by Nia Arthurs
His jaw dropped. Was that a house? The place should be condemned.
Feeling unsettled, Finn undid his seatbelt and opened the door. “I’ll walk you up.”
“There’s no need.”
He ignored her and climbed out of the car. Moving carefully beside Jewel, he mounted the rickety stairs and stopped on the verandah. They both couldn’t fit so he had to slide back so she could open the door.
Finn noticed a hole in the middle of the porch. Looked like someone’s leg had broken through.
A pungent smell filled the air. He was thinking of the best way to offer to take out Jewel’s garbage when she turned to him and explained, “That’s the marsh. When the dew falls heavy like it is tonight, there’s a smell.”
“I didn’t notice.” He lied.
She gave him the side-eye. “I’m used to it.”
With those words, his unsettled feeling mounted.
“This is it,” Jewel said as the lock clicked and she opened her door. Brown eyes glistening in the moonlight, she turned to him. “Maybe I’ll see you again, Finn.”
“Maybe.”
She smiled, revealing her deep dimples and then ducked her head into the house and locked the door behind her.
Finn lingered on the verandah for a while. His chest burned. Leaving her here felt like a massive mistake.
“Go home, Finn,” he mumbled to himself.
Jewel had survived all this while without him. She could make it on her own from now on. By this time tomorrow, he’d be back home, poring over police reports and making his next move.
Tomorrow, Jewel would be nothing but a memory.
13
Jewel held her breath until Finn’s footsteps thudded past her door and down the stairs. She wilted to the floor and covered her face with her hands. He’d finally left.
Shame had flamed her cheeks when she’d directed him to her shanty. Obviously, she hadn’t thought it through when she asked him to take her home earlier. Now Finn knew exactly how poor she was.
What does it matter? You’ll never see him again.
That was a good thing.
Jewel braced her hand on the wall and stood with a groan. She’d stepped out in so many ways today—mostly thanks to Finn. What was a little poverty when he already thought she was insane?
Jewel chuckled and shook her head.
To be honest, she hadn’t run home just to hide her insecurities.
Staying for the reception, especially after her fight with Sky, hadn’t felt right either. She needed to apologize to her friend for snapping at her, but finding the right time to bring it up would have been awkward and…
Just thinking about it made her want to dive under her blankets and never come out.
Sky could focus on her lovely reception and handsome husband. She and Jewel could hash things out when she returned from her honeymoon.
It had been a long, eventful day. She was glad to be on familiar turf again.
Jewel padded to the cramped bedroom and reached for her pajamas. The only activities on her schedule for tonight involved lounging in bed and recalling every word she uttered that day to make sure it hadn’t sounded stupid.
Good times.
Her phone rang.
It sounded muffled since it was nestled in the clutch purse that Carrie had lent her for the event. Actually, everything she’d been wearing today—except her underwear, of course—were gifts from her friends.
Even the phone currently ringing its head off had been a gift.
Sun Gi had surprised Jo with the latest phone for her birthday last year and Jo had given her old one to Jewel. Free of charge.
Jewel would have never been able to afford such a high-tech device and the thought that Jo could just give it away…
Their generosity and kindness continued to surprise her. Someday, she’d find a way to thank them.
As soon as she got famous and started making real money.
The phone went silent.
“Ah, they’ll probably call back,” she muttered.
Certain either Jo, Carrie or maybe even Sky was trying to get her, Jewel moved to the suitcases where she stored her clothes to change. She’d selected a T-shirt and pants when the phone chirped again.
Rushing to get to the phone before they hung up this time, she ran to the bed, grabbed the clutch and turned it upside down. The device skittered to the sunken mattress.
Breathlessly, Jewel slapped the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
Nothing.
Her eyebrows knotted at the bridge of her nose. “Carrie? Jo?”
Static.
Puzzled, Jewel glanced at the screen and saw an unknown number blaring at her. Immediately, her throat tightened.
“Hello, Jewel,” a voice croaked from the speakers.
She dropped the phone.
It clattered to the ground.
Jewel covered her mouth in horror. No. It couldn’t be. That voice… it had echoed in her nightmares for over a year.
It was him.
Kross.
“Pick up the phone, Jewel,” he said.
Her heart pounded in her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was obey his instructions but, as if she were possessed, she crouched and let her fingers settle along the base of the phone.
Slowly, she brought it to her ear. “H-how did you get this number?”
“Did you miss me?”
Jewel stiffened.
Kross chuckled and the sound shuffled across her skin, sending shockwaves of fear through her entire body. “It’s been such a long time.”
“Where are you? How did you get this number?”
“There’s nowhere you can run that I won’t find you. You know that.”
“Leave me alone.” Terror spiked her pulse. “We’re done.”
Silence.
She could hear her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.
Kross’s voice dropped to a cold whisper, “You’ll come when I say.”
“You don’t own me!” she shrieked. Jewel was losing her mind, but she didn’t care anymore. It had taken everything to break free from that lunatic. She wasn’t being sucked in another time. “If you contact me again, I swear I’ll call the cops.”
He paused and then, “No, you won’t.”
She seethed. “What?”
“Do you know why, Jewel?”
Her fingernails tightened on the screen.
“It’s because you don’t think I’m wrong. And even if I am, it doesn’t matter to you. Deep down, in that twisted, sick little mind of yours, you enjoy being chosen. It makes you feel special to know that you’re special to me…”
“You maniac.”
“I saw it from that first night. Your intrigue, your curiosity. Your disgust could not hide your desire. The dance of touching, being touched, you like to watch just as much as I enjoy watching you.”
“You’re wrong.”
“You’re just like me.”
“I am nothing like you!” She shot the phone to the floor.
It clattered.
She heard a sickening crack.
Quiet descended.
Jewel stood with her feet spread apart, her chest heaving. Eyes glued to the phone, she waited. This wasn’t the end.
The broken screen brightened.
He was calling back.
Nostrils flaring, she picked up the phone and ended the call. Her fingers shook as she turned the phone off and kicked it aside. Anxiety clouded her mind. She couldn’t process all the information flooding in at once.
Kross was back.
He was looking for her.
And he wouldn’t stop until he had her.
Pain exploded in her chest. She held a hand over her racing heart and squeezed her eyes shut. Now wasn’t the time to panic. She had to pack her things, get Juney and run. Run so far that Kross would never be able to catch her.
Jewel launched herself at the suitcase she’d been living out of since she moved in. It was for this very reaso
n that she didn’t use any of the cheap plastic drawers or cupboards that came with the house.
Her footsteps clattered against the floor as she stashed her limited belongings into the ratty bag.
A solid knock broke her concentration.
Jewel went stock-still.
Disquiet coursed through her veins.
Another knock.
Her breath thickened. She tiptoed to the door, her steps heavy and her eyes glazing over with panic.
Kross had called her cell phone. She hadn’t given her number out to anyone, which meant that he was probably watching her, keeping tabs on her.
He could be outside this very minute.
She stopped in the kitchen, eyes skittering over the few utensils she kept in the drawer until she found the sharpest knife.
There was no escape.
Not unless she made one.
Jewel didn’t give herself a moment to think this through. She slid to the door. Her hand was sweaty. She swiped her palm against her pants, keeping the knife limply in her fingers. When she was done, she picked up the knife by the hilt and held it over her head.
Thud. Thud.
The door rattled.
Sweat dripped down her face, coursing the skin from her temple to her cheek. She stared at the rusty doorknob. With tortured breaths, she prepared herself to end it—right here, right now.
“Jewel!” A voice accompanied the pounding.
But it wasn’t Kross’s.
The knife slipped from her unsteady fingers and tumbled to the ground, landing an inch away from her feet. She cried in relief when she heard Finn and scrambled to unlock the door.
Finn stood outside, his hazel eyes thrown into shadows. “I forgot to ask you—”
Jewel burst into tears and jumped at him, winding her arms around his waist. Finn stumbled back, accepting her weight and steadying them both on the porch. She could feel his surprise even though he hadn’t said a word.
Jewel didn’t care.
Her head felt like it was about to explode and she needed something to tether her to sanity, something to hold.
Finn was a man, yes, but he was also the friend who’d saved her from a thief, kept her warm and dry in the pouring rain, and protected her from the tourists who’d crowded the elevator.
She could trust him.
She had to.
“Jewel, what’s going on?” His voice crackled with concern. She felt a gentle push on her shoulder and backed up a step as Finn nudged her away so he could look at her face.
Jewel glanced behind him. The street lay in complete darkness. The marshes shook menacingly in the wind. They were exposed out here embracing for the world, no, for Kross to see.
She dropped her hands and looked up at him. “I need to get out of here.”
“Why?”
“Can you give me a ride?”
“Of course, but Jewel…”
She didn’t wait around to hear what he had to say. Jewel clattered down the stairs. She peered at her surroundings through the corner of her eyes, hissing with each step that she made.
Finn’s giant strides allowed him to catch up with her easily. He snatched her wrist and tugged her toward him. “Explain. Now.”
“I can’t.” She cast her gaze sideways.
Finn’s rugged jaw clenched. “Then I can’t take you anywhere.”
A dog barked nearby.
Jewel almost jumped out of her skin. Licking her lips, she turned to him and shrieked, “Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll tell you everything. Just… I need a ride.” Her eyes widened and she begged, “Please.”
Finn said nothing, but he strode to his car and opened the door.
Jewel rushed behind him and slid into the passenger seat. The moment Finn got behind the wheel, she screamed, “Go!”
He started the car and slammed his foot on the gas pedal.
They sped away.
Jewel glanced in the side-view mirror. Her hands wobbled when she brought them to her hair and tucked a lock behind her ear. No one was out there.
Had Kross retreated when he saw Finn?
Or maybe he hadn’t been outside her house in the first place.
Or maybe she was going insane.
“Alright,” Finn said. His tone was coiled yet restrained, as if he was putting effort into speaking gently to her. “Can you tell me now?”
“It’s a long story.”
“My flight doesn’t leave until ten tomorrow.”
She sighed. “Where are you taking me?”
Finn gave her an eye, but he flowed with the subject change. “For now? To where I’m staying. It’s a guesthouse near here.”
“No, take me to one of my friends.”
“You mean the ones who are still at the reception all the way in Cayo?”
Jewel cursed.
Finn frowned. “You scared me, Jewel. What the hell is going on?”
“I’m sorry.” She looked at him. His hands were pale against the leather of the dark steering wheel. His hair had dried completely and lay in messy waves that somehow still looked attractive. Forearms flexed as he flicked the indicator and changed lanes.
“Anywhere else you want to go?” Finn jutted his chin forward. “My place is up ahead.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and scratched her wrist with her thumbnail. Finn had a point. Carrie, Jo and Sky were still in Cayo. They’d race back to Belize City if she called them, but Jewel couldn’t even do that.
Her friends would be in Kross’s sights if he decided to attack.
Jewel studied Finn’s massive arms again. What she needed was someone who could take Kross on; someone she didn’t mind putting in danger.
She nodded. “Take me there.”
14
Her heart didn’t stop pounding crazily until Finn had ushered her up the stairs of the guesthouse and into his room. Jewel shuffled forward, going slowly in case she bumped into something in the darkness.
Finn flipped a switch.
Light filled the room.
Jewel’s gaze flitted over the neatly spread bed, the lamp on the nightstand, the closet, desk, chair and the door to—what she presumed—was a bathroom.
The floorboards creaked as Finn approached her.
Jewel’s breath caught.
A few hours ago, she would have preferred if someone ran her over with a truck than stay in a room alone with a man. Now, she didn’t have time to lament Finn’s gender.
Kross was coming.
“Have a seat,” Finn said, pointing to the chair by the desk.
Jewel shook her head. “I prefer to stand.”
“Suit yourself.” Finn dropped to the edge of the mattress and watched her intently. “I kept my end of the deal. Now, it’s your turn.”
“Before I start,” she sucked in a deep breath, “you should know that just sharing this information puts you in danger.”
He dipped his head. “I’ll accept the consequences.”
Jewel stared at him. There was a different type of intensity in his eyes. Those hazel orbs were burning through her, searing her. She felt exposed and at ease in the same breath.
“Why do I get the sense that you already know what I’m about to say?” she whispered.
He blinked.
The fire sputtered out and he ducked his head so she could no longer read his expression. When he glanced back up, an innocent smile quirked his lips. “I don’t. I’m just trying to process everything that happened.”
“Everything?”
“I came back to ask for your number in case…” He let the words trail. “Then you jump out of your house, shaking like a hurricane, a knife at your feet, acting like someone’s chasing you.”
She nodded. When he put it like that, Jewel could understand why he’d looked so intense.
“Go on.” Finn folded his arms over his chest.
“His name is Kross,” she blurted. She noticed Finn flinch and softened her voice. “He was…” She paused, searching for a word that would properl
y encapsulate the monster. “He was evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.”
“When did you meet this guy?”
She wilted against the wall, feeling the rush of memories tear at her mind. “I was sixteen. My brother and I were about to be evicted from our apartment. My mom was… who knows where. I needed money. Fast.”
“And Kross offered it?”
“I didn’t know who I was dealing with at the time. A girl from school…” Jewel swallowed. “Anastasia, she offered to help me out. She said I could earn a grand in one night.”
Finn pursed his lips. “Did they tell you what you had to do?”
“No. But I made sure that I wouldn’t be selling my body or something like that. Anastasia swore up and down that no one would lay a finger on me. I was desperate. So I believed her.”
“Where did you meet?”
“A club. It was underground. A real sinkhole. Everyone there was either drunk or drugged up. They led me to the basement and told me to walk into a room. Anastasia and … K-Kross joined me a few minutes later.” Her heart thudded.
“What happened?”
A piercing wail started in her head.
Jewel staggered.
Finn jumped to his feet, an arm reaching out to her. “You alright?”
“Can I have some water?” she mumbled.
“Yeah.” Finn grabbed a water bottle sitting on the desk and brought it over to her.
Jewel snatched it from him, uncapped the top and drank thirstily. She could feel the liquid spurting over the sides of her mouth and down her shirt. Her hands were trembling too much.
Finn, wisely, stood by the bed and gave her space.
When she was done, Jewel wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said, “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Finn accepted the bottle from her and then hauled the chair away from the small desk.
Jewel started to protest. “I’m fine.”
“Jewel,” his tone and stare were firm, “sit.”
She reluctantly planted her behind in the chair.
Finn returned to his seat at the edge of the bed and sighed. “You don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to.”
She thought it over but decided to tell him all. It was therapeutic, to an extent.
Hopefully, Finn didn’t end up like the last person she’d confided in.