“Outside.” His normally warm brown eyes looked hard and focused as they stared at the cup in her hands like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
“I’m going to go check on them.” She set down her mug on the table next to her. “Are they out front or back?” she asked impatiently. If David wasn’t really going to talk to her, then she would go outside and make sure the fistfights hadn’t started back up.
When David didn’t respond, she decided to check out front first.
“Tell me something, Fi.” David jumped in front of her, startling her. “We’ve been friends a long time; did you ever think of me as more than a friend?”
Fiona’s anxiety amped up. David was starting to scare her. He had never questioned their friendship before. “You’re my best friend, David,” she said, easing backward, trying to keep distance between them. She didn’t like the cold hard look in his eyes. It frightened her.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” He followed her steps. “For years you pined after a guy that didn’t want you, when I was always there for you. A shoulder to cry on. A confidant. I even suggested you try hooking up with someone else to get over him. And you picked some random asshole that could never appreciate you. None of them can like I can.”
Fiona gulped, her pulse racing. She was terrified of the person standing in front of her. This wasn’t her friend. This man’s face was hard, cold and calculating. “David,” she started to say.
“Enough,” he barked. David reached into his pant pockets and pulled out black gloves and a rope. “I gave you every opportunity to come to me willingly. You ran from me again and again and gave yourself to that asshole in the bar. You were supposed to be mine. Not his. NotVincent Green’s. Mine.”
Fiona stumbled against the corner of the couch. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. David was her stalker? Her sweet, kind friend had done all those terrible things to her. He had drugged her, photographed her, tortured her with the threatening letters. It was all him.
“Ah, I see you finally figured it out.” He smiled menacingly.
Fiona felt her anger rising instead of fear. “How could you? You were my friend.”
“How could I?” He reared back. “I love you. I have for years. You said you loved me too, yet went home with that asshole from the bar. I had to teach you a lesson.”
“You drugged me,” she accused. “That’s not love.”
“It was supposed to be me you went home with that night,” he spat venomously, some of his hair falling forward into his eyes. “I watched you with him and a rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt before took root. That’s when an idea came to mind. I snuck in after you passed out and took those photos. That idiot was so drunk he didn’t realize he didn’t lock up his apartment, and I gave you enough drugs to keep you incoherent. You’d never remember me being there.”
Fiona was at a loss for words. She didn’t know who this monster was in front of her. All she knew was that she had to get away. Now. Where wereJoaquín and Vince? She didn’t want to think that David had done anything to them.
Fiona started slowly backing up, looking for a weapon to use. Vince had taught her some moves but she didn’t know if she could overpower David with just her body. The kitchen had blunt objects she could use, or knives. As much as she didn’t relish using violence on her once friend, she knew he wouldn’t just let her go. David had been tormenting her for months. She could tell by the crazed look in his eyes he was done waiting for her to come to him willingly.
“Every time I sent a note threatening you, I’d hoped it would bring us closer together. But you still only ever treated me as a friend. I hoped it would work in my favor, but no, you had to run away to another country and finally another state to escape me. No more. I’m done chasing you.” David came at her with the rope out in front of him.
Fiona didn’t think, she just flung the closest thing to her at him, which happened to be her coffee. David raised his arm to protect his face from the worst of it.
“You little bitch,” he hissed.
Fiona ran toward the kitchen, for the side door. David caught up with her, swinging the rope around her neck and pulling back. Fiona drove her elbow into his ribs with all her strength. David’s grip on the rope eased and she ducked out from under it. David reached out with his hand, grabbing a fistful of hair.
“Not so fast.”
Fiona opened her mouth to scream but David was quick and covered it. Placing her feet apart, Fiona grabbed his arm and threw her weight forward. David went sailing over her shoulder and collapsed on the kitchen floor. She didn’t have a chance to congratulate herself when David kicked his leg out, into her right knee, sending her to the floor next to him.
Fiona’s knee throbbed but by sheer will to live, she kept going. She had to get to her brother andVince. She dragged herself across the floor, but David snatched her left ankle, pulling her back to him.
“I tried to do this the easy way. I’ve been trying to get access to you for days, but this was the first time you’ve been alone. You were supposed to drink the coffee and pass out, but no. Ever defiant.” From his pants pocket, David pulled out a syringe. “Now we have to do things the hard way.”
“You’ll never get away with this. My brother will find you.” She kicked out at him but the pain in her knee made it difficult.
David laughed. “I haven’t been caught yet. And we’ll be long gone by the time he figures it out.”
David pulled the cap off with his teeth and came at her with the needle, jabbing it in her neck. She screamed for all she was worth as she tried batting his arm away. In seconds, her limbs started to feel heavy until they fell uselessly at her side.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” David said, pulling the needle out of her neck and kissing her cheek. “But you left me no choice. When you wake up, we’ll be back home. We’ll have a good life together. You’ll see. You might even thank me for this one day.”
Over her dead body would she ever thank him for ruining her life and drugging her, not once but twice. Once she gained mobility again, she would beat the ever-living shit out of him.
The back door handle started to jiggle, then a fist pounded on the door. “Shit,” David cursed. “Time to go, sweetheart. I’d hoped your brother and scum would have busied themselves longer, beating the hell out of each other, after your brother saw that photo of you and him in the alley. Or at the very least drank the coffee I poisoned. Oh well, plan B.” Fiona was lifted off the ground when everything went dark.
