Page 10 of Carnival Stalker

I activate the microphones on their cell phones, allowing me to eavesdrop on their conversations no matter where they go. Every whispered secret, every hushed confession—all of it is mine to exploit.

As the final camera feed comes online, I lean back in my chair, savoring the win. They are puppets now, their strings firmly in my grasp.

Despite the adrenaline rush, my thoughts are immediately pulled back to Tilly. Her radiant smile and infectiouslaughter haunt me. Switching back to her file, I scroll through her images on my computer, devouring every captured moment of her life hungrily like a starving man.

I’ve got a week left in this town before we move on.

The idea of losing her is unbearable. I need her, crave her, in a way that borders on pure fucking insanity. An obsession that threatens to unravel the very fabric of my being.

As I scroll through the images, a plan begins to take shape—a deliciously twisted scheme to ensure that Tilly becomes truly, irrevocably mine. A grin tugs at my lips, and my mind already spins with the intricate details.

One way or another, I will claim her. She will belong to me, mind, body, and soul, even if I have to shatter her world to make it so. Tilly Jane Lawson will be the ultimate prize in my twisted game of control.

And those who dare to stand in my way will soon learn a lesson etched in blood—a fate worse than death itself.

8

TILLY

Ashudder runs through me as I step onto the college campus. My heart pounds in my chest, and my palms sweat. I feel so exposed out here in the open after what happened at the club Friday night.

Ever since that encounter with the masked man, I’ve been a prisoner in my apartment. Too afraid to leave, too shaken to face the world. But I can’t skip classes without falling behind.

I tug my jacket tighter around myself and hurry across the quad, eyes darting at every shadow, every movement in my peripheral vision. Paranoia claws at my mind. Is that figure watching me from behind those trees? Did that bush rustle?

I clutch the strap of my backpack like a lifeline, quickening my pace.

Deep breaths, Tilly. There’s no one following you.

With my head down, I walk into the computer science building and up to the coding lab. The familiar hum ofmachines and the tap of keys on keyboards instantly calm my anxiety. This is my element and where I’m in control, where the world makes sense in lines of code.

I fire up my workstation and lose myself in the logic and the neat patterns. But my mind keeps flashing back to the sight of that man in the skull mask at Pulse and the sound of my cries as he ate my pussy like no man ever has.

God, he was a fucking master with his tongue, and I’ve never come so hard or fast before. Granted, I’m not exactly experienced. I’ve had one high school boyfriend I slept with and only one other guy during my first year of college.

Amy’s text flashes across my cell phone screen, a welcome distraction.

Hey girl, are you free for an early lunch at the usual spot?

I quickly type back.

Yeah, that sounds perfect. See you there in 20?

Packing up my stuff, I push aside the lingering unease from earlier.

The crisp autumn air bites at my cheeks as I step outside, leaves crunching underfoot. I tug my jacket tighter and walk across campus to the cozy coffee shop off Greek Row. Our usual place.

Pushing through the door, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked muffins envelops me. Amy waves from our usual booth in the back corner, a bright smile lighting up her face.

“There’s my girl!” She hops up to give me a quick hug. “You could use a pick-me-up after that brutal coding lab.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help grinning at her infectious energy. “You know me too well. Let’s get some caffeine and sugar in me, stat.”

After ordering my mocha, her frappe, and a couple of muffins, we settle into our usual booth. “So, how was your weekend after our wild night out?”

My stomach twists into knots at the mention of our night out. The night when I let a stranger go down on me and was even expecting more until he just walked off, leaving me stunned.

I try to push it from my mind. “Oh, you know, just chilled at home and relaxed. Needed to recover from all that dancing and drinking.”

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