Chapter 54
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
dani
Kole knew.
Well, maybe he didn’t know, but he was suspicious.
Did I overplay my emotions when Monty was found? I’d been so damn exhausted, I allowed myself to get lazy. Everyone was so upset at the scene, I didn’t think anyone would pay much attention to my reaction. I should have known better.
I was waiting for him to confront me, and he was about to get that chance. We’d spent all day at the police station but now were headed back home for the night.
Kole opened the door for me, and I stepped into the frigid cold, raising my gaze to the sliver of the moon. Adella nudged my shoulder as we started walking.
“You got another day. Gonna spend it in bed with Kole?” she teased.
“Something like that,” I muttered, feeling his stare on my back.
The moment we were alone, Kole would ask me if I was the one who killed Monty. I’d been debating all day on how I would respond.
“What do you think Susan will choose?” Adella asked, tearing me from my thoughts.
“I’m sure she’ll make the right decision,” Kole replied from behind us.
Susan told us she would decide by tomorrow morning if the interns would stay or not. Apparently another dead body with a threat wasn’t enough. Which was aggravating. There wasn’t more I could do to make sure I stayed in Winterlake.
“What was that?” Kole froze, his eyes darting toward the trees.
Adella and I both stopped, my heart sinking when someone stumbled out from between the buildings. Kole stepped in front of me as I grasped my knife that was in my pocket.
“Riggs,” Adella gasped. “What happened?”
He staggered under the streetlight, my eyes widening when I realized the front of his clothes were covered in blood.
He was hunched over, grabbing his stomach as he tottered closer.
His hair was a tangled mess, his eyes wild with pain.
Kole strode forward, catching Riggs when he collapsed to the ground. I watched, panic swelling inside me.
“Put pressure on his wound,” I instructed in a shaky voice. I looked back toward the trees, searching for any movement.
“Stabbed,” Riggs forced out, his voice thick with anguish. “He was near the factory. You have to tell Harry—”
A loud alarm began blaring through the town. Kole and Adella exchanged a dark look as Kole laid Riggs on the snow, putting his hands over his stab wound. Blood seeped between his hands, and I knew Riggs didn’t have much time if he didn’t get help.
“What is that?” I yelled.
“The factory,” Riggs choked out. “They’re out. All of them.”
“Fuck,” Kole cursed, glancing at Adella. “Go get help. There should be someone at the clinic.”
I fell to my knees. “What does that mean?”
“The prison,” Kole gritted out. “That alarm means there are inmates out.”
The ringing was echoing in my ears, and I didn’t hear what Adella said before she sprinted away, heading for the clinic. As I watched her go, I noticed people coming out of the shadows. My breath caught. It wasn’t just one or two, but large groups.
Riggs coughed, groaning in pain. His face was pale, his body shaking. I eyed the blood, nausea swirling in my gut.
“He’s not going to make it if we stay here,” I said, making a last second decision. “He’s losing too much blood.”
A muscle in Kole’s jaw clenched. “I’m worried I’ll hurt him more if I move him.”
“I don’t think we have a choice.”
Kole carefully picked Riggs up. “I’ll carry him to the clinic. Hopefully help will meet us before we get too far. It’s not smart to stay in the street right now anyway.”
“Go slowly,” I told him, my gaze staying on the looming crowd. Riggs let out a string of swear words as Kole jostled him, but that meant he was still alert, which was a good sign.
“You should go into my bar. Lock the doors.”
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
“I’ll be fine. These men…” He trailed off as we walked toward the clinic. “I’m sure most of them don’t want any trouble, but I’m not chancing it.”
By now, people were wandering out of their homes and down the street to see what the commotion was about.
Shouts cut through the air when the crowd of inmates were spotted.
The blaring alarm was beginning to give me a headache as I stared at the small speakers attached to the streetlights.
I’d noticed them in the past but never questioned it.
“Stay close if you won’t go to my bar,” Kole gritted out. “You have your knife?”
“I always have my knife.”
I stumbled a step when a face at the edge of the crowd caught my attention. My heart pounded against my ribs as I craned my neck when the figure disappeared behind someone else before reappearing again.
“No,” I breathed out, the world around me dimming as I met his eyes.
They were the same eyes that watched me as I writhed in pain from his blade. His lips stretched in a cruel smile—one I remembered like it was yesterday. His hair was still long and pulled behind his head. Terror and rage exploded within me, creating a flood of emotions I couldn’t control.
My monster was here. Only twenty feet in front of me.
I blinked, making sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. When I stared at him again, he cocked his head as if taunting me.
“Dani…Dani. What’s wrong?” Kole’s voice sounded far away. “Why did you stop?”
“Get Riggs to the clinic,” I said, my voice higher than normal.
I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. He would try to stop me—or follow.
If he didn’t get Riggs help right away, then he wouldn’t survive.
I gripped my knife, anger searing my veins.
I broke out in a sprint, hearing Kole yelling my name in a panic.
I got closer to the crowd, keeping my eyes on the bastard who ruined my life.
He was creeping backward, his gaze staying locked on mine.
I shoved through bodies, not caring who was in my way. The leering comments from men who probably hadn’t seen a woman in years were barely coherent in my mind as my past swallowed me. I’d waited years for this. The fear clawing in my chest was suffocating.
But my vengeance?
That pull was far stronger.
Someone grabbed my arm, and I threw my fist at the stranger’s face, hearing his nose bone crack.
I was already moving again when his screech filled the air.
I cursed under my breath, losing sight of him for a few seconds.
Until I spotted him darting behind the closest building.
My boots slapped the packed snow as I chased after him.
I skidded around the corner, nearly losing my balance on the slick ground.
He was far ahead, running toward the condos.
Since we were behind the buildings of the main street, there were no lights out here.
The forest was on my right as I upped my pace, trying to keep him in my sights.
All I could make out in the dark was his shadow.
I forced myself to breathe evenly, mad at myself for not staying in better shape.
I ripped down the zipper of my jacket, giving myself more space to move as I kept running. We passed mine and Kole’s condo as I gained on him. Until he lunged inside a back door. I was only a few moments behind, and I slammed into the door, knocking it open before it closed all the way.
The lights were on, and I froze in the doorway. The set up was the same as my house, with the kitchen in the back where I entered. He was standing about twenty feet away in the empty living room.
I sucked in shallow breaths, his malicious stare like a punch in the chest. Other than some extra skin sagging under his chin, and wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, he looked exactly the same.
My vision blurred, and I shook my head, reminding myself that this was real life.
He was standing in front of me. It wasn’t another nightmare.
“Look at you.” The taunting, vicious lilt in his voice shot ice through my veins. “The one who got away.”
“You should have killed me,” I hissed, my words trembling with hatred. “Because you’re not going to survive the night.”
“Really?” His eyes raked down my body, and I forced myself to stay still as disgust slithered through me. “You were feisty that night too. Have you thought of me since then?”
“No.” My lie was bitter on my tongue. “You’re nothing. A piece of scum who fails at everything. You couldn’t even finish the job that night. I’m sure your partner wasn’t very happy about that.”
He scowled, a vein throbbing above his eyebrow. I forced a small grin, knowing it would get under his skin. He thrived on fear—meaning I would do everything in my power not to give him mine.
He chuckled, his anger just beneath the surface. “Mark was pissed about that. He tried killing me for it. But he learned not to start a fight he couldn’t win. That night fucked up everything. Mark ended up in a shallow grave, and me? I had to stop my fun.”
His words had my head spinning. The other man who had helped kill my friends was dead? I didn’t have time to ponder anything else when he stepped toward me. I whipped out my knife, flicking open the blade.
He eyed my weapon, dark amusement in his eyes. “I must have made an impression on you. I bet you carry that everywhere, don’t you?”
Bile burned my throat as I glared at him. The way he was looking at me proved he still saw me as prey. A mistake on his part.
“What are the odds that we both ended up in this town?” His question was laced with something I couldn’t place. Ice raced down my spine. He knew something I didn’t. What if this wasn’t a coincidence? Was my internship here something more than I thought?
“You caught up to me too quickly,” he murmured. “We were supposed to go to the woods.” He backed up toward the front door as he spoke. “Come with me.”
“You’re fucking delusional,” I spat out. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He shrugged. “Then I guess all of this doesn’t end tonight.”
He turned his back to me, walking slowly toward the front door. Panic stabbed me as I took a step forward. There was no way in hell I was letting him leave. What if he disappeared again? This could be my only chance.
I repositioned the knife before hurling it at his back when he reached for the doorknob.
He let out a pained yell, the blade hitting him lower than I intended.
I wanted to take his arm out of commission, but I missed his shoulder blade.
He stumbled into the door, a violent laugh tearing from his throat.
“Fuck,” he forced out, blindly reaching for the knife. “I underestimated your skills. That won’t happen again.”
I was already sprinting across the small space, and I shoved him into the door before grabbing the hilt of the knife.
His scream when I cruelly twisted the blade filled me with satisfaction.
I wanted him to feel every fucking thing I would do to him.
Before I ended his life, he would suffer more than I did.
I wrenched the knife out of his back, and he lashed his right hand up, attempting to grab it from me. He dodged out of the way, and I grabbed his shirt, forcing him to turn around before shoving his spine into the wall. There was no way I was letting him get away.
I pressed my blade to his throat, meeting his eyes. His leering grin shot unease through me. He wasn’t scared or nervous. Did he have no regard for his life, or did he just not care?
“Going to torture me?” he asked, amusement in his voice. “You think you’re better at it than me?”
“You’re going to find out,” I snapped, my chest heaving.
“Go ahead,” he dared me, his voice gruff. His knife injury must be hurting from me sitting on him, but he was refusing to show it.
“You’re going to be begging for death by the time I’m done,” I whispered hoarsely, my fingers aching from how hard I was holding the knife.
A new noise had my eyes darting toward the kitchen. The back door slammed closed as two bodies advanced closer. One of them was wearing all black, with a ski mask hiding his face. My stomach dropped, real fear lighting through me when my eyes fell on the person being shoved forward.