Page 90 of Carte

I frowned,” What the fuck are you doing here, Jude?”

He didn’t answer my question. “I told you she’s not safe. I warned you. And you did nothing.”

“Jude,” I raised my arms in a useless attempt to calm the man down. “I’m doing everything I can. You see her up on that stage, she’s safe.”

“No, she’s not.” He shook his head forcefully. A move that had mania written all over it. His eyes twitched and he shifted before he leaned towards me. “He’s here. With her. Watching her every move.”

I grabbed Jude by the collar of his shirt, “Who?”

Jude blanched, and his mouth opened and closed. “He watches her, her every move. Hope she will see him. He's a bad man. He isn’t like me, just wanting to be near her. He wants her. He’s selfish, he wants to shut her light. But, I see him. I see because I watch her. I see him.”

He was starting to ramble, his eyes twitch, and his whole body was shaking.

Who the fuck was he talking about? This was beginning to look like a horror movie. Monster after monster coming out of the dark, and they all seemed to have one target, Harley.

Or was Jude so deep into his delusions and he was talking about himself in third person?

I couldn’t be sure.

I needed to get Jude out of here. Needed to lock him up, so at least that threat would be contained.

Frustration bubbled inside me, we were butchering this every step of the way.

Instead of being closer to the threat, with each day we were further and further away. Left in the middle of chaos with not a single clue as to who the real threat was. Left scratching our heads like complete amateurs.

Just then the lights cut off, and Jude tore out of my grip.

I took a step towards the stage, bumping into someone.

After a minute, the power got back, but it was too late.

The center of the stage was empty.

Harley was gone.

And so was Jude Brown.

Chapter Twenty Five

Harley

Carter’s guitar was still slung over my body, its neck biting into my arm as he pulled me down the hallway by my elbow, his nails piercing my skin.

I tried to flag down roadies, tried to signal them with my eyes that something was seriously wrong, I shouldn’t be walking briskly from the stage with this man.

But everyone was freaked out and on edge since the word got out about Cassie and then the power being cut off, no one even looked at us twice. They all thought he was leading me to safety.

They were used to him being with me.

“We’re almost there,” he grumbled looking left and right, that same hard pipe poking at my ribs.

I looked down and saw it was a barrel of a gun.

Cold sweat broke over my skin and my head started spinning.

“You don’t have to do this. Just tell me what you want, and we’ll get it for you, we’ll make it possible.” I pushed through stiff lips.

His palm slapped over the wooden door, his eyes came to me, and he smiled, "Everything I want is right here.” He pushed the door open, and, there’s no other word for it, flung me inside… a bathroom?