Page 74 of Quake

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Before I understood what was happening, an arm wrapped around my waist from behind. I cried out in surprise as I was pulled backward. Twisting to the side, I broke free and started to run, but I was grabbed before I could get five steps. This time, my assailant dragged me into the darkness of the alley, his hold too strong to break.

I was thrown against the side of the building, the air pushing from my lungs. My head cracked against the brick wall behind me, and instinctively, I began to struggle. A man wearing a black balaclava was before me, his body pinning me in place, his hand over my mouth.

“Shh, sweetheart,” he crooned.

Crying out in panic, I tried to thrash against his hold. When I couldn’t move, I tried to knee him in the balls, but I flopped uselessly. I was caught. I racked my brains for a move Caleb had taught me, anything to get out of there, but everything was jumbled.I couldn’t remember.

The man smiled, his lips looking weird behind his mask. I could only see his eyes and mouth, the rest of him was covered, but it didn’t make things any easier to take. He was still going to hurt me.

“I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw you. Black hair and all…” He pressed against me, and I felt his hard crotch rub against my hip.

My eyes widened as I realized that it washim. It had to be. I struggled, but it only seemed to excite him more.

“You took the kill from me,” he snarled. “Bitch. You stole from me.”

“No!” I cried, my voice muffled by his hand.

The man who’d killed Melanie held me in his grasp, and he was going to get his revenge. Blind terror flared, blurring my vision.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Meagan. For six long years, I’ve been waiting for a chance to take you.” He lifted his balaclava just enough to free his mouth, then he laved his tongue up my cheek, tasting my skin. “You won’t be able to do a thing about it this time. I’m going to do the same thing to you as I did to your sister. I’m going to cut you into little pieces…while you watch. You will feel every cut, sweetheart. You will watch me peel your skin from your body…just like Melanie did.”

A surge of adrenaline, mixed with a heavy dose of fear, pulsed through my body, and I opened my mouth wide, shaking my head back and forth against his hand. His grip slipped, and I bit down hard, closing my teeth around his index finger.

He roared in pain, and I tasted blood. The unfamiliar tang caused me to panic, and I loosened my hold. The man dropped me, and I landed on my knees, the impact jarring up my legs. Scrambling, I tried to run, but he was on me in a second.

Pulling me up by the hair, he twisted, my scalp burning, and I shrieked, making as much noise as I possibly could. That was what Caleb had taught me. If you can’t get away, make life difficult for your assailant. Stay calm, read the situation, look for holes to exploit, and don’t hesitate.

“Shut the fuck up!” he snarled, turning me around and caging my front against his chest.

This time, he held a knife in his free hand, and he pressed it against my skin…right underneath my eye. Trembling, I started to sob, fear overwhelming the last shred of fight I had in me.

The man was staring at me, his eyes clear in the muted light from the street beyond. His balaclava had slipped, but I could still make out some of his features… His irises. They were the color of chocolate. His shoulders were wide, his torso defined with muscles, his arms… Understanding slammed into me, and my knees buckled.

I knew him.

28

Caleb

Isat inside Beat, watching the door like a hawk.

Juliette had to come. She had to.

Glancing at the time on my phone, it read eight p.m.? If she was coming, she would’ve been here by now. Our usual time had always been six, but I sat there for two hours, hoping and praying she would come. ????

She’d answered her door for Jade, as I’d hoped, and the letter I’d painstakingly written was in her hands. There was nothing I could do now except wait.

Standing, I began to pace, my stomach churning. Shit, after everything she’d been through, this was probably the hardest step she would have to take. Facing her past, placing her trust in me, allowing herself to love…facing my father’s threats. She most likely blamed herself for everything that happened to her sister.

It wasn’t her fault. It was the bastard who’d broken into their home and attacked her. He was the one who’d done this to her. The bastard the police still hadn’t managed to catch. How many other women had he murdered since? It made my blood boil.

Striding across the studio, I pushed out onto the street and glanced toward Sydney Road, but no one was around. Acting like a desperate fool, I let the door close, the deadbolt catching behind me, and I walked down to the crossroads.

Apart from a car driving past, there was no movement. It was oddly quiet for a Wednesday night?, but I remembered the road was blocked further down for the annual Sydney Road Street Party. It was a long weekend, the public holiday falling on a Friday this year. We’d gotten a flyer about the road closures and diverted tram services from the council. Stuck it on the noticeboard at Beat myself. ????

Gritting my teeth, I decided to call Juliette. If she didn’t answer… Maybe she didn’t want to come. Maybe she was telling the truth the other night. Maybe she didn’t want to be with me.

As a scream ripped through the air, my head snapped up, and my phone was forgotten. A female scream. An image of Juliette flashed in my mind, and without a second thought, I bolted toward the sound, shoving my phone into my pocket.