Chapter 30
THIRTY
MATCHING STAB WOUNDS
CONNOR
Feeling good as hell after cooking a quick but tasty meal for Sarah, I went to see why she wasn’t coming.
“What are these?” Sarah asked as I walked into my bedroom. She was fully dressed and holding the panties she’d stuck on my door in her hand. “I said, what are these?”
“Your panties?” I took a step toward her, but she rounded the bed.
The lace disappeared in her palm as she shook her fist at me. “And why do you have my panties?”
Confused, I shook my head. All over the bed were pictures of Sarah, and panties I’d never seen. “What—”
“No!” She held up a hand and climbed on top of the bed. “You go over there.”
Not wanting to scare her, I followed her directions. “Sarah, I—”
“I need to go. I’ll call you when I’ve thought this through,” she said, jumping off the bed and racing out of the room.
“Shit.” The front door slammed, and I went to follow, realizing I was barefoot. Quickly sliding on some shoes, I rushed out of my apartment. Parked in front of the Wel was a big-ass truck with a scuffed bumper and cracked headlight.
“I’m going to need you to stop right there,” Duncan said, shoving off the tailgate.
“Not now,” I spat, trying to walk around him.
A big, meaty hand shot out and hit my shoulder, pushing me into a parked car.
“The fuck?” I yelled, shoving Duncan into his truck.
“What did you do to Sarah?”
My stomach dropped.
What the hell is going on?
“I didn’t do anything. It’s a big misunderstanding. I need to talk to her.”
“Not happening,” the football-playing asshole said, blocking my path.
Not thinking, I swung my fist, hitting him square in the gut.
Of course, the big bastard didn’t go down. No, he just laughed. “Fucking pussy.” Faster than I assumed a guy his size could move, he rushed me, taking me to the concrete. Hit after heavy hit rained down on me. All I could do was try to block his brutal fists.
A fat raindrop hit my forehead, then another, but that didn’t stop Duncan’s attack. The sky opened up, and a puddle formed under me. Despite my best efforts, water got up my nose, and I violently coughed.
“You leave Sarah alone,” Duncan growled, slamming me into the asphalt one more time. Standing above me, he spat, then climbed up into the cab of his truck.
Pain radiated through my body as I struggled to sit up. I gently touched my bruised ribs, hoping like hell they weren’t broken.
Duncan backed out of his spot, his headlights blinding me before he turned and drove away, leaving me confused and busted up.
Someone was clearly fucking with us, and all I had to go off on was a text message from an unknown number.
Who texted me?
Fear for Sarah’s safety brought me to my feet despite all the pain. Wind whipped the icy rain into my eyes, making it difficult to see as I limped across the empty square. The storm had replaced every bit of summer heat, chilling me to the bone.
As I reached the edge of downtown, tornado sirens blared.
“Fucking perfect,” I groaned, picking up the pace toward Frattic, praying she’d let me in when I got there.
In the alley behind Sarah’s apartment stood a lone figure.
“Connor,” they called out.
“What are you doing here?” I yelled over the howling wind.
Carter laughed and walked toward me. “Duncan and I ran into Sarah, and she seemed upset, so I walked her home.”
“I need to talk to her,” I said, trying to go around him.
His hand shot out, and he stopped me right in front of the steps. “I don’t think so. Why don’t you go home, and she’ll call you when she’s ready?” He gave me a smug smile and patted my cheek.
I slapped his hand away. “Fuck you, man.”
Carter’s grin twisted into something ugly, and he stepped into my space, chest to chest. “You want to hit me, Connor? Do it.”
Carter and I were roughly the same size, but I was thicker, strengthened by years of manual labor. Lucky for him, Duncan had beaten the shit out of me.
“Get out of my way,” I snarled over the sirens, ready to go right through him.
He laughed and gave me a half-hearted shove. “I see Duncan didn’t beat the spirit out of you.” Sighing, he pulled something out from behind his back.
I was too late when I realized what it was.
Carter swung the large hunting knife at me, slicing my forearm as I jumped away.
“You’re fucking crazy,” I yelled. A flash of lightning splintered across the sky, illuminating the now bloody blade as he raised it above his head.
“Maybe.” He jabbed the knife toward my midsection, but I lunged away.
My foot caught in a pothole in the gravel parking lot, and I fell on my cut arm. Howling in pain, I crawled behind Sarah’s car, dragging my twisted ankle through the worn rocks past her slashed tires.
Carter stalked me, his calm steps crunching in the wet gravel. “Let’s make this fair,” he chuckled, setting his knife on the trunk of Sarah’s car. Crouching down, he offered me a hand. “Stand up, and let’s handle this like men.“
I huffed out a humorless laugh.
His smile fell, and he stood. “Let me rephrase that. Stand up, or I’ll gut you like I did Hailey.”
His words punched the air right out of my chest. All this time, we’d been partying with a killer. My blood ran cold when I realized he’d slept under the same roof as Sarah. He must have been the one who tacked those panties to my door.
“You sick fuck.” I scooted back, my ass hitting grass.
“Well, now you’re just being mean.”
I stood, favoring my good leg. Testing my hurt ankle, I let out a relieved breath when it could bear my weight.
Carter’s eyes flashed with excitement when I took a step toward him. Balling up my fist, I swung, clocking him right in the face. His head flew to the side, and he laughed.
Spitting out blood, he smiled at me. “Again.”
So, I punched him again, busting his lip.
“Again,” he said, swallowing.
Frowning, I put all my weight behind the next hit. He fell to the ground, with that smirk still on his face.
I shook out my hand, my knuckles throbbing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the knife just a couple of feet away. “Had enough?”
Carter shook his head and stood. “Thank you,” he said, gently touching his lip. When he pulled his hand away, he grinned at the blood on his fingertips.
“What?” I inched closer to the trunk.
“Who do you think she’ll let inside?” Carter jerked his head toward the apartment.
Anger burned through me, and I lunged for the knife. Carter let me get my hand wrapped around the hilt before he kneed me in my ribs. I doubled over, the knife falling from my hand and bouncing under Sarah’s car.
At least he doesn’t have it.
Standing, I swayed into the car. “I’m not going to let you near her.”
“Well, now, I don’t know if you have much of a choice in that.” Rain and blood ran down his face, dripping from his chin as he serenely smiled.
Raising my fists, I readied myself to give him the beating of his life.
Lightning streaked through the sky, lighting the alley.
“Stop!” Sarah yelled from the top of the steps.
“Get back inside!” Carter took a step toward her, and I attacked. We wrestled, landing hits to each other’s midsections.
Carter locked his arm around my neck and whispered, “I guess the better brother won.” A searing pain pierced my side, and he shoved me to the ground. He stepped over me, holding his side, blood soaking through his shirt. The crazy fucker had given himself a matching stab wound.
“Brother?” I croaked, unable to wrap my head around the word.
Carter darkly chuckled. “Too bad you won’t live to ask Dad about it.” He winked at me, then twisted his face into a pained expression as he shuffled past.
“Sarah,” I said, my voice brittle as I breathed through the pain. I needed to warn her, but the rain and sirens drowned out my every attempt.
Crawling on my hands and knees, I made it to the grass before I collapsed. I screamed my throat raw as I watched him follow her into Frattic. Another flash of lightning lit the sky, and through the pouring rain, I could just make out Carter’s big-ass smile as he closed the door.