It’s like a shrine.
There are pictures of me everywhere.Everywhere.Posters, magazine covers, printouts of movie stills. Several candid pictures of me, which I’m pretty sure X took himself. They’re pasted all over the wall, overlapping two or three images deep. In one corner of the room is a door leading to a dirty-looking ensuite; in the other, there’s a stained mattress shoved against the walls. A grimy white body pillow is poking out from under the sheets, with a crude naked woman scribbled on it in Sharpie. Judging by the bright yellow hair, I think I can safely assume it’s me. I smother a sob.
There’s a knock on the door behind my head. “Angel,” X calls, and another sob rises up in my chest. “Angel, love, open the door, or I’ll shoot you through it.”
I keep my mouth shut, closing my eyes.
And that’s when I hear it. Sirens.
They’re far, far away in the distance, but they must be for me, right? They have to be. Some of the tension in my chest eases. I take what feels like my first breath in minutes.
My tiny second of rest is interrupted when the door suddenly buckles inwards, breaking the wooden chair into pieces. I scream, scrambling back as X appears in the doorway.
He looks nothing like the mild-mannered, awkward guy I first met. Now, his chest is heaving, his face is flushed red, and my blood is staining the side of his shirt. He looks like a monster. And he really is holding a gun.
I’m so fucked.
I shake off the rising panic. I need a weapon. I look around the room, but there’s nothing. Lunging for the broken chair on the ground, I yank off one of the legs and straighten, wielding the piece of wood like a club as I back up against the wall.
The sirens are louder now. They’re coming for me. I just need to distract X long enough for them to get inside.
“I lied,” I spit. “I am sleeping with Matt.”
He blinks. “What?”
“My bodyguard.” I force myself to smirk. “He didn’t force me at all. In fact, I’m sleeping withall threeof my bodyguards. They’re great in bed. Massive dicks.”
Maybe it’s not the smartest move to antagonise him, but right now, I just want to keep him talking.
X’s face twists into a snarl. “You Goddamnwhore!” He shouts.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure it looks that way to someone who can’t get any action.”
“Why? Why? What the Hell do they have that I don’t?” He runs a hand through his hair, tugging hard. “You’ll open your legs for any goddamn idiot, just because he’shandsome,but not for me? I worked for this! I’msmart! I’m a nice guy!”
“Yeah?” I pant. “Well, I guess I’m not a very nice girl, then.”
He points the gun at me and pulls the trigger. I scream and duck as a bullet shoots towards me, smashing into the wall over my head. “Youcoward,” I scream. “You want to fight me, fight mefair!”
“I don’t want to fight you, you stupid woman.” He lunges at me, pressing me up against the wall. I struggle against his heavy weight, then freeze when I feel the barrel of the gun pressing into my thigh.
“Wh-what do you want, then?” I choke.
He grabs my face and forces it closer to his. We’re practically nose to nose. His muddy eyes blaze. “Tohaveyou.” He hisses. “I want you to bemine.And if you’re not going to play nice, that’s okay.” I try to shove out of his arms, but he’s too strong. He tugs me back. His hot breath strokes the side of my face. “We can die together,” he whispers. “We’ll live together forever in Hell.”
I close my eyes. The sound of the sirens is much louder now. Maybe I’m hallucinating, but I swear I can hear shouts coming from outside the house. Whatever sound insulation X is using, it’s pretty shit quality.
“They’ll come for me,” I say, gasping. “You hear that? They’re coming now.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah. I figured. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them.”
I frown, but before I can ask what he means, an explosion shakes through the ground, trembling the floor under my feet. Dust rains down from the ceiling, and I twist, looking for the source of the blast. Ice slides down my spine when I realise the sound came from outside. “What was that?”
“What? You really think I left this place unprotected?” He tightens his grip on my jaw, his dirty fingernails digging into my throat. “I knew people would come looking for you. I couldn’t let that happen.”
My eyes widen. “What do you mean?” I whisper.
“I planted explosives around the house. Sounds like one of your friends just stepped in one.”
