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“Good dog. You wanta treat, buddy?” a deep voice whispered to the vicious dog blockinghis advance.
I inhaled sharply asI recognized the voice that had haunted my dreams for years. Inumbly brought the candleholder down from above my head as Istepped forward.
He was crouchedover, talking to the dog but he looked exactly like he did in mynight terror. If it had been a night terror at all. He didn’tnotice me right away as he continued to talk to Boone as if the dogwould let him pass.
When he finallylooked up from the snarling beast, we made eye contact. He grinnedup at me as he straightened and I was thrust back in time. I suckedin a shaky breath. I smelled musty sheets and vanilla as if I wasstill trapped in that room. I felt my eyes start to burn and mythroat start to clog as I choked.
“Jason.”
ChapterTwenty-Seven
“Hey, beautiful.”Jason’s voice sounded so loud in my ears. He stood up to his fullheight now and looked just as he had in my dream. Only, I waspretty sure at this point it hadn’t been a dream.
He was still just asimposing as ever as he stood in my kitchen. His blond hair wasshaggier and his blue eyes just as bright. The differences betweennow and then were subtle. Like the way his eyes creased at thecorners, they hadn’t done that sixteen years ago. Or the way hisskin looked as if time on the inside had made his elasticity lessoperable. He looked bigger too, more muscular. I would assume beingin prison so long would’ve given him plenty of time to bulk up. Iglanced down to his feet and saw a small puddle of blood thatseemed to trickle out from his pant leg. I furrowed my brows beforelooking away.
The way he stoodthere and glared at me had my heart rate tripling in beats.Although he may look slightly different, prison couldn’t change theway he leered at me. It was obvious he had a vendetta against meand he meant to take care of that now.
I should have turnedaround and run the moment I figured out he was in the house. Ikicked myself for not grabbing my phone before I came exploring thenoise I’d heard. Now, no matter how hard I told myself to backaway, my feet wouldn’t work.
I looked down at thedog still snarling at Jason and knew without a doubt that hewouldn’t let Jason get anywhere near me. But, I was still frozen. Iopened my mouth to speak but all that came out was a choking sound.Jason grinned at that, like he found my inability to talkfunny.
Get a goddamngrip, Brookes, I scolded myself.
“What are you doinghere, Jason?” I finally managed in a shaky voice.
Jason walked over tothe opposite end of the room, trailing blood as he went, and leanedagainst my stove. When he faced me again he looked cool as acucumber. Like invading someone’s home was just another mundanething on his to-do list. When he smiled at me again, I wasimmediately sucked back in time to that party.
“I’m here for you,Jill,” he said calmly as he continued to leer at my body inappreciative glances.
I was suddenly alltoo aware of the fact that I was still in just my bathrobe. I feltthe need to wrap the material further around my body but I mademyself hold still. He smirked as though he knew my thoughts and Ifelt a flare of anger.
“How did you evenfind me?” I fumed.
He tilted his headback and laughed. His boom of sudden laughter made me jump where Istood and Boone took a tentative step toward him, lowering his headand still baring his teeth. If I hadn’t been so petrified by fear,I would have smirked at the way Jason immediately stopped laughingwhen he saw the dog’s advance.
He scowled down atthe canine before answering me.
“BrookesPublishing… That’s real original, Jill. You act surprised.” Hepaused. “Like I wouldn’t come looking for you in the end. What? Didyou think I would just let you get away with what you did?” hesneered.
I scoffed in outrageas I widened my stance, becoming more and more pissed off and lessscared. He wasn’t the boogeyman. Jason was just a man and nothingmore. And I had never cowered in front of a man. I didn’t plan onstarting now.
“What I did? Youmean whatyoudid. You raped me, Jason,” I said,surprisingly calm.
Jason’s facereddened and he took two big strides in my direction, pointing hisfinger at me. Boone snarled loudly and lunged for his ankles. Hehad enough common sense to jump away from the dog, but kept hishatred for me locked in his eyes.
“I did not rapeyou!” he shouted at me and I hated that I flinched. He looked likea madman standing there. His face was crimson and his muscles wereprimed for a fight. I’m pretty sure if he could get to me he wouldhave strangled me at that moment.
I laughed but therewas no joy in the cold sound. “Wow, after all these years, youstill can’t own up to the fact that you raped me?” He looked awayfrom me for the first time and I stepped forward. “You put a drugin my drink, Jason. You forced me up those stairs to your room.”Another step. “You held me down and fucked me without my consent.”Another step, now I stood right behind Boone in the full light ofthe kitchen. “I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, butwhen a girl says stop and you don’t, that’s rape.” My chest heavedand my eyes watered as I stared at him. “You took something from methat night. I didn’t ask for any of it.You raped me!” Iscreamed so loud my throat protested.
“What was I supposedto do, Jill? I wanted you so bad and you didn’t want anything to dowith me,” he whined. He almost acted like he was the victim and itmade me sick. “You flaunted yourself in front of me, you teased me.I knew you wanted me but you just wouldn’t admit it. I had to makeyou see that you wanted it. You gave me no other choice,beautiful.” He cooed at me.
I was nauseous whenhe finished. Did he really think his actions were justified? Inever once flaunted or teased him. Even if I had, that didn’t givehim the right to take what he wanted from me.
“You’re a fuckingpsycho,” I whispered.
“I’m not crazy!” Heshook with rage. His reaction made me wonder how many times he hadbeen called that.
I realized I wasstill holding the candleholder as I crossed my arms over my body. Ineeded to de-escalate this situation before he fully snapped. Damonwould be back soon and I would let him take care of this crazyfucker. I just had to keep Jason preoccupied in the meantime.
