Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
dani
“Aren’t you cold?”
I glanced to the side to see Miles walking closer.
He was wearing a pair of black scrubs under his thick jacket, and had a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Impatience clung to me when he stopped at my side.
Maybe this was the sign I needed to not go through with my plan. For it to work, I needed to be alone.
“A little,” I answered, holding my hot coffee with both hands. “I’m used to the cold.”
I was standing outside the café and had already told Natalie that I wouldn’t be coming into work today.
The second I told her that I had a sore throat, she pretty much demanded I stay home since she didn’t want to get sick.
Which was why I didn’t want to be out in public long so that my cover story didn’t get botched.
“I’ve barely seen you,” he said, his slight pout almost making me roll my eyes. “I thought we were going to plan a dinner.”
Miles was nice, but he wasn’t my type. Not that I had one, since I had no desire to be in a relationship.
I bit my tongue, knowing I was lying to myself.
Obviously I had a type since I was avoiding Kole.
Was I attracted to him? Yes. Did I trust him?
No. Which was why I hadn’t spoken to him since the night he’d followed me to the factory.
“I’m not feeling great,” I said, letting my voice get a little raspy. “Sore throat. I needed some hot coffee, and now I’m about to go home and sleep.”
He looked at me with concern. “You need anything? I can get you some meds—”
“I’m fine,” I promised, giving him a small smile. “I think it’s just a cold.”
“Well, if it gets worse, stop at the clinic,” he said. “You’ll need antibiotics if it’s strep.”
“I will.”
With that, he walked away, and I guessed he didn’t want to get sick either. I leaned back against the wall, staring down the road. The night shift at the factory should have let out fifteen minutes ago which meant Lucas should be on his way here to harass Hallie at the café.
I really shouldn’t be doing this. Inserting myself into other peoples’ business.
But after seeing the scar that Lucas left on Hallie, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.
I’d seen him in the café again twice this week, and her fear reminded me of how I used to be. No one should have to experience that.
Soon, I spotted factory workers making their way into town.
Excitement trailed through me when I spotted Lucas.
He was headed this way, and I made sure to catch his eye before I pushed off the wall and began walking away.
Spotting a trash can, I tossed my coffee inside, wanting to keep my hands free.
I kept my steps quick as if I was moving to avoid him.
Turning down another street near my condo, I cut between two buildings.
Soon, the scent of pine needles surrounded me as I entered the forest. It was the same trail I’d been on that led to the cliff.
Quiet footsteps alerted me that Lucas was following like I expected.
The back of my neck prickled when he got closer, and it took everything not to turn around.
He wouldn’t attack me right away—he liked to instill fear first. He was cocky and didn’t plan.
I knew he’d jump at the chance to follow me.
“Wandering alone is dangerous.”
His voice came from right behind me, and I let out a fake gasp of panic. Before I could turn around, something sharp landed on my spine, and he pressed hard enough to make sure I could feel it through my jacket.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked out, looking over my shoulder at him.
Lucas met my eyes, his gaze dark and full of danger. He was enjoying this like I knew he would. And I welcomed it. If he hurt me, then I’d have the evidence I’d need to go to the sheriff. Maybe I could get him out of Hallie’s life.
“You should have minded your business,” he growled, shoving me forward. “Keep walking.”
I argued with him as we walked, letting my voice sound shrill from panic.
Even I was proud of my acting. I could disarm him and get that little pocketknife from his hold in under three moves.
But I let him keep the pretense of control for now.
He forced me to go deeper in the woods, and I studied my surroundings.
This was the first time I’d been in the woods during the day.
“Not so tough now, are you?” he taunted, pushing the blade harder to the point where I was positive that he broke my skin.
Real panic cut through for a moment before I could force it away. The pain of being stabbed in the stomach all those years ago bubbled to the surface. That wouldn’t happen again. I wouldn’t let it. I was in control here.
Lucas just didn’t know it yet.
“Please,” I choked out. “Let me go.”
“You have a lesson to learn,” he retorted. “How things work here. You interns need to stay in your lane.”
There it was again. How things work here. What was going on in this town?
We were still walking, and it was easy to assume that he was leading me to the cliff. The question was—did he want to kill me or just scare me?
Soon, we got to the clearing, and I eyed the edge with wariness. I couldn’t let him get me too close to it, or he really might try to push me.
“Turn around,” he ordered.
I followed his command when he removed the blade from my back. He held it in front of him when I faced him, and I kept fear on my features. With a leering smirk, he trailed the knife up my jacket before he rested it against my throat.
“Hallie is none of your business,” he said, his tone laced with warning. “She’s mine, and you need to stay away from her and me. No more going to the café. Understand?”
“Or what?” My voice trembled as I attempted to rile him up. “You’ll kill me? This town is small. You’ll get caught.”
His laugh was low and cruel. “You think so? I could do whatever I wanted to you out here, and no one would know.”
His eyes dropped to my lips, disgust crawling through me. This man was a monster. He would never leave Hallie alone. I had a feeling she wasn’t the first girl he’d terrorized.
“You’ve killed someone before,” I said quietly, knowing I was right when his smile only grew.
“Now, why would I admit that to you?” he asked, his voice taunting. “If I do that, then I would have to kill you.”
His words were almost far away as my own thoughts became deafening.
He wasn’t a good person. If he stayed free, then he would most likely kill Hallie at some point.
Even if I went to the sheriff for this interaction, what if it wasn’t enough?
He would stay free and terrorize others. Just like the men who attacked me had.
“Hey.” He grabbed my jaw painfully, forcing me to look at him. “I’m talking to you.”
With a small cry, I shoved him away and staggered back, barely realizing that I was getting closer to the edge of the cliff.
My carefully planned demeanor was ripping to shreds right now, and I was suffocating.
My past was drowning me as I struggled to take a breath.
I’d forced this part of myself away for the last three years, and now it was slamming back into me.
I let out a yell when Lucas crashed into me, sending us both to the hard ground. Raising my forearm, I blocked his fist from connecting with my face. I rammed my knee into his stomach, forcing him to roll off me.
“I promised I wouldn’t do this anymore,” I screamed hoarsely, talking to myself. “Don’t make me do it.”
“Crazy bitch,” he grunted, raising his other hand that held the knife. “Shut up. Or I’ll throw you off the fucking cliff.”
He swung the blade, and I rolled away to avoid getting cut.
Climbing to my feet, I whirled around, getting my bearings so I didn’t step off the edge.
He lunged at me again, and I easily dodged his attack.
With every move I made, the calmer I became.
It didn’t matter what I’d said to convince myself.
The promises. They were all lies. The last three years dissolved into nothingness as I stared at Lucas.
He must have noticed my change because he didn’t come after me again. He stood a few feet away, the knife poised in case I attacked.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he spat out.
“What’s wrong with me?” I questioned, my voice quiet. “You dragged me out here to hurt me. Or worse. But I guess I’m no better.”
He frowned, my cold smile making him uneasy. He shifted on his feet, staring at me with new eyes. He didn’t see me as prey anymore because I wasn’t hiding. My eyes flicked to his knife before I met his gaze again.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked.
“I told you that,” I mocked. “I have a master’s in forensic psychology. Want to know a secret, Lucas?”
Anger burned in his eyes. He wasn’t pleased with how I turned the situation, but he still didn’t make a move toward me again.
“Long before I came to this little town, I used to work under a therapist. A doctor who took on clients with criminal history or people who had criminal tendencies but hadn’t acted on them yet. I saw the worst of the worst. Just like the men who changed my life forever.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” His voice was slightly higher, my words making him clutch the knife tighter.
“You would have been a patient of the doctor I used to work with,” I said with certainty. “Since you’re not a good person. But it’s okay—I don’t think I am either.”
I haven’t spoken about this to anyone. In the last three years, I hadn’t let myself be consumed with my past. But that was shot to hell now. I felt like myself again, and as I stared at Lucas, I realized how much I craved this.
“Out of all of those clients, I kept an eye on the worst ones,” I continued, wanting him to know just how much he underestimated me.
“I wanted to make sure their sick fantasies stayed in their heads. Some never acted on their thoughts. But the ones that did…I needed to stop them from hurting anyone else.”
“What are you, a wannabe cop?” He laughed through his discomfort. “Turning in criminals. Is that what you plan to do with me? Because let me tell you that won’t work. Even if you do have a chance to talk to the sheriff after this.”
I laughed, the noise sounding sinister even to me. “No, I didn’t get them put in prison. I dealt with them in my own way.”
He suddenly launched himself at me, aiming the blade at my chest. I grinned as adrenaline flooded my system when I lashed out my hand, catching his wrist, halting his attack.
This dangerous situation calmed me in a way I couldn’t even describe.
I was in control—something I’d needed ever since I was nearly murdered.
“You never should have followed me,” I told him, my voice expressionless. “But at least Hallie will be safe from you now.”
“You’re fucking sick,” he shouted before choking in pain when I slammed my free hand into his throat.
“Yes,” I agreed with him. “But I only hurt others who are like me.”
I hit him in the throat again before grabbing his arm and shoving him as hard as I could.
He tottered at the edge of the cliff for a moment before gravity worked in my favor.
He let out a loud shout as he fell, and then all I could hear was the chirping of the birds.
I walked forward, peering over the cliff.
His mangled body was at the bottom, barely visible from how far down he was.
His knife was laying in the grass, and I crouched down and grabbed it. Flicking it closed, I slid it in my jacket pocket and headed back down the trail.