“Jimmy,” he says, forcing my chin lower.
“You killed Jimmy?” The words scrape out of my throat.
“Y-yes.” He sniffs my hair. The knife slides up to my neck, guiding me backward. “Hap-p-py birthd-d-day.”
I swallow.
I met Jimmy yesterday. My mind stumbles over the timing, the coincidence, the way this moment feels planned long before I ever came back home.
“Let me go.” I shove in his arms.
He tightens his grip and steers me into the living room.
It’s so dark. I can barely see the furniture, but I can feel him behind me. His breath never leaves my skin.
He forces me down onto the sofa and climbs over me. He pins my wrists above my head and slides up my sweater over my face, blinding me.
“Fuck you,” I shout. My legs kick, searching for space, but I just kick the empty air.
He presses closer. My pulse is rising and I hear it in my ears. I can’t see anything, just the edge of the knife as he presses it down to my skin.
“Kill me,” I shout, “do it already.”
I feel his breath trace slowly down my skin, then his gloved fingers close around my breasts, cupping them in his palm. He drags me closer, his mouth sealing around my nipple. His teeth graze it before he lets go, leaving a sharp, burning pulse on my hard nipple.
“You will fucking pay for this, asshole.” I try to move, to squirm out from under him, but my body betrays me. It leans into his touch, heat pooling low, forming goosebumps on my skin. And I hate myself for the way I respond.
The knife handle glides down my breasts, over my stomach, then lower, to my soaked pussy. He presses the blunt tip to my inner flesh, nudging inside just enough to steal my breath beforepulling it back out like he was checking how far he can go with me.
He laughs and steps away. He says nothing.
“Fuck you,” I shout as I yank the sweater off my head. But he is already gone.
My head tilts towards the entrance as I hear the splash near the pool.
I drag the sweater down and run towards it. The water is already still when I reach it. The pool lights turn on, and the water’s reflection appears on the windows, cutting the dark from outside.
Hands slam into my back.
And I slip into the cold water that swallows me.
My mouth fills as I gasp. The sweater tangles around my face. I claw at it and kick, searching for the surface, but I can’t find it. The world turns into pressure, muffled sound, and the pounding of my own heart.
He plunges in after me.
He rips the sweater away, leaving me naked. His strong hands lock around me and haul me up. He spins me, keeping his face so I can’t see him. But not fast enough. I catch a glimpse of dark hair and wings tattooed into his neck.
I shove him under the water, my foot slamming into his chest, pushing him further down. I lunge for the edge, arms burning as I swim.
He stands. The pool is shallow enough for him.
He gets me before I can climb out.
“I’ll call the cops,” I shout, coughing up water.
He doesn’t react.
He slams me into the edge of the pool and lifts me just enough for my hands to scrape tile. I drag myself forward until my chest is on the cold marble floor.
