“Not so fast.” A hand snags around the waistband of my sweatpants, pulling me backward and right into fucking David himself. He must’ve been standing on the other side of the door, just waiting for me to bust it open. “Look at you, running in here like the hero you should’ve been for Krista.”
I turn to glare at him, my heart falling to my gut when I see he has a knife in his hand, the light from above glinting off the steel of the blade, showing off just how sharp it is. “Let her go. This isn’t about her. It’s about you and me,” I tell him after taking a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm. I don’t want to agitate him more. He could hurt her.
Or me.
“No way am I letting her go. She’s as perfect as a picture, sitting there bound and gagged, driving you crazy. It drives you crazy, right? Seeing her like that?” I say nothing and he scowls, pissed that he didn’t get a reaction I’m sure. “You took something from me so I’m going to take something from you. Only fair, I say.” He smiles and lifts the blade so he can stare at his reflection. “Your silly virgin is dumber than I thought. It was so easy, grabbing her.”
I remain silent, sliding Reverie a quick look. She’s struggling against the ties that bind her wrists, tears streaming down her cheeks. My heart breaks just looking at her. I didn’t protect her. I wasn’t there to save her from this maniac just like I didn’t save Krista either.
“I should take that back, calling her a virgin. She’s nothing but a little slut now that you’ve fucked her a few times.” David makes a tsking noise and shakes his head. “Shame it’s going to have to end so soon.”
My blood is boiling and I swear my head is about to explode. I can’t stand what he’s saying about Reverie but I refuse to react. That’s exactly what he’s looking for.
“Don’t have anything to say? Interesting. Well, if you must know, after everything that happened with Krista, I knew I had to do something to get back at you. That entire night didn’t go as planned and I regret so much what happened. It’s all your fault you know, that she’s gone.”
“Who?” I squint at him, noticing how frantic he appears. He’s looking all around the room, at Krista’s belongings, taking note of all of it. It’s almost like she’s still alive, what with her clothes still strewn everywhere, a bunch of makeup littered on the top of her dresser, along with various perfume bottles and hair stuff. Posters on the wall and photos of her and her friends stuck to the mirror.
Even a picture of the three of us; me, Krista and David, our arms around each other with Krista standing in between us, most likely taken before David and I were first thrown in jail.
A lifetime ago.
“Krista!” Her name explodes from his lips, making me flinch, and he starts to pace the room, running his fingers over everything he can touch. “I haven’t been in here since that night. When I came to see her.”
My entire body goes still. “You saw her that night?”
“I was with her the entire night.” He throws his hands up into the air, a smile curling his lips for the briefest moment. “Almost had her convinced she didn’t need you either. She was so damn stuck on you. Always had been. I’m the one she used. She would actually say that to my face, like some sort of heartless bitch. That made me so mad and she knew it. You’re the one she really wanted and I gotta admit, that drove me fucking crazy, Fairfield. I wanted to be the one she needed and I told her that but she wouldn’t listen.”
“What did you do, David?” I don’t know if I want to know, if I want to hear this. But I have to. For me. For Hal. For Reverie.
“I fucked her, right where your little girlfriend is tied up, right in the middle of her squeaky bed. We went at it for hours since Hal was gone, out drinking like usual. I worked hard to please her that night. So damn hard. I wanted to erase you from her memory once and for all but she just smiled and said she loved me like a friend after it was all over. That killed me.” David hangs his head for a moment, staring at the knife as he turns it this way and that in his hands.
I look at Reverie again, trying to tell her with my eyes, my expression, that everything’s going to be all right. I’ll get her out of this. She stares back at me, her chest heaving, the tears still coming down her face, and my heart is fucking ready to burst wide open from the pain seeing her like this causes me.
“After we were done Krista got dressed and did her hair. Redid her makeup. Said she wanted to look pretty just for you. Only for you. I just had sex with her and she was going to you.” David lifts his head, his eyes as black as night, his skin pale. He looks terrible. Scary. “I lost it. Just fucking…lost it. Like a baby I crawled out of bed and begged her not to go. Told her I loved her, said I would do anything for her but she wouldn’t listen. She just wanted to get to you.”
“I never saw Krista that night, David,” I say as a reminder, though I’m pretty damn certain I know what he’s going to say next.
The horror that threatens to consume me is strong. Overwhelming. I need to get Reverie away from him before he does something to her too.
“I know. I never let her leave this room.” He smiles, as if lost in a fond memory. “I tried to block the door so she couldn’t leave to go see you but she shoved me out of the way and I fell to the floor. Didn’t know little Krista was so strong.”
Nausea threatens and I think I’m going to be sick.
“Before she could open the door I lunged for her and tackled her to the ground. She was so soft beneath me, her skirt riding up her thighs as she kicked at me with those sexy high heels she loves to wear. I pinned her down, wrapped my hands around her wrists and pressed them to the floor. She struggled so much, calling me all sorts of names, demanding that I let her go. But I didn’t. I kissed her instead and that’s when things got ugly.” David pauses, imploring me with a look. “She slapped me. Can you believe it? The bitch actually slapped my face as hard as she could. I got so mad I backhanded her, marking her face too. And she just laughed at me.”
Jesus. I don’t want to hear anymore but I don’t want to stop him either. I’m a witness to his confession and so is Reverie. David killed Krista. He killed her right here in her own bedroom and then went on to become Hal’s biggest support while they looked in vain for information to find Krista’s killer. When he was the guilty one all along.
What sort of sick fuck does this?
“She made me so mad I told her to stop laughing but she wouldn’t. She just kept doing it. Calling me a pussy. Calling me all sorts of names. I couldn’t take it. She always treated me that way and I couldn’t take it anymore so I told her to shut up. And when she wouldn’t shut up I put my hands around her skinny little neck and squeezed. Her eyes bulged out of her head and she slapped at my hands, trying to make me stop but I wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I had to shut her up once and for all and once I realized she wasn’t moving anymore, I started to cry.”
I edge closer to the bed, closer to Reverie so I can grab her and keep her safe with me. This entire story is freaking me out. If David could do that to Krista, someone he supposedly loved, then what could he do to me or Reverie?
“So it was an accident,” I say softly, not wanting to startle him, but my words seem to snap him out of the trance telling the story put him in.
“What are you doing over there? Get away from her!” David waves his hand around, the knife slicing the air. “And of course, it was an accident. I never meant to kill Krista. And you’re the one who pushed me to do it. If she didn’t love you so damn much, everything would’ve been fine between us. Just fine. You ruined everything.”
I don’t say anything because I’m not about to argue with crazy. He can go ahead and put the blame on me. “What happened next?”
“I cried and cried and slapped at her face, trying to wake her up but she was gone. Gone, gone, laying right there, in front of her door.” He points at the ground not far from where he’s standing. “I picked her up and brought her to the bed and stroked her hair. Made love to her one last time.”
Details I did not want to know.
“And then I wrapped her in an old blanket I found in her closet and took her with me. I was going to take her away but I got scared. Heard people walking around so I dumped her close to her door outside and just…left. No one saw me.” He tilts his head back and starts to weep. “I hate what happened. I hate that we lost her. It’s so unfair, what she did to me. All I ever wanted to do was love her.”
“I’m sure she did love you.” I come closer to the bed and reach out, resting my hand on Reverie’s knee. I can feel her trembling beneath my palm and all I want is to console her.
“Fuck you. She did not. Not the way she loved you.” He strides toward the bed, the knife pointed straight at me. I drop my hand from Reverie’s knee and he notices, thrusting the knife toward where she sits. “I should take her away from you. See how that makes you feel.”
“Leave her out of this.” Fear clouds my head and I shake it, jerking my thumb at my chest. “This is about me and you know it.”
David’s face crumples, his eyes squeezing out a few tears. They seem false but maybe that’s because he just confessed he murdered Krista. “You stole everything from me, man. From the time we were little, you were always better than me at everything. I adored you and hated you all at once. I always loved Krista but when you two started going out, I was devastated. I had to win her back—and I did. But then I lost her. I lost her forever.”
“You son of a bitch.” The low snarl of Hal’s voice fills the room, sending a chill down my spine and we both turn to find him filling the doorway, his expression incredulous. Wounded, like an injured animal.
An injured animal who is mean and ready to strike at those who come near.
“You killed my girl,” Hal says, his gaze never leaving David. “All this time, pretending to be there for me and letting me cry on your shoulder while you vowed to do something and you’re the one who murdered my baby.”
“It’s his fault!” David points at me at the same time he throws himself on the bed, grabbing hold of Reverie and pulling her so her back is to his front, the knife at her throat. “Don’t come another step or I’ll kill her too.”
“Haven’t you had enough with killing and destroying? What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been wrecking lives for about as long as I’ve known you.” Hal says, walking further into the room. He glances around, taking in all of his daughter’s stuff before he squeezes his eyes shut tight, shaking his head. I notice then that he has a handgun dangling from his fingers.
Shit.
***
10:30 a.m.
My vision is blurry from all the tears I’ve shed and my face hurts from the tug of the duct tape on my skin. I feel like I can’t breathe and I close my eyes, my chest tight from the sob I’m withholding.
David’s arm is wrapped tight around my middle, the giant knife he’s holding pressed at my throat. I’m frozen in his terrifying embrace, too scared to move though my entire body is trembling with fear. He’s going to cut me. I know it. And once he starts, he might never stop.
“Let her go,” Nick says, his voice even, his gaze full of fear. I stare at him, wishing I could speak, wishing he could read my mind.
I love you.
I’m sorry.
I should’ve never left you.
I screwed up.
Please forgive me.
“Why? So you can have everything yet again?” He drags the tip of the knife down the length of my neck, I can feel how sharp it is and I swear the blade pricks my skin. “You can’t have her. This one’s mine.”
“Do as he says.” Krista’s dad lifts his right arm, the gun aimed right at David. Hal’s arm is shaking, the gun wobbling this way and that and I close my eyes, terrified he’s going to accidentally shoot me. “Don’t hurt another defenseless girl, David. Let that one go before you kill her too.”
David laughs, the sound manic. “Defenseless. That’s a good one. Krista was far from defenseless. She was the toughest damn girl I ever knew. She put up a fight till the very end.”
If he thinks that’s going to reassure her father, he has another thing coming. I wince, ready for the blow and I’m not disappointed.
“Shut the fuck up about my girl!” Hal roars. “You didn’t know her!”
“I knew her better than you, old man. She hated you.” David sneers as he presses the knife closer to my throat. This time I do feel the cut, the slice in my skin and I scream beneath the duct tape, the sound muffled but roaring in my ears.
Nick goes white as a sheet but otherwise doesn’t react at all. “Jesus, David, you’re going to slice her neck open. Let her the fuck go!”
David turns his head toward mine, his eyes staring at me, dark and fathomless. A gruesome smile curls his lips. “You’re so pretty. No wonder Nick wants to protect you.”
I close my eyes but he shakes me, making my head bobble. “Look at me!” My eyes pop open and his smile grows. “That’s it. So pretty. So clean and sweet and perfect. Did you let him touch you? Of course, you did. Spent the night at his place again, huh? You’re nothing but a filthy whore now, just like Krista.”
“Shut your damn mouth!” Hal yells, taking a step toward the bed. I turn to see the gun pointed straight at us, his arm still shaking, his finger slipping over the trigger. I close my eyes again, not prepared to watch my death come right at me.
And that’s when everything happens in a white-hot blur.
Nick leaps onto the bed, covering both David and me as his hand goes for David’s wrist, squeezing so tight I hear the knife clatter to the floor. At the same moment the gun goes off, once. Twice. The sound deafening yet I can still hear the wiz of the bullet as it flies straight past my ear. A muffled groan sounds and I jerk against both boys who are holding me down, unable to tell who is who.
We fall from the bed to the floor in a tangle and I can hear Hal sobbing above us, murmuring words I can’t understand. He runs off, where I don’t know, and then I’m rolling away from the both of them, lying on the floor on my side with my back to them, trying to catch my breath and calm my racing heart.
Hands touch me, fingers traveling over my face before I hear a muttered ‘sorry’ and the tape is ripped from my mouth. A gasp escapes me, the pain excruciating as it tears at my skin, and I take in a great big gulp of air, my lungs burning from the intensity.
“You okay?” I turn to find Nick staring at me, his skin pale and little beads of sweat on his forehead. “I need to untie you.”
I drink him in, happiness filling me, and I struggle to try and sit up. But it’s hard with my hands tied behind my back. “Where is he?” I croak, my throat raspy from my screams.
“David? He’s been hit,” Nick says grimly, indicating with a flick of his head behind him. “He’s not moving. Hal shot him.”
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, shock coursing through me. Nick reaches around my body, his fingers fumbling with the knot at my wrists, and I turn my back more toward him, keeping my eyes averted from where David lies. I can see his feet, his legs, but I don’t want to see his face. What if Hal shot him there? What if he’s dead?
“I’m gonna get you free,” he says between gritted teeth. “Just give me…a…moment.”
Frowning, I wait, twisting my wrists this way and that to assist him. Nick doesn’t sound right. His breathing is shallow and his voice raspy. As if he’s in pain. He presses against me as he undoes the last of the knot and his bare skin is cool to the touch.
When the knot is undone and I’m free again, I back away from him, gasping when I see the slow trickle of blood sliding from the bullet hole that mars his left shoulder. “Nick, you’ve been shot.” I rear up on my knees and take the scarf that David used to bind my wrists and wrap it around Nick’s upper arm. He winces and grunts when I touch him, his face going even paler if that’s possible, and I pull him into my arms, hugging him close.
“You’ll be fine,” I whisper against his ear, looking around for Hal. Where is he? “We need
to call the police, call an ambulance. We need to get you help.” And David, I add silently. We can’t just let him bleed out on Krista’s bedroom floor. We don’t even know the extent of his injuries.
“Just glad…you…didn’t get…shot,” Nick murmurs against my neck. He’s leaning heavily against me and I’m trying my best to bear his weight but it’s hard. He weighs a ton. “I tried my best…to save you.”
“You did save me,” I murmur, brushing my fingers through his hair, clutching him close. “I’m fine. And you’ll be fine too. I promise.”
“What about…him?” I feel Nick lift up and I know he’s looking at David. “He hasn’t moved, Reverie. Do you think he’s dead?”
“I don’t know. Don’t worry about him. We need to concentrate on you.” In the distance I can hear the faint wail of a siren and relief floods me, making me nearly lose my grip on Nick.
“He was my…best friend. All…three…of us were friends. I didn’t know he felt like…that about…her.”
“Stop talking.” I shush him, murmuring silly words of comfort, yelling “in here!” when I hear the paramedics burst into Hal’s apartment. They rush inside the bedroom, the police following right after them, asking to clear the scene for evidence, and then someone is picking me up by the shoulders, making me stand.
“I don’t want to leave him,” I say as I start to cry, my arms feeling empty, my heart aching. “Please.”
“You can ride in the ambulance with him, honey,” a female paramedic says, her voice full of sympathy as she wraps her arm around my shoulders and leads me away. “Come on, let’s get you checked out before we load you up.”
The paramedic leads me out of Krista’s bedroom and I see the police are talking to Hal in the living room. He looks terrible, his expression full of remorse, his shoulders slumped. I wonder if the police will arrest him.
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