Page 192

I never saw the punch coming. Her fist slams into my ribs, pain exploding through my side, knocking the air out of my lungs. The bottle slips from my fingers and hits the ground, rum glugging into the dead grass as I stumble sideways and clutch my ribs.

When I look up, Delaney is smiling down at me.

“I’ve never needed rumors or mind games to get my point across.” She flexes her fingers. “You’re about to realize why.”

Then she grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks hard, dragging me away from the party, deeper into the woods. Out here, the music is loud enough to mask my screams, and everyone is far too distracted to notice. My scalp burns as she pulls me along.

Maybe it’s the rum. Maybe it’s the punch to my ribs. Maybe I’m just so fucking furious that my brain takes a second too long to catch up with what’s happening.

However, the pain finally cuts through the haze and wakes me the fuck up.

Before Delaney can drag me further, I bring my heel down hard on her foot and drive my elbow backward into her stomach.

She grunts and releases me. I stagger forward, twisting around to face her.

She straightens slowly, then laughs. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” She pushes her hair out of her face. “I figured you’d just lie down and take it.”

“Fuck you, Delaney.”

The rum buzzing through my veins has stripped away whatever common sense I had left.

“You want me?” I spread my arms. “Come and fucking get me.”

Delaney charges at me like a bull, but I sidestep at the last second and drive my foot into her back. She stumbles forward with a curse.

I don’t give her time to recover. I kick the back of her knee, her leg buckling, sending her crashing down.

If she thinks I’m still the same scared teenager she once ambushed in these woods, she’s about to find out just how wrong she is.

This time, I’m going to make damn sure she’s the one kept on her knees.

I seize her by the hair and wrench her head back until she’s looking up at me.

“You think you can scare me?” I laugh against her ear. “You think a little punch and some hair pulling can fucking scare me?”

I tighten my grip on her hair.

“You don’t know what fear is.”

I shove her forward, sending her sprawling onto the ground. She twists around, her wild eyes glaring at me over her shoulder.

Then something off to my right catches my attention. A decorative pitchfork leans against a tree trunk, half-hidden in shadow.

I walk over and pick it up.

“Come on, Delaney.” I curl both hands around the wooden shaft. “If you really think I’m the one murdering all your friends, then I’m sure you know what happens next.”

Her gaze drops to the pitchfork.

For the first time in my life, I see genuine fear in Delaney Merrill’s eyes.

I should be enjoying it more than I am.

“You fucking crazy bitch!” she screams, scrambling backward. “I knew it was you!”

“I’m the crazy bitch?” A laugh tears out of me. “You were so fucking sure I’m the one picking off your friends, and you still thought dragging me somewhere without witnesses was a good idea?”

“I’ll scream!”