Page 32 of Kiss of Deceit

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 preyanymore 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.