Page 21 of Within Shadows

Maeve

Garrett is Knox, or Knox is Garrett? It doesn’t matter.

What is important is that I get the hell away from him.

My heart is pounding as I shove through the crowd and into the creepy ass house.

I don’t stop at the door, but when I turn for the stairs, a woman with a massive hatchet is waiting with a horrific, bloody smile.

“Nope, fuck that.” I turn and run to the hallway, ripping open the first door I come across.

I’m staring down rickety basement stairs, cursing myself for picking the worst possible option when I hear a demonic giggle and the brush of something cold across my arm.

With questionable self-preservation, I all but throw myself down the stairs and yank the door shut behind me.

The only light comes from a dim, flickering bulb at the bottom of the rickety wooden stairs, and I stand under it.

Struggling to listen over the sound of my pounding heart, I squint around the darkness.

There are some old shelves to the left, stocked with various props, and I quickly scan them for anything I could use as a weapon.

The door at the top of the stairs creaks, and I dive around the corner, ducking to hide behind a shelf.

“You sure she ran down here?” An unfamiliar man's voice grumbles from the top of the stairs.

“Positive. Boss said to get her out quickly and keep it quiet. We’ve got a group of college kids causing enough problems.” An irritated feminine voice is followed by thumping footsteps as somebody shuts the basement door.

I lean forward, trying to see who is now in the overly creepy basement with me, and my stomach turns.

It isn’t Knox, and instead of relief, I feel uneasy.

The man is broad shouldered and tall, wearing a butcher costume that’s splattered by fake blood.

He starts humming to himself while pulling a duck mask over his face, and I almost laugh at how ridiculous it looks.

“Alright, girly, come out and we won’t have any problems,” he calls, turning his head and sweeping the basement.

I jerk back when something crawls over my hand and slam my back into the shelf behind me, making an audible thump .

I slap a hand over my mouth, trying to slow my breathing when he snorts a laugh and heads in my direction.

“Oh, you’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?

” He leans against the shelf, looming over me.

I leap up and try to bolt past him, but he lunges out to snatch the collar of my shirt and toss me right back onto my ass.

There’s a loud ripping sound of fabric and a cold breeze over my chest as I fumble to cover myself.

Footsteps slowly creak across the floor above me as I flinch at the pain on my now bruised tailbone.

“Don’t be difficult, sweetheart. You can make this so much easier.

You are the one who is trespassing, after all, and putting us in danger.

Now you’re alone here, with me,” he sighs, pulling out a knife and twirling it for show.

It’s most likely fake, but I’m not sure that’s a risk I can take.

The collar of my dress is split wide open, and I’m now down to one hand to fight, keeping the fabric in place.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I spit the words, trying to be intimidating.

He just laughs, reaching a hand towards my hair that I slap away a moment before the dim light bulb shatters and plunges us into darkness.

The startled scream that rips from my throat is drowned out by the sound of bodies colliding in a pitch black room.

“Get off of me!” the man that was just standing over me a moment ago shouts, fear in every word.

Warm, wet droplets splatter my legs as the sound of skin and bone slamming together echoes in front of me.

Nausea rolls through me as I try to force my legs to lift me, but my body won’t cooperate, I’m frozen to the spot.

“You think you can touch my girl?” Knox snarls the words, sounding like a wild beast as he pummels the man.

A hot flutter grows low in my belly and I slam my thighs together.

His words absolutely do not turn me on, and I am still pissed at him.

I can’t trust him . Apparently my mind and body have poor communication.

“I’ll kill you.” Every word is punctuated by the sound of flesh striking flesh until it stops suddenly.

I hold my breath, trembling in the dark as I wait for him to turn on me for running.

The only sound is Knox stepping closer to me and his heavy breathing behind the mask as he bends down close to my face.

The man groans from across the room, and I let out a relieved huff.

“Did he touch you?” His voice is strained, as if the question pains him. I shake my head, unable to form words as tears burn my eyes. He shuffles for a moment before I feel fabric brush over my head. I jerk backwards, slamming my head against a metal shelf as I cry out.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, muse. It’s me, it’s just me.

I’m putting my sweatshirt on you to help cover you up, okay?

” he says, gently rubbing a hand up my arm and cupping the growing sore spot on my head.

I nod once, sniffling as the tears start to fall.

Knox carefully pulls the hoodie over my head, his movements slow and measured as he guides my arms into the sleeves.

“That’s my girl, you’re doing so good,” he praises, and I nearly choke on a sob as the ache between my thighs grows. This isn’t right, I shouldn’t feel like this towards him.

“I’m going to pick you up now, and carry you out of here.

You’re safe now.” He slides one arm under my legs, the other wraps around my back as he gently lifts me.

I bury my face in his neck as I cling to him, breathing in the smell I’ve come to associate with Garrett.

“How can I be safe with him?” Knox stops walking, his body stiffening against me.

I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but no matter how softly the words were spoken, they hang heavy in the air around us.

“I’ll prove it to you, baby. Just give me time.

” The cold press of his mask brushes against the top of my head in a caress before he ascends the stairs.

Knox doesn’t bother turning the knob; he slams his foot into the door and sends it crashing open, letting it slam off the wall as he confidently struts out.

I keep my eyes clenched tight, ignoring the voices around us as he walks through the front door and into the cold breeze of the night.

Knox adjusts his hold, reaching around me to pull the hood up until it covers my head and most of my face.

I somehow manage to relax in his arms until we get to his car.

The door opens and Knox lowers me into the seat.

I sit back and finally look up at him, blinking away the tears and makeup that is also on his neck.

I reach out and rub my fingertips over the black smudges, and he shivers against my touch, his breath catching as he braces his arms against the car and cages me in.

“Let's get you home, baby.” He tilts his head, trapping my hand as he pulls my seatbelt across to buckle me in.

Knox reluctantly steps back and closes my door before jogging around the car to climb into the front seat.

I lean my head back against the seat and stare out the window, the rollercoaster of emotion washing over me from today.

The outside world is a blur the entire drive, and exhaustion is making my eyes heavy.

Just as I start to doze off, the car comes to a stop and Knox climbs out.

He opens my door and hesitates before holding a hand out to me.

I stare blankly at the hand that felt so familiar to me, as Garrett’s.

A laugh bubbles up and I clasp a hand over my mouth as he scrunches his brow like I’ve lost all sense. Maybe I have.

“You used Garrett’s hand to finger fuck me on this seat.” My words make absolutely no sense as more laughter causes my shoulders to shake. Knox groans and shakes his head, rubbing that hand over his face as I finally look up at the house that I once thought belonged to Garrett.

“I want to get you inside and clean up, then we can talk about everything.” He reaches out once again and I take a deep breath, sliding my hand into his.

The warmth from his touch seeps into my skin, and I let myself take comfort in the familiarity of it.

Could he somehow still be the same man that I was falling for, or am I just a game to him?

Knox leads me inside, locking the door behind us as I kick my dirty shoes off and frown at the smear of dirt I leave on the floor.

He rests his hand on my lower back and guides me to the bathroom with his hand pressed to my lower back.

I lean against the counter as he starts the shower for me, checking until it’s the perfect temperature.

Stopping in front of me, Knox reaches up and cups my jaw before I gently turn away from him.

My heart still aches each time I look at him, the betrayal and confusion warring within my mind.

“I’ll bring you a change of clothes and make us something to eat.

Take your time, and if you need anything, just yell for me.

” His knuckles brush against my arm as he leaves, closing the door behind him.

Steam slowly curls from the shower as I stare at the running water and force myself to get undressed, dropping my filthy clothes to the floor.

Standing beneath the water, letting the warm water wash away the dirt and dried tears, I slowly slide down the cold tile wall.

The silence is almost too heavy to bear, my thoughts racing until a sob bursts from my chest. Why did I ever trust him?

Yet again, I’ve put myself at the mercy of a man who just sees me as a toy.

A doll to bend and break however he sees fit.

I reach up and jerk the handle until scalding hot water burns my shoulders and back.

The pain is almost a relief, dampening the pain in my chest as I think back to all the moments we shared.

The first time Garrett—no, Knox—and I met.

When he stepped in to defend me from Oliver, tucking me into bed and refusing to touch me when I was too drunk.

He was so kind and gentle. The bar is truly in Hell if that’s how I classify a man as good.

I slowly wash my hair and body, cracking a small smile when I see my shower products lined up on the shelf. One concert, a backstage pass, led to all of this. Knox went so far into this ruse, put so much time and effort into all of this, and for what reason? To meet me as a normal, everyday man?

A soft knock on the door makes me jump, and Knox steps in, a hand plastered over his eyes as he blindly reaches out until he finds the counter to lay a stack of clothes down.

“Shit, Maeve, you’re going to boil yourself in here. It’s like a damn sauna,” he grumbles, still not moving his hand. It’s almost startling to hear him, his manners and crass words so different from the Garrett I knew.

“Gimme a sign of life, please. I’m not trying to catch a peek, but I need to know that you’re okay,” he pleads.

How could I be okay after this? I grab his bottle of shampoo and quietly slide the glass door open before chucking it at the door, next to his head.

Knox doesn’t even flinch as it slams off the wall and drops to the floor, the lid breaking and leaking a pearly puddle.

“You missed.” He grins, jumping back out the door and shutting it before I can throw another projectile at him. “Dick,” I mutter, and his laughter fades as he walks away. I finally shut the water off and wrap myself in the plush towel he left for me, ready to at least get a few answers.