Page 153 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)
I suck in a breath. “What?”
“I gave her parents a week. It was more than enough time—but they’re trying to call my bluff. They want me to get caught. Me,” he roars. “They think I’m an idiot. But no one in this fucking town caught on until Natalie Eldridge went missing.” He knocks over one of the other chairs, kicking it against the wall.
We both cower back.
“He’s going to kill me,” she whispers. “You have to run.”
I shake my head, not daring to look at her.
The detective has gone mad, lashing out at the stupid chair.
“I’m not leaving you,” I say, barely audible.
Her finger taps on my thigh. “I’m in no condition to run. Just let me do this for you.”
I stare at her, then dip my head.
“Detective,” I call.
He wheels around.
“They would pay. They might just think you’re not serious.” I hold my breath and hope he takes my bait. It isn’t even bait, it’s just a single thread of hope that I pitch myself toward.
“Do you have a suggestion?” He caresses the hilt of the knife. “Something to save your dear roommate?”
“A photo,” I say. “Of her—”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Jim,” I try.
He stalks forward and shoves me backward, his hand driving into the center of my chest. I scrabble at his hand, his wrist, but his grip is unrelenting.
“You were the one I tried to take,” he admits. “I would’ve recognized you if you hadn’t dyed your fucking hair gray. Or put this stupid thing in your nose—” He grabs my septum piercing and yanks.
It gives way with a pop that seems to echo inside my head. Hot liquid gushes down, into my mouth and over his hands. Pain follows a second later. Tears flood my eyes, spilling down my cheeks.
Fuck, that hurts.
His words hit a second later: he mistook Jasmine for me. Then Amber and Natalie. Each girl brought him closer to me. And finally, my roommate.
Until he found me with Liam in the diner, he probably assumed I looked the same. Blonde hair, blue eyes, Ashburn student.
“You changed yourself so much,” he growls. “I had a plan. You had your trust fund. Your parents would’ve given it to me, easy, but no.”
“That was your mistake,” I wheeze. The blood on my lips tastes sharp. Of death.
He grimaces. “I could end your life right now.”
“Me dead doesn’t get you anything,” I say.
His grip slackens, and I grin at him. I’m sure my teeth are red. I probably seem crazy. I feel crazy. The pain in my nose is bright, pulsing, and I lift my sleeve to staunch it. He stares at the piece of jewelry in his hand and then throws it.
“And Jasmine?” I ask. “You would’ve known I hadn’t even moved to Boston for the school year at that point.”
He grins. “Ah, Jasmine. Her parents actually paid, do you know that? Being international, it was a bit of a tricky situation. But they weren’t there to collect their daughter… and I needed the practice.”
A chill goes through me.