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Chapter One
CARA
My heart rate is through the roof and my lungs can’t find the air they desperately need to inflate.
Idoknow this man. I mean, notreally, but I do vaguely remember him. He was in Rustic Roast yesterday afternoon when Sloan and I were there getting our pumpkin spice lattes. He was sitting at a table, and we had an intense exchange of eye-fucks as I passed him. I’ve thought about him a few times since, but apparently he hasn’t stopped thinking about me.
“M-my gift?” I stutter, trying to act like I didn’t just see Jonah’s head rotting three feet away from where I stand. Acting as though the putrid decay of his flesh isn’t burning my nose.
Rhett chuckles, letting out a low and husky laugh. He’s only a few steps away when he stops to watch me, and the amused grin on his face tells me he’s enjoying this far too much. He’s sick. What the fuck kind of person chops the head off of someone and carves it out like a jack-o’-lantern?
A fucking psycho, that’s who.
OnlyIwould be unlucky enough to pick up a psychotic stalker in a small town coffee shop.
“I can’t say I’ve mastered the art of carving quite like you have, but I knew you’d appreciate my creativity.” He grins as he takes another step toward me. “Youdolike it, don’t you, Cara?”
Of course I don’t, but what am I supposed to say? No? He’ll kill me and put my head on a silver platter right beside Jonah’s if I tell him what I’m really thinking. My heartbeat is pounding through my ears and I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out.
Forcing myself to swallow, I lie the best I can.
I nod as I choke out the word, “Yes.”
Rhett’s eyes immediately light up, and he takes another stride toward me, enthusiasm emanating from his sharp facial features. Without thinking, I instinctively take a step backward, clumsily bumping into my front door with a thud. My keys rattle when my foot rubs up against them, reminding me that I’ve dropped them.
The smile on Rhett’s face immediately falls when he realizes how panicked I am. Sweat beads on my forehead while he watches me, rolling his tongue around before clicking it against the roof of his mouth. He folds his hands behind his back and begins pacing at the base of my porch, clearly agitated.
“Don’t lie to me, Cara,” he spits, making my heart sink into my stomach. “I did you afavor. How could you be so unappreciative? I did this forus.Why can’t you see that?”
He’s losing his patience quickly. Less than a minute ago, he was giddy and smiling over his “gift,” and now he’s looking at me likeI’mthe next name on his hit list.
Trying to buy myself time while I figure out how the fuck to get my keys off the ground, unlock my door, and get inside before he can reach me, I say the only thing I can think of. “Why?”
Rhett suddenly stops pacing to meet my eyes, furrowing his brows. “Why?” he asks, confused in his expression. “Because you’re mine, and he was in our way. Hetouchedyou, Cara, andwe can’t have that. He didn’t give a fuck aboutyourneeds, did he?”
I’m frozen in place, unsure of what to say, but it doesn’t even matter because he continues despite my lack of words.
“Iwatchedyou with him last night. My bloodboiledeach time I watched his cock slide in and out of your tight little pussy, taking far more than he was giving. You were nothing more than a hole for him to fuck, weren’t you, Cara? But me?” He sighs while running a hand through his dark hair. “I can give you the world. I can make youfeelthings you’d never felt with anyone else. Isn’t that what youwant?”
“How would you know whatIwant?” I question between shallow breaths, still stalling. “I don’t understand why you thought killing Jonah would make me wantyou. This,” I point to Jonah beside me, “is not what I wanted. You can’t go around mutilating and murdering people because they touch whatyou want. I’m not yours.”
There’s zero hesitation in his voice as he plants his foot on the bottom step. “You said it yourself when my cock was buried deep in your cunt. Youaremine. Every fucking inch of you belongs to me, and I’m going to spend every day reminding you who you belong to.”
I shake my head, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. “No,” I whimper, my voice barely above a whisper.
Rhett climbs another step, and I watch his eyes darken even as the porch lights begin to illuminate his face. He’s not going to let me go. I thought I was home free and would wake up tomorrow feeling like this was nothing more than a fever dream, but as the seconds pass, it’s looking more and more like that’s not going to happen. This is a nightmare I’m not going to wake up from.
This is my reality.
Without him noticing, I twist my arm behind my back, reaching for the door knob, jiggling it with my fingers. A small puff of air slips through my lips when I find it locked. Iknewit was locked, but a small part of me hoped that by some fucking miracle I had forgotten to lock it when I left.
I need to buy myself time. He’s mentally unstable and I need to use it to my advantage if I want a sliver of a chance to get away. If I can get my keys and unlock the door quickly enough, I can get inside and call the police. They’ll at least be on their way even if he gets inside, and there’s a slim chance that they’ll get here before he can do any real damage.
“Jonah didn’t deserve what you did to him,” I say flatly.
Rhett perks up, anger immediately filling his body. “Didn’t he? He used your body and then shoved your head under water until you almost drowned. He’s auser, Cara. How do you not see that?”
I scoff, rolling my eyes and shifting my weight between my legs.
