He glared hard in their direction, his gaze locked on Noah. I wasn’t up for another fight tonight myself. It was unlikely that they would do anything here in front of all these people.
“Go hard,” I said. “I’m sure Casper will back you up. I’m out though. I’ve taken enough punches for one night. Besides, I don’t think they’ll try anything. Not tonight.”
Casper shrugged, like he was good with it either way. Dom seemed to have enough seething hatred for all of us.
“I don’t trust them.” He sucked hard on a cigarette, his gaze never wavering. “We should find Rebel.”
I didn’t trust them either, but until they made a move, I had more important concerns. “Rebel is in the woods, probablybanging his fiancée. Maybe you should do the same, Dom. Find someone to hook up with and relax a little.”
He muttered something about beating some ass. Dominik didn’t get around as much as Auryn and I did. He and Casper had always been a little more picky when it came to women. Being a manwhore wasn’t for everyone. I respected that.
Drinking and smoking, I stared across the graveyard at Codie. Feeling my gaze upon her, she met my eyes. Something passed between us. She’d watched me shoot down the cheerleader. I hoped she knew what that meant. I wanted her. I would soon have her.
And she would never fucking forget it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CODIE
I got the feeling that Stray was messing with me. Since the party a few nights ago, I’d barely seen him. Once we passed on campus and he’d simply given me this look that I couldn’t understand. Kind of a cocky smirk. If he’d been following me, he’d done a good job of staying out of sight.
The party had left me more confused than I’d already been. I had been trying to get a reaction from him by flirting with Danny. Having the two of them fight had not been my intention though. Stray didn’t believe that.
Seeing the damage done to his face had left me guilty and confused. Why would he do something like that? Getting into a fight because some guy tried to kiss me? That’s the kind of thing a boyfriend would do. Stray wasn’t my boyfriend. He was my blackmailer.
Several times I’d caught myself wanting to reach out to him. To send a text or something. I knew I could get his number through Storm from Rebel. Every time I started to message her, I deleted the text before I could send it.
Stray keeping his distance was something I should want. Maybe he’d changed his mind about me and forgotten the entire thing. Maybe it was over now.
I didn’t want that though. There was a deep sense of dissatisfaction at the thought of him quitting now. Even though it would be for the best, the dark part of me that enjoyed the danger didn’t want him to stop.
After supper I did my best to focus on some schoolwork. Athena had gone to her bedroom to work on an important essay. I sat with my laptop on the couch, a true crime documentary playing quietly on the TV. Unable to sit still, I set my laptop aside and paced around the apartment. Every now and then I would glance out the window looking for any sign of Stray or his Mustang. Nothing.
I rubbed both hands along my forehead and down my face, sighing. There was no relaxing. I couldn’t shake the growing need to do something. To make this restlessness stop.
Forgetting about my schoolwork, I tied my hair up in a ponytail and changed into some cute pink sweatpants and a white tank top. Going for a run might help clear my head. There were plenty of great walking and running paths around town. The paths wound through residential neighborhoods and parks. They all connected along the way.
A year or so ago, a few women had been attacked on the paths by a man who’d never been caught. There hadn’t been an incident recently, although most women still ran in pairs. Going out alone was probably safe. I still brought my pepper spray in case.
The sun was setting earlier now. A faint glow lit up the sky. That would soon disappear. With my phone and pepper spray shoved into my pockets, I left the building, headed for the closest path a few blocks away.
No sign of Stray anywhere. Either he had gotten really good at this stalking thing or he’d given up. I hated the disappointment that crushed me at the thought of him not bothering anymore. What was wrong with me?
A lot apparently, since I headed right for the path where the women had been attacked. I probably needed some serious therapy to figure out why I was like this. At the very least, a good run should help purge some of this pent-up energy and help me sleep tonight.
I started out behind a residential area with backyards that looked onto the path. Eventually, it would lead me into one of the parks. A heavily treed area with picnic tables and a pond with a fountain in the middle. Sometimes I went there to decompress and have some quiet time with myself. It was one of my favorite places in town.
Once I got running, my blood pumping and legs moving, I began to feel better. I didn’t need Stray or anyone else. If anything, having him around would do more harm than good for my mental state. I would find other ways to purge the restless energy and feed my addiction. Maybe I would take up bungee jumping or skydiving. Those were dangerous ways to get a rush.
As I drew closer to the park, I started to get that feeling again. That sensation of being watched. A wicked thrill shot through me. Was it Stray? Out here it might be anybody. It may have been some guy watching from his backyard for all I knew.
The park was empty. On a random September weeknight there weren’t many people out and about. I ran past the cluster of picnic tables and around the decorative gazebo toward the pond. The path circled the pond, eventually leading back to the gazebo. The trees surrounding the pond were thick. My friends and I used to sneak off into the bush to smoke weed when we were teenagers.
I rounded the pond so I was on the opposite side from the gazebo when there was a noise in the trees next to me. Suddenly grabbed from behind, I started to panic until strong arms slid around me, pulling me against a hard body. I knew that embrace.
Stray pinned me tight against him, covering my mouth with one hand. Cold metal pressed against my temple. It took a moment for me to accept that he held a gun to my head. What the fuck?
“Don’t fucking scream,” he hissed in my ear. “Don’t even think about using that pepper spray.”
