A familiar silhouette stands near the pool. Our eyes lock with one another. Edge dangles the string of his mask from his fingers as he watches me go into the maze. His glare is as dangerous and dark as the storm at the beach a couple of weeks ago, those dark clouds threatening to overtake my blue sky. A small red bead of light ignites as he inhales from a joint. Smoke seeps out between those perfect lips like a thick layer of fog rising into the night air. For some unknown and incomprehensible reason, knowing that he’s watching me and who I’m with brings a sliver of comfort.
As we near the maze, distant laughs and screams come from somewhere within. It’s exciting and creepy.
“Ready?” he asks. The smile on his face is cunning instead of his usual innocent boyish one. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”
I follow his lead as we head into the maze. We twist and turn through the narrow path, hitting a dead end, then laugh as we maneuver back the way we came. The farther into the maze we go, the darker it gets. Something isn’t right about this. Uneasiness begins to spread through me. The creepy sensation prickles at the base of my neck, slithering down my spine. I have to stay on the balls of my feet to avoid my heels from sinking into the dirt.
Josh suddenly stops. I bump into his back. Abruptly, he whips around to face me. Our mouths are mere inches apart. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you what you want. You’ve been playing with me since you started school. Flirting with me, playing hard to get like the cockteaser you are.”
And here we are, folks, introducing therealJosh Carter.
All of the distant giggles and teasing have ceased. Only the music from the house can be heard.
He grabs hold of me, wrenching me flush against him.
I try to give him fair warning. “You don’t want to do this.”
“Yes, I fucking do. You think you’re all mysterious and quiet, but I know your type. You can’t wait for a guy like me to take control and fuck you senseless.”
I push him back, but he barely moves. I warn him again before I let loose. “Josh, you don’t want to do this. From what I’ve heard, you’ve already gotten into trouble for pulling this. Didn’t a girl die or something?”
“I didn’t fucking kill her. I was just the one who gave her what she asked for, then she decided it was a mistake or some bullshit.”
There it is, his disgusting and sardonic confession.
“I was hoping those rumors about you were lies. I trusted you,” I plead as I gag on my own words. “I don’t want you to hurt me.”
He holds me close as I pretend to put up a fight by twisting back and forth. Luca’s warning about not smearing my makeup pops into my head. Granted, it comes at a very inopportune time. But there it is nonetheless. My best friend is going to kill me. He wanted me to get laid, not get into a fight.
“Trust me, it won’t hurt a bit,” Josh purrs.
I go completely still. He relaxes a fraction, believing I’ve caved and he’s won the right to rape me.
Time’s up.
“Well, I can’t promise the same,” I growl as I grab his arm from behind my waist, pulling it hard as I spin away from himand slip around to his back. When I yank his arm behind him, he howls in pain. He ducks under, out of my grasp. I lose my footing and stumble back.Fucking heels!I’m going to kill Luca later for making me wear them instead of my boots.
I lightly punch him in the chest. My way of letting him think he has the upper hand. We’re face to face when he comes at me again.
“Come on, baby. That’s right. Give me a little fight to keep it interesting.”
“You seriously need help.” I thrust my hand up into his nose. Not hard enough to kill him, but enough pressure to cause blood to gush out.
He touches his nose. Blood coats his fingers. “You bitch!”
“Yeah, I’ve been called that before by assholes like you.” I kick out my leg and catch the back of his. He goes down on his knees. Before he has a chance to get to his feet, I serve a kick to the side of his head. The short front of the dress makes the maneuver easier than I imagined. He falls onto his stomach. I manage to stay on my feet. The spikes of my heels sink into the soft dirt, grounding me in place.Maybe not kill Luca, just wound him a little.
Josh flounders a bit as he tries to get to his feet again. I round on him, then shove at his back before he can stand. Bending down, I grasp him around his neck in a chokehold that only those who have had training could get out of. From the way his body is starting to go limp from lack of oxygen, it’s easy to guess that he’s not one of them.
I loosen my hold so he doesn’t lose consciousness. “Looks like you fucked with the wrong girl this time, huh?”
“You cunt!”
I tsk. “Is that all you got?” Without tightening my hold, I jerk his head back farther. He grunts in pain. The blood from his nose smears the bottom half of his face and drips onto my arm.Uselessly, he uses both hands to pry my arm away from his neck. “Josh, listen very carefully. You will turn yourself in, or I will do it for you. I have the means and the connections to make your life a living hell. So, you will admit to raping Abigail Kade and anyone else you raped. Then, when your ass is in prison, you’ll get yours. Just like you deserve.”
“No fucking way. I didn’t do shit.”
