand, grasping it tight. “This doesn’t concern you.”