Chapter Forty-Four
“Stranger - One who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance.”
Piper
“That’s it. I’m moving in,” Frankie said from the hallway just outside my door.
I smiled and motioned for her to come in.
“I mean, really, how many times have you almost died lately? I swear it’s like you have a death wish!” she exclaimed as she came inside and I shut the door behind her.
“I don’t have a death wish, Frankie,” I said, sinking back onto the couch with my blanket as she threw off her coat to reveal a beautiful teal sweater. It looked new, yet something about it seemed familiar.
“Then maybe someone else has one for you,” she said dramatically as she paced by the window. Momentarily a cloud moved over the sun, creating a shadow on her face.
“You’re just being ridiculous now,” I told her, patting the couch so she would come sit down.
“Tell me everything that happened,” she said, finally sitting down and giving me her full attention.
I decided not to tell her about the accident and the Ice Museum because that would only make her even more worried but focused instead on falling through the ice on the lake.
When I was done Frankie was shaking her head. “I don’t know, Piper,” she began. “Every time you’re around that guy something bad happens. I think you should stay away from him.”
“It’s not his fault we fell through the ice and I ate peanut oil.” I said in Dex’s defense.
“Maybe not, but that guy is bad news, Piper. Why are you even hanging around him anyway? Because of that vision? You need to let it go.”
“It’s not just the vision,” I said, readjusting with the blanket covering my legs.
“Piper!” Frankie gasped, slapping her hand on my foot. “Tell me you do not have feelings for this guy.”
I didn’t say anything at first because I was beginning to think I did. Okay, I wasn’t beginning to think that; I already knew. Finally, I sighed. “Who cares if I do?”
“I need to meet this guy. I need to see what you see in him.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Frank. It’s not like we’re dating or something. He probably doesn’t even like me like that.”
“Of course he does! Why else would be take you away for the weekend?”
“He hasn’t even kissed me,” I said, my voice dropping like I was telling her a secret.
She made a choked sound. “Now I know there’s something wrong with him.”
I laughed and smacked at her. “There is not!”
“If I were a guy, I would totally kiss you,” Frankie said and we both burst out laughing.
Our good time was interrupted by a knock at the door. Frankie looked at me, lifting a blond eyebrow. “Maybe that’s him now.”
“Be nice!” I demanded in a loud whisper as she got off the couch and headed for the door.
She motioned dramatically and wagged her eyebrows before grabbing the knob and pulling open the door.
“What are you doing here?” she said, exasperated, when the door was open.
I turned to look over my shoulder, the smile falling from my lips.
It wasn’t Dex. It was a man I’d never seen before.
He was very good-looking and dressed in an expensive wool coat buttoned all the way up around his neck.
He had dark hair that was artfully arranged to look messy (not like Dex’s, which actually was messy) and green eyes that held a light of mischief.
“Don’t you have a home?” the man sad, his eyes settling on Frankie.
“If I did I wouldn’t give you the address,” Frankie retorted.
“Can we help you?” I said, ignoring the obvious undercurrents of dislike between my best friend and this man.
“Piper, this is that guy I told you about, the annoying one who came by the other day when you weren’t home.”
I got up off the couch, wondering why someone I didn’t know would come here to see me.
“I’m sorry, do we know each other?” I asked. Maybe he was someone I had a class with and didn’t remember.
“No. We don’t. We have a mutual friend.”
“Who?” I asked as he stepped through the door into the apartment. A feeling of unease came over me.
“Dex.” He replied around a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Oh,” I said. “You know Dex?”
I noticed Frankie had yet to close the door but was walking farther into the room, watching him. “I don’t know, Piper. If Dex is anything like this guy here, you should get out now.”
He glanced at Frankie and grinned. This time it seemed more genuine but also very annoyed. Then he glanced back at me.
“I’m afraid it’s too late to get out.”
“What?” I said, confused.
He began to pull his hand out of his pocket and I noticed there was something in it.
“Look out!” Frankie yelled. “He has a gun!” She threw herself at me and we both went sprawling on the floor Frankie landing on top of me.
“Get up,” the man said, annoyed, reaching down to pull Frankie to her feet. “I can’t get a decent shot with you in the way.”
“Did you just call me fat?” she said, offended. “I am not fat. I’m curvy.”
He snorted and as I was getting up off the floor Frankie swung at him.
It didn’t work out too well for her. He grabbed her arm and twisted it around her back, making her cry out in pain.
“You have to be the most infuriating girl I’ve ever met.”
Frankie stomped on his foot with her heeled boot.
He howled in pain but didn’t let go. Instead, he pointed his gun at her.
“Wait!” I cried. “Please don’t hurt her.”
He glanced at me and I thought what a shame it was that such good looks be wasted on a monster.
“Didn’t you come here for me?”
“Yes. Yes, I did. I seem to have gotten distracted by this loud lump of a girl.”
Frankie stomped on his foot again and this time he released her. “Ouch!” he yelled.
She dove at him, trying to knock the gun from his grasp, but he pushed her back and then leveled it right at her chest.
All at once I understood why the sweater she was wearing looked familiar. It was the one she wore in the vision I had. The vision where she died.
“No!” I screamed and threw myself at Frankie, knocking her out of the way as the gun went off, the shot going wild and shattering the glass of the window.
Before Frankie and I could jump up, I was yanked to my feet by the man and he was dragging me out the door.
“Look what you’ve made me do. Now I’m going to have to kill you somewhere else. Someone’s probably already called the cops.”
Kill me?
I dug my feet into the floor, trying to slow him down, but it was no use. He lifted me off my feet and put my body firmly against his as if I were his shield. Then he brought the gun up to my temple and looked at Frankie, who was about to charge like a bull.
“Come any closer and I will kill her now, cops be damned.”
Frankie looked between me and the gun, her eyes filling with tears.
“It’s okay, Frankie. I’ll be fine.”
I could tell by the look on her face she didn’t believe me.
And as the man with the gun dragged me out the door, I didn’t believe me either.