Page 305 of Second Sets Omnibus

Fucking bastard. Always taking what the fuck, he wants. If I could move a muscle, I’d knee him in the goddamn dick. Or stab him. I swear the next chance I get; I’m chopping that appendage off so he can never harm another person again.

“You don’t have to say anything. I’ll remind you of it all,” he whispers, flicking his tongue over my ear lobe.

“The sun had just set, blanketing the party in thick darkness, which brought out all the freaks. Everyone was dancing and laughing and drinking their asses off. But they didn’t notice the most beautiful piece walking through the party. You were by yourself. All doe-eyed and petrified looking. But goddamn, the way you looked so damn sexy. I knew you were a Central girl the moment you got closer. But you never fucking looked at me. You were watching him and his cronies’ taking shots by the pool. I knew Knight from school. Hell, I had a fucking band, too! You never fucking noticed me…”

I soak in his confessions one word at a time, memorizing them for later. The truth is, I noticed him at one point in our lives. That we had fucked around so many times and had been in a relationship with each other. Until his parents intervened, wewere a couple. Happy, too. But that’s all semantics now. Because they did me a fucking favor by pulling him back.

“So I slipped something special into your drink when you got glass after glass. Nothing bad, just something that’d help you notice me.”

The world stops at his confession. It was bad enough he was my stalker for the past three years. But this? He drugged me at a party. All these years I thought it was me who had drank too many glasses of alcohol.

I blanch, shivering at his words. “You did what?”My muffled reply comes out in a squeak.

He grins against my flesh. “Yeah, Rivey. It was me. You thought you drank too much, didn’t you? Nah. It was the drugs. Me. All me. I knew how to make you fall to your knees and give me what I wanted. Funny, isn’t it? You had no idea who took your V-card. Well, you’re looking at him.” He grins at that, cocking his head when tears flow freely from my eyes and down my cheeks.

I think I’m going to be fucking sick. Everything in my stomach sloshes, begging to cover his hand with my vomit.

“Why wouldn’t you just talk to me?” I whisper, shaking my head as best I can. “I don’t…”

“Then, I dragged you to a secluded spot… And well, you see where that goes. When I was finished, I tucked myself back in my pants with the intention of killing those mother fuckers who were waiting in the shadows to get a piece. Fucking Bradley. He had his eyes on you the moment he saw you stumbling around. You were mine to take over and over, and they were going to steal you from me. So, I decided to become the hero… I walked away for five goddamn seconds! They got you, and then Rad swooped in and put you in his car. But I never forgot about you, Sweetness. You were all I craved. So, we met again. This time, I made sure you loved me. And you did, didn’t you?”

I swear his monologue goes on and on for five thousand hours. He could probably get off on his own damn voice. But the longer I keep him talking and in one place, the better chance I have at surviving this whole ordeal.

“Why the fuck would you rape me?” I hiss frantically, clawing at his forearm, begging him to release me.

The entire time he’s been chatting away, he’s held me down. Despite the hand still stalling in his pocket. I’m afraid to know what he has up his sleeve next. It can’t be worse than the loaded gun by our side. Can it?

“And that’s where my obsession blossomed. The feel of you around my cock. The blood you sacrificed for me, baby. It made me want you over and over again. No matter what.”

Gag. Fucking hell.

“And my hatred for them was born. Fuck those assholes.” He licks my face again, groaning at the taste of my tears. A deep, hollow chuckle vibrates against my body when he steps back, finally revealing the other part of his plan. In the dim light, he holds up a syringe filled to the brim with a clear liquid. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t come willingly, so…” Using his teeth, he uncaps it and plunges it into my fucking neck. The second the liquid enters my bloodstream, my skin fucking boils. Heat spreads through my veins.

I cry out, scratching at him until he’s finished. He chuckles, throwing it aside with pride puffing out at his chest. He’s so fucking deranged; he thinks he did a good fucking thing.

“Have a good rest,” he whispers, grinning as he removes his hand from my mouth, watching his masterpiece fall to pieces.

I suck in a few breaths, trying to stay conscious when he lets me go. He hums to himself, stepping back to observe his handy work with a sparkle in his eyes.

The moment he’s off me, I slide down the rock wall with a groan. My head fucking pounds from the impact, and my face fucking burns from the barrel of the gun.

Whatever he gave me has my vision blurring, but not completely. No. I’m still in control of my limbs. For now, at least.

“What did you give me?” I slur, reaching around beside me as he hums again with happiness.

My tongue tingles as I try to lift it to ask the question again, but it doesn’t work. My fucking time is running out. Along with the light blinking out around me.

“Just something to make you sleepy. Then I can get you to our home without fanfare. You’ll love it!” he shouts, bouncing on his toes with excitement. I tune him out the moment he starts listing the things inside this magical house he built for the two of us.

I suck in oxygen as my vision blurs, producing two Vans prancing around in front of me. My ears start ringing, and numbness takes over my entire body.

I fight against the medicine, continuing to feel around me for the gun he dropped in haste to get the drug from his pocket. He threw it like he wouldn’t need it anymore. But I do. I swallow hard, which becomes increasingly challenging as the effects wear on me. But determination spears through me as my numb fingers feel the gun thrown beside me.

With every ounce of energy, I have left, I bring it into my lap to hold it steady. All those times, Olivia took me to the range to perfect my skills in case something like this ever happened finally come to fruition.

My time has fucking come.

Just as the darkness takes over my vision and I’m clinging to consciousness, I use my remaining energy to point the gun in his direction. He doesn’t seem to notice. Or maybe I’m too far gone. I grunt, squeezing the trigger, praying to the Gods above thatthis one shot buys me enough time. One shot fires off before the darkness completely takes over, pulling me under the spell of the drug.