Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
BLAKE
I finally fell asleep after a few hours of tossing and turning. Every time I closed my eyes, I’d picture Ethan’s face as the ambulance took him away. He wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t say a word to me.
Something happened after he found me in the hallway, but I still have no idea what that was.
My eyes jerk open from the sound of a car engine outside. Is it Ethan? Possible, but unlikely. He’s probably still at the hospital, unless something's changed. I check my phone and it’s just as blank as when I went to sleep. My ears perk up for the sound of someone coming to the door but when I hear nothing for a few minutes, I roll back over to face the wall.
I’m in that magical place between sleep and dreamland when I feel something cold and hard press against my head. I freeze, unable to say a word. Everything inside me is screaming to move… to do something. But my muscles lock and my throat constricts.
“Blake,” a voice—clear and deep—speaks, breaking the stillness in the room. “Listen closely. I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you, but I need you to come with me. It’s important.”
My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my throat. I’m still frozen, disconnected from my body, but somehow I find my voice. It’s like speaking through a tightened windpipe. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“I’ll explain on the way. There’s no time.” He pulls the gun away from my skin and I finally gather enough courage to turn and face him. He’s wearing a black fabric mask. It covers everything but his eyes. I can’t make out much in the dark other than his large frame and black clothing. Even so, I memorize whatever features I can. It’ll be important for later… if he lets me live through this.
Channeling the same energy I use with Ethan when he’s not himself, I speak slowly, but my voice comes out shaky. “N-no. I’m not going with you.”
“I’m not asking you, I'm telling you. We need to go.”
My pulse pounds like a drum in my ears. “If you’re not going to hurt me, then why do you have a gun aimed at my head?”
“If I put the gun away, will you come with me willingly?” He’s so calm, like holding a gun to a sleeping woman’s head is an everyday occurrence.
I have a choice to make. A choice that could cost my life. God, I wish I’d let Brennan give me those self-defense lessons. Brennan . He’ll flip out if something happens to me. I can’t leave him, not after losing mom and Bryan. Hesitating, I nod and clear my throat.
He fixes his amber eyes on me as he puts his gun behind his jacket. There’s something familiar about those eyes, but I can’t place them. “You have five minutes to get ready. Do you have a medical bag?”
Wait, what?
“No—I’m only a student. What is this about? Who are you?” His phone vibrates from his pocket and he finally breaks his gaze away from me. It might be the only opportunity I have to run.
“Leon,” he says into his phone.
With him distracted, I dart up and kick him as hard as I can in the balls. Brennan may not have taught me much, but I know you can’t beat a ball beating when it comes to these situations. He groans and drops into a hunched crouch while I run like I’ve never run before.
I’m out my door, and instead of heading through the front, I stop in the kitchen and grab the first knife out of the wooden block on the counter. Clutching it to my chest, I sprint through the rest of the house and out the back door.
Cold air hits my bare legs but I ignore the discomfort. I know my feet will be ice soon, but I’d rather risk frostbite than death. I’d take any number of injuries over death. My pulse screams in my ears and my chest heaves as I run across the backyard.
“Blake,” he calls. From the sound of it, he’s just left the back door. “Come on, I’m not going to hurt you.”
Says every serial killer, everywhere.
I duck behind the closest tree to catch my breath. Where can I go? We’re so far out in the middle of nowhere, the closest house has to be a half mile away. Dead leaves crunch with every step. He’s getting closer.
Think, Blake. You’re smart.
“You know Blake, I live for this. Hide and seek . It’s my favorite game. And guess what? I always win.”
My legs tremble, fear-struck and cold. It’s either I sit here and freeze until he finds and takes me, or I make a run for it. I don’t hear any heavy steps or branches snapping. He’s waiting for me to move like a hunter stalking his prey. This prey won’t go willingly.
I take off, sprinting toward the woods. My feet throb from stepping on sharp sticks and rocks. I push past the pain. The shelter of the woods is close. There’s more places to hide, less light. When I lose him I can walk alongside the road until I reach a neighbor's house.
Another few paces and I’ll be safe. Or at least safer . Panting, I reach a copse of trees and lean back to catch my breath. It’s quiet again and I’m filled with as much relief as panic. He could be anywhere.
With another breath, I’m ready. The knife close to my chest, I turn to sprint again, but he appears out of thin air.
“Found you.” He grabs me around the waist and pulls me against his hard chest. I thrash and swing my arms, attempting to graze him with the knife to no avail. He plucks it easily from my outstretched hand and tosses it aside.
“No!” I scream as he lifts my feet off the ground. “Put me down!”
His low tone in my ear quiets me. “Keep thrashing and screaming, Blake. I fucking love it.”
Whimpering, I twist again, trying to break free of his hold but he’s too big. Too damn strong. “Please,” I whisper. “What do you want?”
“There’s my sweet girl. I love this side of you almost as much as I love your feisty side. You submitting to me is music to my ears.” There’s a hint of pride in his voice, like he’s in awe of me.
“You’re crazy. I’m not submitting to anything.” I flail, kicking out and back to hit him where it hurts again.
He hoists me and tosses me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. “No way, Angel. I need those and so do you. Can’t make a baby without them.”
My stomach drops. He’s more than crazy, he’s flat out psycho. As he jogs toward the house, all my blood rushes to my head. “Put me down. I won’t run.”
“Even if I did believe you, I’m still going to carry you. Your feet are destroyed.”
He cares about my feet, but chases me through the woods. Again, psycho.
“I’m too heavy to carry. Let me walk.”
He scoffs and continues. His hand on the back of my bare thigh scorches my chilled skin. “Too heavy? Absolutely not. I can and will hold you for hours. Against the wall, in the shower.” He glances at the side of the house. “Right here in this yard.”
My stomach flips at the thought of being pressed against the side of the house. There’s something obviously wrong with my brain if I’m having those kinds of feelings. It’s from the blood rushing to my head… that’s all. “I thought you said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I think you misunderstand me, Blake. When I say I’ll hold you against this house, I mean, you’ll be climbing me like a tree, nightshirt hiked up to your hips, pussy soaking wet, begging for me to fill you with my cum.”
I’m stunned silent. No one’s ever spoken to me like that. He’s vulgar and blunt… and I have no idea what he wants with me.
By the asphalt below us, I can tell we’ve reached the driveway. I try to crane my neck to see where he’s taking me but between my position and the darkness, I can’t make out much. He opens a car door and finally loosens his palm from my thigh, dropping me into a passenger seat.
His chest brushes against my own as he leans across to buckle my seatbelt. I catch a hint of mint as his face gets closer. “Safety first.” My breath catches in my throat as his masked face brushes the crook of my neck. “Don’t even think of trying to run again while I walk to the other side of the car. I will catch you and next time, I won’t be so nice.”
Alarm bells blare. Run, hide. Do not let him take you without a fight. My body’s gone into full blown shivers as he closes my door. I reach for the handle with my trembling hand. It’s right there, I could open it and run. But the moment passes as quickly as the thought. He gets into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.
A blast of warm air hits my skin and I shiver involuntarily. I’m colder than I realized. The heat permeates the car with his scent. Mint and earthiness. It’s overwhelming. With the glow of the dash lights, I can see more of his profile. His chest hugs his black shirt, lean but strong. He’s tall, unable to fully stretch his long thick legs even with the seat pushed back much farther than mine.
He reaches into the back seat and drops a hoodie in my lap. “Here, I know you’re cold.”
The kind gesture shocks and confuses me. He’s just ripped me from my bed but is worried about me being cold and hurting my feet. At first I think about tossing it back in his face, but another bout of shivers rattles me and I think better of it, pulling it over my head instead.
He backs out of the driveway and for a short while there’s only the purr of his engine and the sound of Chino’s melodic voice coming from the speakers at a low volume.
“You can take off the mask,” I say. “I’m picturing you looking like some kind of Freddy Krueger under there.” He scoffs. “Seriously. Why wear a mask and then say all that stuff about me begging you for… uh, you know what, nevermind.”
Smooth, Blake.
My cheeks flame and I shut my mouth.
“Begging for my cock,” he says casually.
I swallow and focus on the blurring trees out the window. “Yeah. That.”
“Maybe I do look like Freddy. What then?” he says, challenging me.
“Nothing… It wouldn’t matter because what you said won’t ever happen. I’ll never beg you for sex. You’re a psycho kidnapper. Plus, I have a boyfriend.” He’s quiet and it unnerves me. I’d much rather spar with him than sit here wondering what’s going through his head. I’m stuck reading body language.
His hand rests on the shifter and I can’t help but watch the way his knuckles flex as he squeezes it. I try to figure out what his tattoos are. Any details will help me later when I go to the cops. It looks like Roman numerals on his fingers and an anatomical heart on his fist.
“Just wait,” he says. His tone is so arrogant it does nothing but irritate me further. We’re on a main road now, not far from campus. The streets are pretty much deserted at this time of night but I notice a few landmarks. He speaks up. “We need supplies.” I’m about to ask what type of supplies when he stops me. “Don’t ask questions, I know you were about to. My face is covered but my eyes work just fine. All you need to know is someone was hurt and I need you to patch him up.”
“You can’t be serious.” My mouth drops open. “I told you before, I’m a second year student. I’ve never worked on an actual person before.”
“You’ll do fine.” He stops my argument by putting his hand on my thigh and squeezing gently. “Now, where can we get supplies?”
I must be as crazy as he is. That’s the only reason I have for giving him the address to Ethan’s father’s office. “You’ll have to break in,” I say. “It’s my boyfriend’s father’s practice, but I’ve only been there a few times. I don’t know if there’s an alarm.”
He grabs his phone and presses the screen. “That’s no problem. You worry about what you’ll need.” With the phone to his ear, he speaks to whoever picks up on the other end. “Hey, I’ll be there with help soon. I need you to put on your masks.”
What the hell am I walking into?