Page 16 of Ravage (The Wellard Asylum #6)

“I’m not upset, Kole; I just need a little space right now.” I give him a reassuring smile, but it does nothing to soften his expression.

“Don’t do that shit, Sloane. You were fine one second, and the next you put that damn wall back up. What’s going on?” His words are like a razor’s edge, full of possession that I’m not sure I’m ready for.

“Kole, the kiss was amazing, but I’m not ready to go any further with you yet. I’m not sure I can fully forgive you for the things you’ve done. You went too far when you locked me up in my room.” I shake my head at the memory of my fists banging against the door, begging for him to let me back out.

“You’re joking, right? I did that for your own good!

” He bursts up from the bed as he shouts at me.

“I just spent the last several hours taking care of you! The least you could do is give me something back in return. You can’t seriously believe that I was holding your hair back while you puked just with the goodness of my heart?

” His eyes roll in his head, and all I can do is stare up at him in shock.

“Kole, just lis—” I start out but he cuts me off.

“No, you listen, Sloane.” He says with a point of his finger.

“You’ve been here for a week now and have done nothing to contribute besides paying your portion.

It’s bullshit that you think that you can just live here and mooch off of my kindness.

I’ve fed you, chosen your clothes for you, and left you notes every day!

” His words inspire a rage to fester in my chest.

“I didn’t ask you to do any of that!” I shout back and spring to my feet, my hands pushing against his chest, knocking him back a few feet.

His face contorts into a rage that I haven’t seen from him yet.

“You know what? Fuck you, Kole! I don’t need you, and I definitely don’t need this damn apartment.

” I rush over and grab my purse, sliding my feet into some flip-flops before storming towards the door.

I tug on the handle, but the door doesn’t budge, and I see the new locking system adorning the frame.

I pull my phone out to dial 911 and show it to Kole’s hulking form that storms towards me down the hall.

“Open the door before I call the police!” My shriek is inhuman, and I’m thanking God that he actually listens and opens the door for me.

I strut out into the hallway without a backward glance, hearing the door slam behind me.

I head straight to Alyssa’s door and start banging on it, but no answer comes back.

I dial her number, but it goes straight to voicemail, which makes me panic.

I rush to the elevator and head down to the lobby; looking out the window, I spot her car in the parking lot, and I know that girl doesn’t walk anywhere.

An uneasiness unfurls in my stomach as I rush through the halls downstairs until I find a maintenance man walking towards me.

“Hey! You’re maintenance, right? I could really use some help.

” His expression is wary as he regards me, but I give him the most charming customer service smile I have.

“What can I do for you, ma’am?” He says with a soft, friendly smile.

“I’m worried about my friend across the hall. She’s not answering her phone or the door, and her car is in the parking lot. Could you do a welfare check on her? I’d rather not involve the police if I don’t have to.” I say in a sickly sweet voice, batting my lashes at him.

“Um, well, I’m really not supposed to do that, but I suppose I could do it just this once.

Show me the way.” He ushers me back down the hall towards the elevator.

It only takes five minutes before we’re back in front of Alyssa’s door.

“This the one?” I nod at him, and he pulls out a key ring adorned with more keys than I’ve ever seen in one place.

It takes him a few seconds to shuffle through the keys until he finds the right one and slips it into the lock.

“You stay here and I’ll check on her.” He leaves the door open and me in the hall as he heads through the entryway.

After about a minute I hear a yell, “What the fuck!” Then I hear stomping feet coming towards me.

“Call the police!” His voice is urgent, so I skip the phone call and rush down the hallway where he came from.

As soon as I round the corner to the living room, the scene before me makes my stomach twist and turn.

A scream erupts from my throat, piercing my ears and reaching everyone within a mile radius.

“Alyssa!” I crash down onto my knees in front of her limp body, landing in a puddle of blood on the carpet.

Her head is lolling to the side, her neck slashed from ear to ear.

“No, no, no…” My hands reach up to check for a pulse, but there’s nothing there to find.

That's when the stench finally reaches my nose and I start to gag. Another scream rips through me, followed by a deep sob as I stare at Alyssa’s decomposing body.

“What’s going on?” I vaguely hear someone say outside the door.

“Sir, you can’t go in there!” The maintenance man says in a rush, but I hear two sets of feet coming towards me.

“Sloane? Oh fuck.” Kole’s voice reaches my ears as I break down into heart-wrenching sobs for my new friend.