Page 23 of A Tangled Web
It wasn’t Liam. She knew because the figure did nothing to ease the growing foreboding inside her. “Who are you?”
The shadow moved closer, becoming more familiar, and she realized she couldn’t move. Her feet were stuck to the ground. Part of it. She wouldn’t be able to escape him this time.
“No.”
A glint of silver flashed in the moonlight and he came out of the darkness with the knife in his hand and a cruel, familiar smile on his lips. “Sal.”
“You’ve been waiting for me.”
“Yes.” Always.
He got so close she could smell the stale smoke and insanity on his skin. Could see that strange spark that had always been in his eye. She’d thought it was passion the first time they’d met. She’d been so wrong.
“Did you ever think I wouldn’t find you, you ugly bitch?” He said, his voice gentle and his smile frighteningly tender. “No matter where you go or what you call yourself, I’ll never let you go.”
She tried to fight it now. Tried to move. “No.”
“I promised, remember? I wrote it on your skin for everyone to see. For him to see. No one else can have you. As if he could want you anyway, when he can do so much better. You should have stayed with me.”
“Let me go.”
He lifted the knife as stars fell around them and she started to scream—
Dani sat straight up in bed, scrambling back until her body was plastered against the headboard. Alone. She was alone and safe and Sal would never be able to find her. Never be able to hurt her again.
She took a breath, forcing herself to relax even as her head started to throb, reminding her of what happened last night. She’d had too much to drink and acted like a fool with Liam, and her dreams didn’t mean a thing.
It had been a year. Sal hadn’t found her. He’d moved on.
But he was still in her head, still on her skin and a big part of the reason she couldn’t let herself believe that she could have good things. Deserve good things. How could she, when she knew what happened the last time she’d let her guard down?
She was so sick of being scared.
This dream had been different from her previous nightmares of Sal. She hadn’t been revisiting her past. He’d been here. Defiling this place that had saved her. Talking about Liam. That had never happened before.
She had to talk to Kaya. After last night, she needed to make sure this dream was just that and not a warning of what was coming.
***
It was close to nine in the morning when she got to the door of Kaya’s small rental cottage. Dani let out a surprised squeak when it opened before she could knock, and Kaya was there, grabbing her arm and yanking her inside.
“How did you know?” She looked frazzled. Exhausted. Nothing like herself at all.
“Know what?” The only person who’d ever been able to put a dent in Kaya’s calm was Jace, so Dani half expected to find the button-pushing sous chef hovering over her shoulder. “What’s going on?”
Kaya dropped her arm and made a sound of frustration. “Sorry for the manhandling. I had a crazy night and I can’t seem to get my act together this morning.”
“I can relate.”
Kaya’s head tilted, eyes narrowing on Dani’s face. “What happened?”
Good question. She’d spent the morning driving around in her old Crown Victoria—the one she’d insisted on buying because it was in her price range, despite Liam’s concerns about the mileage—trying to figure that out.
She’d left early enough to avoid running into Liam and having to have that conversation. The oh-my-god-did-I-really-get-drunk-and-jerk-you-off conversation. She couldn’t handle it, not so soon after her dream of Sal. Being reminded of the consequences of her last mistake had her doubting herself. Doubting everything.
“I’m a little hungover, but fine,” Dani lied.
“Hungover? How long did that party last after I left?”
