She sighs and steers to the right, parking in the driveway of a nearby house.
I lean back and pat the seat behind me.
She takes one step toward the bike. Then she breaks, sprinting for the beach.
I blow out a breath, kick my stand down, and chase her.
Fuck.
Sand sprays under her shoes as I catch up. I grab her hand and pull her back, flipping her visor up.
“No,” I say.
I scoop her up before she can argue and carry her toward the bike.
“You can’t have me. I will never be yours,” she shouts.
I smack her ass twice, then nod.
My little sister doesn’t know she’s already mine.
EIGHTEEN
RUIN
My eyes open.
My wrists are chained above my head. My arms stretch until my shoulders turn numb, my body hanging just low enough that my toes barely brush the floor. The chains creak when I shift, and I can’t see anything.
There is a faint light above me, not enough to show walls or corners, only a dull glow that leaves everything else swallowed by darkness. The last thing I remember is racing and losing.
Brilliant idea,1loca,I tell myself.
I lift my head.
Two white shapes, in the form of an X, float in the dark. Two glowing eyes are watching me.
I squint. My body moves, chains rattling as I try to pull free, but only the metal bites into my wrists.
He moves.
I hear him before I see him, his slow steps circling me. He is holding a knife, twisting it in his hands. He walks around me like I am something caught in a trap, like I walked straight into his hands.
The tip of the blade brushes my ribs. I flinch, breath hitching in my throat.
I’m still wearing the red dress Ella borrowed for me so we could match the costumes of two littleRed Riding Hoodsfor the night. I never thought I would get caught by the big bad wolf. Ever since Judas died, we have been close. Turns out she was not that bad. She just wanted his attention.
“Fuck off, you psycho,” I snap, shaking as I kick at him. My foot slices through empty air. “You might have won, but you can’t keep me here forever.”
He laughs.
He grabs my chains and spins me to face him. The LED Xs of the glowing mask are burning into my eyes.
His fingers drag down my throat, then slide over my breasts. He lifts the dress a little and slices through it. Just enough so he can rip it apart and let the pieces fall to the floor, leaving me in nothing but red lace.
He grips my chin and yanks my face toward the mask.
“Is that what you do?” I laugh and spit on the glowing plastic. “Hide behind masks because you are too fucking ugly to show your real face.”
