Remington #2
Diana’s shoulders slump, and I smile as I approach her. It’s just me and her, the way I planned. The school yard has thinned out. Her eyes glaze over as her eyes adjust, and a few seconds later, she walks away from me, heading toward that slaughterhouse she lives in. It’s like she’s asking for it.
“I can give you a ride,” I call out after her.
Her eyes dart to my motorcycle parked near the front of the dusty lot. “No, thank you.”
“Why? You scared?”
“No. I’m not scared of anything.”
Little lamb is a little liar. I’ll have her so scared by the time I’m done with her; her toes will curl.
“It’s too far for you to walk. I’m your only option.” I walk up and she freezes as I tower over her, lean in and whisper in her ear, “Plus, the killer is on the loose. Wouldn’t want you to end up like the Jenkins kid, would we?”
She whirls around, squaring her body to mine “You mean your sister’s boyfriend?”
My lips curl to a smile as she catches my bait. “Yeah. He was Talia’s boyfriend. Whoever killed him was vicious, emotional. You don’t stab someone fifteen times if you didn’t feel something for that person.”
She sucks in breath. “Everyone thinks it was you.”
I shrug and walk over to my bike, placing my bag under my seat and sliding on, kicking the stand with my boot, steadying the bike with my feet. “They have no proof of that.”
She cocks her head. “Was it you?”
A few lingering students walk by, staring but giving me a wide berth. I didn’t kill Daniel, but I might as well have. Once the villagers turn on you, there is no going back. They give Diana an equally long, lingering, baneful stare, and she wraps her arms around herself.
Instead of answering, I kick the engine on, adjusting my body to the power underneath me. I wait for a moment, staring at her…daring her to get on.
“You coming?” I call over the roaring sound.
She hesitates for a moment, shakes her head, and slides on behind me. I grab her arms and pull them around my abdomen. Every part of her is stiff as a board. My hand finds her knee, and eventually, she relaxes.
I tilt my head back, my facial hair tickling her face. “Don’t let go of me,” I tell her, and she rests her head against my back. Her body is like a silk glove against mine.
I drive the long way to the outskirts of Kinsmen, slow and steady until she finally relaxes. The roads grow windier as we get farther from town, trees pressing in on us. Since she’s not wearing a helmet, I’m careful not to kick rocks up.
She’s fearless.
It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone touch me or want to be around me. Even then, I was never sure if they liked me or my last name. But I like the way she feels behind me. I like everything about her.
We approach FreshMart, and she squeezes my middle, hinting for me to stop the bike. I pull up to the dusty parking lot and kill the engine.
“I can walk from here,” she says, though she doesn’t make a move.
I shift my weight and twist on the seat.
It’s awkward, but I manage to turn and face her, one hand braced on the seat, the other catching her waist to steady her in front of me.
We are in an intimate position, and a warm wind blows over us.
I like being close to her. There is something about this girl…
I will have to eventually kill her, but my instinct is to protect her at all costs.
“Remy,” she whispers after a few seconds. I can sense something is off. “I have to go now.”
I take off my glasses and stare at her, moving a wisp of hair falling over her face. Her eyes are a mixture of fear, terror and lust. “Let me drive you home tomorrow.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. You need to stay away from me.”
I felt her body on mine—the way she clung to me. She feels safe with me, and she belongs with me, not Tommy. Tommy won’t even hang out with her in public. He resorts to sneaking around behind the bleachers thinking no one will notice.
I dig my thumb into her hip and she flinches. “I can’t do that, little lamb. I won’t be able to stay away from you now that I’ve found you.”
She frowns and tilts her head up. Our mouths are so close together we are sharing a breath. “You have to,” she breathes me in. “I’m not who you think I am, Remy. It’s easier for me if you leave me alone.”
I lean my forehead against her, then I peer into her white eyes, trying to decipher what’s in that head of hers. If I can see the same demons in her mind, that are in mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Diana.”
She takes a deep steady breath and eventually gives me a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Remy. And for the record,” she adds, “I don’t think it was you who killed that boy, but I don’t believe you are entirely innocent either.”
“Oh yeah? And why do you say that?”
She swings her leg and hops off the bike, adjusting her backpack. “I can sense it. I feel the darkness inside you.”
She turns and heads down the dark dusty road. I watch her from my bike until her silhouette turns into a shimmering shadow in the stark sunset.
God, I want her.
I haven’t felt this alive in years, if ever.
I found out what I was as a child, and I’ve been waiting for my turn ever since.
This is what my old man was telling me about.
The adrenaline that comes with the power of being Shadowface.
The love is intensified because it’s meant for something so sacred.
The emotions are endless, and all consuming.
I’m not in love…at least not yet. But Diana took hold of me and awoke something inside me. Something that has been simmering in my blood since I was born.
I turn around and turn the engine on. My erection is beyond painful. I’ll have to tug one out when I get home and dream of Diana’s white eyes and what it would be like to blink life out of them. The darkness she recognizes is coming for her and there is no way she will survive.