Page 104 of The Rowdy Ones

It’s then I really focus on his features. I know him. For fuck’s sake, I know him.

Evan. I knew he would get me killed one day.

“You’re going to start walking toward the woods,” he instructs, jerking his head in that direction. “We can talk more where it’s safe. If we talk here, it’s going to get everyone you love killed.”

Swallowing down the bile of what that might look like, I give him a curt nod. “Whatever you say, Alex.”

I do as I’m told and start for the dense forest. All that can be heard is the distinct sound of boots on snow as we trudge away from the RV and cabin. I’m wearing no socks and a damn hoodie. It’s too cold for this shit.Real smart, Rowdy.

If I thought seeing Alex was a surprise, then I’d be a special kind of stupid. After his threat at the party, Evan coming to see me would have triggered him into thinking the worst. That I’m sleeping with Evan. Alex is too jealous for his own good. And here I was worrying about the dumb fuck. All this time, he was just as bad as his partner.

“You don’t seem particularly alarmed,” Alex states once we’ve set off in the thicker part of the woods. “I’d expected more of a reaction.”

I grunt and shrug. “You had a gun in my face and told me not to react.”

“It’s more than that. It’s as if you expected this. The others sure as hell didn’t.”

Others?

“The Brawny Slasher,” I spit out. “Don’t you think you’re straying from your typical MO? I thought knives were your thing.”

He chuckles, the sound dark and demented. “Oh, I will have my fun carving you up. Don’t you worry. The gun is just a tool to get you somewhere where I can take my time. I’m going to really enjoy this.”

I could probably take off running, but I’d be at a disadvantage. Alex has the weapons and can disappear easily if he wants to. With my blue hoodie, I stand out against the white snow. All I’ll earn myself is a bullet to the back, and quite possibly, having to listen to more bullets hit the ones I love.

Fuck that.

No running.

“How did you overpower those men you murdered?” I ask, teeth chattering as the cold sets in.

“Same way I overpowered you.” He huffs in derision. “Everyone is so compliant when they have a gun in their face. It’s a tool to get us to where we need to be. The knife is the artistic flair. A grand finale. Bloody beautiful.”

Did those other men in their last moments rack their brains in an attempt to somehow talk him out of it?

“Did you bash their faces in and rape them before or after they were dead?” My voice is cold and deep, devoid of emotion. If he thinks I’ll cry or beg, he’s got the wrong man. I’m a Jamison. That shit, we don’t do.

You used to beg for Evan to stop…

Anger flares up inside me, chasing away the usual fear Evan instills.

“They beg for my cock,” Alex says simply. “You will too.”

Over my dead body.Ahh, for fuck’s sake.

“All this because you’re jealous? What did those other men do to you?”

A boot to my back sends me flying forward. I hit the trunk of a thick tree with my shoulder. It knocks the breath out of me and my entire arm smarts in pain. I’m unable to catch my fall, landing on my hip in a snow drift, and sink several feet.

“You kicked me,” I hiss out, discreetly searching for a stick or a rock I can use against him. Just snow and a couple of leaves.

“You want to know what they did to me?” Alex asks, voice bordering on hysteria. “They touched what belongs to me.”

“Did they know they were fucking a cheater?” I grunt as I rise to my feet again, hating being at a disadvantage.

“Does it matter?”

“It matters to me. For the record, I didn’t sleep with Evan.”