Page 12 of Wanna Play A Game?

You know what, damn him. I open the phone app and wait for a text. Nothing.

I find Rachel’s name and hit call. I figure she would get here faster than the useless cops in this town anyway.

The text comes immediately.

Unknown: Ready or not, here I come.

My hands shake so badly I almost drop the phone. He must have fucked with my phone when he put the cameras up. Holy shit, does that mean he came over when I was home?

I feel sick.

Rachel picks up. “Hey babe, what’s up?”

“Hey, can you come pick me up?”

“Sure. What’s going on?”

Halloweiner wails from the front seat, and it makes me jump.

“I think I’m in some kind of trouble. Meet me in our spot.”

“At t—“

“Shhhh,” I shush her. I have no idea if he’s listening, but my bet is he is. If I’m going to get out of this mess, I have to be smart.“Someone’s listening. I’m in…a bit of trouble. Meet me there as soon as you can.”

I hang up.

Fuck, I’m going to have to leave my cat.

My heart cramps. I glance at him through the windshield. He looks down his nose at me. The brat has been with me through everything. I can’t leave him.

For a hot minute, I stand frozen, debating setting up camp here and shooting whoever this is as he walks through the door. Calling the cops and waiting.

But what if he doesn’t come right away? What if he waits for days until I run out of food, and then he gets me? What if he follows me to the store, waits till I’m alone, fuck, hides in my apartment while I’m gone?

No. I need someone to help me get my car running again, then we’re leaving. I’ll be back in a few hours with help, and he doesn’t care about my cat anyway. He wants me.

I snatch Halloweiner up and his litter and put him back inside the apartment. He stares at me through the door, and when I shut it, my heart breaks.

I’m a horrible person. But I’ll make it up to him.

I grab my keys and wallet from the car and take off at a brisk walk.

I have no idea how close this fucker is. Or, if he’s even serious. I keep looking back over my shoulder. Every time I face forward, my back tingles.

I’ve met Rachel at the local coffee shop a few times. I have no idea if the man has gone through my text history, but this was the closest place I could think of. The coffee shop is at least five blocks away.

It’s fall, and with the sun down, the weather is moderate. The gun is in the waistband of my leggings, and it constantly feels like it’s going to fall out. Fuck, do I even remember how to shootit? Point and shoot, girl. Point and shoot. I kick myself for not paying attention to the lessons when I had a chance.

I make it to the main road with the coffee shop. As soon as a truck drives by, I toss my phone into the bed. If he’s tracking me that way, let him try.

I speed walk to the parking lot of a strip mall. The sushi place is still open, and I pray that someone is there. I nearly cry when I see a black minivan and a mom packing her kids into it.

“Excuse me?” I walk up to her, checking over my shoulder again. “Please, my boyfriend took my phone, and now he’s chasing me. Can I borrow your phone? Just for a second.”

The middle-aged woman looks at her kids and then back at me. She looks skeptical.

I hold my hands up. “Please.”