“Sheriff Donovan,” I answer as it connects to my Bluetooth.
“Sheriff! It’s Ira. You need to get over to Jade’s right away!”
I don’t even hesitate, I peel from the lot and take off for Jade’s house, Mrs. Ira still on speaker.
“Tell me what you know,” I command, heart racing.
“I was out in my garden, and I watched a man enter the house. He didn’t even knock, but I didn’t think much of it because Mabel Golding was just there. But then I heard a scream and rushed to call you right away.”
I step on the gas and pray to God I’m not too late. The short five-minute drive feels like it takes a decade.
I slam on the breaks and get out before I’m even fully sure the car has stopped. Pulling out my gun, I run to the door and kick it in.
Not even two feet in front of me, I watch as a man drives a blade into my girlfriend. I don’t think, I just fucking shoot.
I’m frozen in fear.
“A-Adam?”
An evil cheshire grin stretches across his face as he takes a step forward.
I’ve survived him once and just survived his crazy brother; I will not give up now.
Coming to my senses, I turn and run for my bedroom. My feet just cross the line when my head jerks back. Déjà vu hits me, and instinct takes over. I scream and twist to fight, but this time Adam is ready for me. My mouth opens in shock and tears spill from my eyes as I feel the sharp familiar sting of a knife.
“You got away from me once, Hadley, I won’t let it happen again. I told you, if I couldn’t have you, no one can.” A gasp of air escapes my throat as he pulls the knife from my hip. “This is going to end the way it was always supposed to.”
This is not how my story ends. I refuse it.
Biting through the pain, I fight back with everything I have. I punch him in the side of the head, causing the knife to clatter to the floor. Bending to grab it at the same time, I stomp on his fingers, then knee him in the face, giving me enough time to get a hold of the knife and blindly swing. I feel it connect against his side, and he lets out a hiss of pain.
“I won’t let you hurt me again, Adam,” I spit, but he moves quickly and disorients me as his palm splays across my face. I turn to run, but my feet fly out from under me, causing me to drop the knife. My body feels like it’s in shock when I land straight on my open wound, but I don’t give up easily. Sucking in a breath through the pain and blinking away tears, I crawl forward, trying to grip the knife. Adam jerks me back, climbing over me and getting it for himself before my fingers can wrap around the hilt. I slam my head against his face and hear the crunch of his nose.
“Fuck,” he curses, slamming my head to the floor in retaliation. I feel my teeth go through my lip and cry out from the pain before he’s dragging me down the hall.
“Did you like my gifts?” he asks as I kick and scramble and try to grab onto the carpet. With each new step he takes, I see a trail of blood left behind, staining the carpet, and all I can think about is how Mabel will get that out.
“I’ve been leaving you jewelry, just like the bracelet I gave you all those years ago,” he tells me, and my mind flicks back to Rachel’s necklace and the other piece I found.
“Why?” I croak.
“I wanted you to know I was back. That I came for you.”
“You’re a monster,” I yell, twisting, trying to get free.
His grip tightens. “You didn’t think that when I gave you that bracelet!” he snarls.
“What are you t-talking about?” I cry.
“That bracelet in high school, Hadley. It was Ashley’s. I gave it to you to show you how much I cared about you.”
My stomach lurches, vomit rising, and I whimper at what he is telling me.
Ashley was a bully. She used to make fun of my freckles, and I hated her. But then one day she drowned. It was deemed anaccident, but with what Adam is saying, did he do it? Was my family not his first kill?
Swallowing down the sob and vomit, I twist enough that I can roll over and kick. I get him right in the stomach, causing a puff of air to leave him, and his grip on my legs finally loosens enough that I can get free. Getting to my feet, I head straight for the front door, but before I get there, I feel the thud of something hard against the back of my skull and my vision goes black as my legs give out.
When I hit the floor and my vision clears, I see the sharp jagged edge of the vase that smashed when Adam hit me over the head. I reach for the biggest piece I can find, and then as fast as I can, I lunge, driving it straight into Adam’s thigh.
