And no matter how tight I squeeze my eyes shut, I can’t shake the terrifying truth—I want him to come crashing through the door after me, screaming like a banshee. Lost in a primal lust.
So that there’s no more pretending that I don’t ache for the predator already feasting on my core, resembling the pain of a festering abscess.
His voice preaches in my eardrums.
Lover Boy, I’ve come to take what’s mine, every ounce of your flesh.Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it soon enough.
Chapter 11
Austin
I’mleftwithnochoice. I must leave. If I stay in this house another night, I’ll suffocate. I can’t go to Charlie’s either, Drew would know, that would be too predictable. He’ll show up at the worst possible hour, taunting me with that grin, pushing me to the brink of catastrophe. He’ll track me down no matter where I go in this metropolis.
So, I do the only thing I can think of: I pack a bag.
Only the essentials. A couple of changes clothes, my old boots, the tent I swore I’d never touch again after last summer’s miserable attempt at Yellowstone. Fire starter, a water filter, enough ready-to-eat food to get me through a week if I ration. I can’t forget my sleeping bag or my winter coat; it gets chilly up north— especially near the water.
I leave my phone face down on the counter, dark as night. Drew doesn’t get to track me this time. I’m not handing him breadcrumbs, if he finds me, it’s going to be the old-fashioned way.
Shit, I should let Charlie know that I’m heading out of town. It would be cruel to vanish without a word; he’ll have a heart attack stemming from worry.
Me:Hey Charlie, heading out of town for a few days. I won’t have any service. See you when I get back. Love you, Aust. Please don’t worry. Everything is fine, I just need some space for my head.
I turn off my phone immediately; I can’t get suckered into his response. He’ll call me and beg me to stay, but I need complete silence, just the birds chirping in the woods, the crash of the waves against the shore, the breeze sliding through the coniferous pines. No Evans twin in a hundred mile radius.
I meander to the garage, a vast selection of imports to choose from. I play it like the lottery, snatching up a key at random. The beamer SUV, white andposhas Charlie would say. My heart is racing a gazillion miles per hour, respirations definitely above twenty per minute as I take in the scent of the fresh leather. With only eighty miles on the odometer, this baby isn’t broken in yet. That’s alright we’ll put a few hundred miles on these tires.
I roll toward the side driveway, headlights dark, slipping out beneath the cloak of night like a burglar in my own house. If Drew’s out front, crouched in his Rover, he won’t catch me this way. At least, that’s the lie I cling to.
In my head, I can already see him—lounging behind tinted glass, his vapor curling in the Rover, eyes honed sharp as a hawk’s. Patient and relentless. Waiting for me to break cover. The second I do, he’d strike. Talons out, swooping down to snatch me like I’m nothing more than a chipmunk stuffing my cheeks full of acorns, oblivious to the shadow falling overhead.
Once he catches me, he won’t lovingly stroll me back to his bed. He’ll toy with me, draw out the reward of finally claiming his prize,savor the panic flooding my pupils, the quiver of my legs before the inevitable.
I hit the ignition, the engine purring to life like a lion’s glorious roar. Then I’m rolling into the stormy darkness, tires hissing against wet asphalt. Each mile a flimsy barrier between me and the villain who could destroy my golden boy—leave him in shambles—if he ever uncovered what is unraveling between us. My eyes dart to the mirror, unable to believe he isn't on my tail.
I’ve tried to forget about Drew Evans, the viper. Trust me, he’s devilishly sexy yet putrid. Not to mention he’s ridiculously persistent, a thorn that refuses to be crushed. Poison ivy overwhelming a weathered brick wall, wrapping tighter and tighter until the mortar cracks. That’s what I fear most—that I’ll be the wall, buckling piece by piece under his poison, until all that’s left is the rubble at his feet. His prize, worn apart from his pursuit. I’ll have no choice, but to say yes, beg him for his mercy.
For Christ's sake, he followed me to my father’s on a whim, acting all nonchalant while he waits to stalk me the moment I venture out.
Following the GPS, I make my way north, toward the Boundary Waters. My headlights are the only ones on the road during this untimely downpour. I’m constantly looking back to check for Drew’s Rover. With no sight of him for the first few miles, I continue driving away from home, away from Charlie. Away from Drew’s grim shadow soaking into my head, a phantom that’ll chase me through a blizzard or a hurricane. Nothing would stop this psychopath.
Maybe if I disappear into the woods, he’ll lose his fixation. Find some other prey to stalk. God knows there’s no shortage betweenMinneapolis and St. Paul. So many bodies aching for the thrill of his attention, eager to be hunted like bucks in open season.
But I never asked for it. Never wanted his shadow crawling over me. I’m not a deer waiting to be tracked, not a rack of antlers to be mounted and displayed. I refuse to be his trophy.
The SUV accelerates as I gun it and grip the wheel tightly, my pulse thrumming in my ears, refusing to trust the empty stretch of pavement behind me. Because deep down, I don’t believe it. Drew doesn’t move on. He doesn’t let go.
And the question that chills me most isn’t whether he will follow.
It’s how soon before he finds me.
Chapter 12
Charlie
Hmmm.ALumberjackbreakfastplatter or avocado toast? That’s the monumental choice in front of me, as if eggs and bacon could distract me from the bigger storm brewing in my head. Why the hell would Austin just up and leave town? No warning or conversation. Just a text saying he’d be gone for a few days, no service,love you.
He wouldn’t skip practice without good reason. Not Austin. He’s too bloody determined to prove himself, to shed the shadow of being “Coach Schmidt’s son.” Yet here I am, at this table, staring at a menu while the lad might be splitting his chances of staying on the roster. These are the kinds of shenanigans that get a rookie axed.
