Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Josie
Pressing my forehead to the trunk of a tall pine tree, I close my eyes and listen for footsteps.
King seemed so on edge tonight, so I figured a little hunt might cheer him up.
As soon as I saw him heading for the showers, I hurried back to the RV, where I penned a quick clue and left it sitting on the bed for him to find.
The cell phone with the videos of myself and the mothers lay partially covered beneath King’s pillow.
He watches the videos at night when he thinks I’m sleeping.
I’m pretty sure I could recite some of those clips word for word.
He’s been focusing Aven’s and Bennett’s mothers.
Likely trying to find something to help him connect with his sons.
If he’ll just come hunt me down in the woods and ravage me for a few hours, that might lift his spirits. It’ll sure lift mine.
I can’t go much longer without getting off. It’s consuming my every thought. It’s not as if we’ll hit a breakthrough with those two tonight. I’ll make them wear a get-along shirt if I have to on the last day, but for right now, I just need my insides turned to mush.
Leaves crunch in the distance, and I bite my lip. I’m glad he figured out the clue: Meet me at the ent.
On our way into this little campground, I remarked that one of the trees reminded me of the great creatures described in Tolkien’s novels. King and I share a love of the classics, and he knew exactly what I meant. Not many would these days.
Twigs snap again, a little closer this time.
He’s trying to be sneaky, but I’ve already planned out my route.
When he gets close enough, I’ll bolt down a game trail like a rabbit from its hiding place, and like the feral hound, he’ll pursue.
After a merry chase, he’ll catch me and rip me limb from limb.
Leaves crunch, and that’s close enough.
With a giggle, I burst from my hiding place and take off down the narrow trail. Staying on this makes it easier for him to find me, but it also ensures I don’t go running headlong off a fucking cliff in this darkness. Woodland critters aren’t known for making trails off of cliffs, after all.
I glance behind me as my arms push brush and limbs out of my way. He’s so far back that I don’t need to run anymore. He’s little more than a dark shadow walking toward me. Actually, why the fuck is he walking? That’s almost creepier.
He keeps stalking toward me. I can’t see his face to know if he’s smiling or leering at me, and I think that sort of context might help my heart slow down. If he’s smiling, I’ll know this is just a game.
If he’s leering, though . . . I’m gonna fucking run.
“Come on, King!” I shout. “This isn’t what I had in mind when I said you could hunt me in the woods. I want a little more Ghostface and a little less Michael Myers.”
He’s close enough that I can see the rough silhouette of his head cock to the side, just like in Halloween. He’s mocking me.
Ass.
And he’s still walking.
Fine. We’ll have the slowest game of Fuck Me if You Can he’s ever played.
I turn and start walking. At this pace, he might catch up to me by next Wednesday.
When I turn to look back at him again, just to tell him how horny I no longer am, he’s not there. I have a clear line of sight through this section of trees, and I don’t see a shadow looming anywhere behind me.
The air takes on a heaviness, and I hold my breath.
Something doesn’t feel right. This isn’t like the last time we played.
“Squash casserole,” I say. “I thought I would enjoy this, but—”
My heart stops. I feel the hand around my mouth before I hear the shuffle of leaves behind me. I’m unable to scream. I immediately know the skin is too soft, the smell isn’t right. Nothing about this touch feels safe or familiar or wanted.
I immediately know it’s not King.
I kick behind me, then drop my full weight to the forest floor. Blayne’s arms are strong, too strong, and he keeps his grip on me as we hit the earth. I mentally thank Sarah Lee for her delicious cheesecakes as my weight slams into him and knocks the breath from his lungs.
Unable to hold me while also contemplating his life choices, he releases his death grip and stares at the sky as his neck veins bulge.
I get to my feet and roll my eyes as I peer down at his writhing body. “I do not weigh that much. Stop being such a pussy.”
The last word is a grunt as I drive my sneaker into his side. I’m fucking pissed.
“I came all the way out here to have sexy time with my man, not so that you could finish what you tried to do back at the ranch when you fucking shot me.” I jump into the air and drive my foot into his ribcage again. “Guess what, motherfucker? I don’t die that easy.”
The retreat rules flash in my mind, and while I’m sure I’d be justified if I killed him right here, I’d rather not rock the boat when things are so tenuous for King.
So instead of creating a problem, I’ll give King a gift.
I’ll tell him how Blayne attacked me, and then he’ll get the joy of killing him.
I kick dirt into his eyes, and he screams.
“Shut the fuck up. You make me sick, and what you did to your fucking friend was disgusting.”
He utters a hoarse chuckle. “So you got the DNA back already? Is that why everyone’s been so cold?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
I go to kick more dirt at him, but his hand whips out and wraps around my ankle. It seems I’ve overstayed the living fuck out of my welcome, and he’s about to show me the door. Or in this case, the ground.
He yanks my ankle, and my clumsy ass stands no chance. I’m not a heroine in an action flick. I’m the screaming pair of tits who ran up the stairs in a horror movie.
To make matters so much worse, I crack the back of my head on something hard when I land, and I’m too dazed to get up. I can’t even see straight. My eyes close tight, and I wait for the ground to stop spinning.
I’m powerless when Blayne moves to get on top of me.
He’s breathing hella hard as he climbs up and presses his weight into my body.
I wish he’d blow that dragon’s breath in another direction.
Each warm puff smells like onions and coffee, and I don’t think he flosses, because there’s a distinct undertone of hot dookie.
It takes everything in me not to gag, but I manage to turn my head and discreetly pull my olfactory senses away from the horrific stank.
“You should’ve run, Josie,” he growls against the side of my head.
“And make killing me more fun for you?” I’m trying to sound confident, but my voice is so weak.
Something brushes my cheek, and I shudder internally when I realize it’s his hand. “Kill you? Josie, I don’t want to kill you. I want to do the things I’ve seen King doing to you. Did you know I watched a few times?”
“Fucking ew, David,” I say.
He brushes my cheek again. “Name’s not David, Josie. It’s Blayne.”
“Okay, first, it could never work between us if you don’t get Schitt’s Creek references, may Catherine O’Hara rest in peace. Second, if you ever call yourself Daddy Bleh—” My throat convulses, and I gag. “I can’t say it. It’s mega cringe.”
King is going to be really pissed when he finds out Blayne killed me, because there is no way in fucking hell this halitosis-having cow patty is coming anywhere near my vagina while there is still breath in my lungs and fight in my body.
Now, if I can just get the fight into my body, I could finally get out from under him and run like hell. While we wait, I need to stall him. He seems to enjoy talking, so I’ll just keep doing that.
“I have a question.”
He gets close to my cheek and blows another breath, and I feel my soul leave my body as his putrid tooth air marches into my nostrils. If he puts his mouth anywhere on me, I’ll have to disinfect with bleach.
“Anything, my beauty,” he says, and I hope this is a onetime thing. It sounds so ridiculous coming out of his mouth.
I ask the first thing that comes to mind.
“Why did you fuck Charity?”
He chuckles. “Why? You jealous?”
“Nope. Just curious why you’d do that to your best friend.”
He grinds his crotch against me like a kid dry-humping his pillow, and his weight pushes the air from my lungs.
“He’s not my friend. I used him to get into this retreat.
Charity was my fiancé, but I let Ice Pick fuck her a few times so we could both keep eyes on him when he wasn’t out on killing sprees.
I let him think they were a thing. But when I realized I couldn’t be without you, I had to let her go.
She didn’t write the journal entry for Ice Pick to find. I did that. For you.”
This is getting creepy, and I’d like off this ride now.
Blayne’s hand goes around my throat, and he squeezes. It isn’t hard enough to send me into a panic, but it’s enough to get on my fucking nerves. I just don’t have the energy to wrestle him off me. That blow to the head is still making my ears ring.
King will save me. I’m sure of it. He’s an excellent tracker, and once he sees the takeoff scuffs near the base of the tree, he’ll know which way I ran.
Then he’ll roll his eyes and follow the game trail because he knows I’m a lazy rabbit.
He would have found the note by now for sure, and he’s probably already—
The note.
How did Blayne know to find me in this part of the woods?
“Did you follow me?” I rasp.
The hairs on my neck rise in defiance as he pulls his grip away.
“You could say that. The ring you’re wearing helped me pinpoint your exact location. If you know what’s good for your little boyfriend, you’ll keep it on.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. He didn’t take the note. I’m also disgusted that neither King nor I saw this coming. A tracking device in a ring is so fucking obvious. At least the note is safe.
“I found a note in your camper, but I couldn’t make any sense of it. Went ahead and took it with me so we wouldn’t be interrupted.”
Well, shit.
“I went there to look for you first. You didn’t engage the after-factory locks again?” He tsks. “Such a shame. I thought you would have learned your lesson.”
His hand snakes lower, and I swat it away before it reaches my breast.
“Uh-oh, someone’s getting their strength back.”
“Why are you doing this? You had a fiancé, for fuck’s sake. This can’t only be because you’re obsessed with me.” The realization dawns. “You meant to shoot King, didn’t you?”
“I did. Swapped that silly prop gun for the real thing. I wanted my revenge, and I still want it, but now I want you too. And maybe a music contract in Nashville.”
My brain snags on that second thing. “Before you Coyote Ugly your way any further into your delusions, let’s back up. Revenge? For what? And against King?”
“You want to know why I want revenge?” He tries to turn my face toward his, but I can’t handle the breath again.
Not when I’m trying to gather the courage to ram my knee into his balls.
“It goes back a little further than my infatuation with you. Right now, you just need to promise me that you’ll stop King from telling everyone I fucked Charity. ”
“I’ll do no such thing.”
“Oh, you will. Because if you don’t, I’ll tell everyone that King is actually Daddy Carter.”
My pulse thunders in my ears. The rush of blood sounds like ocean waves, and I’m drowning again. “Why would you think something like that?”
“I had my suspicions, but when King screwed up one night and broadcast his and Jim’s conversation to my CB radio, I knew for certain. Now I have all the proof I need.” He pulls the cell phone from his pocket—the one with all the videos on it.
Fuck.
“So like I said, you’ll agree to my terms, or I’ll end your geriatric lover’s life a few days prematurely.”
I push Blayne off me, but I don’t run. He has something much bigger than sexual assault hanging over my head now. I get to my feet and brush the dirt from my jeans.
“What do you want from me, asshole?”
He spreads his hands. “I told you. Convince your little boyfriend to keep what I did with Charity a secret. I don’t want anything messing up my plans for the last day.”
“What plans?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll find out.” He smirks and stuffs his hands into his pockets. “All in good time. For right now, just enjoy the time you have left with that British brute. Or don’t. If you want Bennett and Aven to take him out tonight, I can—”
“No. I’ll get him to keep it a secret.”
“That’s not all,” he says, taking a step toward me. “You’ll keep wearing that ring. If I catch you without it, the deal’s off. At the end of this, I’ll get my revenge, and I’ll get you too.”
I roll my eyes and look at the stupid ring on my stupid finger.
So what if we keep Blayne’s little secret a few days more?
Once Aven and Bennett have swung to our side, I’ll tell them everything.
Then they can have a field day with his entrails.
Blayne really isn’t thinking this through.
Because once the Carter kids know the truth, he has no leverage.
So I’ll play nice.
For now.
“Fine, you have a deal. I’ll keep King quiet about Charity, and you’ll keep his identity to yourself. On the last day, though, all bets are off. But first you have to tell me why you want revenge on King.”
“You really don’t know, do you?” He smirks and shakes his head. “Oh, you are in for a treat on the final day. You all are.”