Today.
No fear. No hesitation. I’ll look into those icy, dangerous eyes of his and say it out loud. And then maybe, just maybe, the ache in my chest will stop gnawing at me. There might not be a future for us, but I’m content with the knowledge that we love each other. That’s enough.It has to be.
I step out of my apartment, my bag slung over my shoulder, and head toward the bus stop. The early morning air is cold and damp, clinging to my skin like something alive. And then, halfway down the block, it hits me. That feeling. The one I know too well…
The creeping chill at the back of my neck. The pressure of being watched. Followed.
I keep walking. Steady steps. Eyes forward. But my skin is crawling, and my palms are already slick with sweat. I glance over my shoulder—casual, like I’m just checking the street.
No one.
I’m still not over the fact that Pete found me so easily, that’s all.
The thought of my stepfather causes my chest to tighten painfully. I’ve realized that I never really knew him. He was just a shadow in a not-so-distant, not-so-happy past. I had so much going on that I never really got the opportunity to bond with him. After Mom got sick, it was a losing battle.
As much as Pete’s visit the other day brought some kind of nostalgia, I can’t imagine going back to that life, that house…
That’s a place and time that I’d rather didn’t exist.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to relax. Maybe it’s high time I stopped letting Daryl have so much power over me. What’s theworst that could happen? I can’t be scared of shadows for the rest of my life.
But maybe that resolution comes too soon. I hear his voice from the shadows. The familiar, chilling voice that’s jerked me out of sleep countless times.
“Well, well. If it isn’t my little sister.”
My breath catches. My heart stops, picking up again at an impossibly fast pace.
No.
Daryl steps out from between two dumpsters like he owns the damn world. Same crooked smile. Same eyes that never held any warmth. His clothes are cleaner than I expected, but his soul’s still filthy. I can see it in his empty gray eyes, so similar yet so different from Pete’s.
“What do you want?” I ask, forcing myself to stay calm.
Breathe, Eleanor. Breathe.
His grin widens. “Heard you’ve been playing nurse with a prisoner. That true?”
I swallow hard, fists curling at my sides.
He knows about Ronan? How long has he been watching me?
“You’ve got some nerve coming out here—”
“Oh, I’ve got nerve?” he interrupts, chuckling drily. “You’re the one spreading your legs for a murderer.”
I flinch.
And I hate that I do.
“You don’t know anything about him,” I snap, glaring at him. “You never cared about anyone in your life, so I don’t expect you to understand.”
“He’s dangerous, Ellie.”
I laugh. “That’s rich coming from you, Daryl. What do you want from me?”
His jaw ticks, something sharp flashing in his eyes. “Come back home, Ellie.”
“No.”
