When he pulls it off, I scream in horror and run out of the house. He’s right behind me, so close that I can feel the reverberations of his heavy footsteps vibrating through my core.
I start to run towards my bike, but he grabs me and pushes me in the direction of the woods.
What the hell?
I turn around to face him but walk backwards to put as much distance between us as I can.
“You better run, flower,” he growls in warning. “Because there’s no telling how gentle I’ll be when I get my hands on you.”
Despite the fear that’s spread through my body, wetness pools between my legs at his words.
There’s no way I’m getting turned on right now. Not now when I’m covered in bruises and just witnessed something that horrific.
“Run, flower,” the man says again, going to stand on the porch. “I’ll give you a head start.”
I turn and sprint into the darkness of the woods. Warm tears burn my eyes and nausea roils in my stomach at the thought of what the man did to Evan.
I try to push away the sight of his body lying there at the feet of the masked man, try to erase the unnatural angle of his fingers from my memory. But nothing will ever make me forget the sight of his round, dead eyes staring right at me, mouth full of his dismembered penis and severed tongue.
CHAPTER 26
DANTE
I don’t think—Ichase.
I jump off the porch and go after my flower. At barely five feet tall, her little legs won’t be able to outrun me.
When she looks back to see me practically right on her ass, she makes a sharp left, causing me to run right into a thick tree trunk.
I turn around so she won’t see me and take the mask off, using the hem of my shirt to soak up the blood that’s started to pour out of my nose.
Shit, that hurt like a bitch. She’s definitely going to be punished for that, but not right now. Not when my anger is more than I can bear.
She’s slipped right through my grasp, but it’s okay.
Soon, I’ll have her back right where I want her, and this time, she won’t have another chance to escape.
CHAPTER 27
ESSENCE
I don’t knowhow long I run for, but by the time I stop, I'm not sure where I am. I find a bus stop bench and sit down, trying hard to calm my breathing.
When I look behind me, I don’t see the masked man anymore.
“Where the hell am I?” I wonder aloud as I look around this unfamiliar part of town. Across the street, the bright lights of a convenience store are nearly blinding. When I squint my eyes, I realize it’s the same one I went to earlier today.
Yesterday? I don’t even know what time it is right now.
But that means I’m not far from Dante’s house.
I can’t see him right now. I can’t keep weighing him down with my problems. He’s been so patient and loving through it all, and he’s still grieving Leo’s death…
I just want him to hold me, to kiss me and tell me that everything will be okay. But I can’t even remember the way to his house, I’m so out of it right now.
Suddenly, I’m overcome with exhaustion. It’s the kind that settles deep into your bones and makes you completely numb to everything, but I still push myself off the bench and speed-walk across the street.
A part of me hopes to see Walter standing behind the counter, but a young woman, probably about my age, is here instead. She starts to greet me with a smile, but when she sees my disheveled state, she asks, “Are you okay?”
