Page 153 of The Defender
My heart slammed against my ribcage. How had I never noticed howbighe was? He had a baby face, but he was only an inch or so shorter than Vincent and packed with muscle. It was unsettling.
“It’s good.” I kept my attention fixed on him. I didn’t want him out of my sight, and I didn’t want to let on how nervous I was. “Colder than here, but not as rainy.”
“Right. So why did you come back to surprise Vincent again?” Seth stopped a few feet from me. The kitchen counter pressed against my lower back as every muscle tensed.
“Because he’s my boyfriend and I haven’t seen him in two months,” I said somewhat pointedly.
Seth’s head bobbed up and down. He wore a thoughtful expression.
I wanted out of this conversation as soon as possible, but he was blocking my path to the exit. I couldn’t leave without passing him.
I didn’t know why Seth was really here, but I had to keep him calm until Vincent and Spike came home. My instincts told me he was a hair trigger away from going off the rails.
“You know, Vincent was my favorite footballer growing up,” he said in an apparent non-sequitur. “I had posters of him plastered all over my walls. I convinced my parents to take me to all of his matches, even the ones abroad. I even applied to work at Blackcastle because of him.”
“That’s…great.” I glanced discreetly over Seth’s shoulder. Where the hellwereVincent and Spike? It shouldn’t take them this long if they were coming straight from the club.
“I’ve met a lot of celebrities, and they’re often disappointing in person,” Seth continued. “They’re either rude, standoffish, or just not the person I built them up to be in my mind. They never appreciate their fans enough. Vincent’s the only one I’ve met who’s lived up to my expectations. I’m not just the kit man—I’m part of his inner circle. He invites me out with the team, he brought me to his birthday in Hungary, and he gives me advice when I need it. No one else would do that for me. No one elseseesme the way he does.”
A horrible foreboding crept over me. Seth didn’t sound like a regular fan; he sounded obsessed. He also had access to Vincent’s house and the Blackcastle facilities. Was he…?
No. It can’t be.If he was the intruder, we would’ve spotted the red flags earlier. Right?
“He’s my best friend, so I don’t appreciate anyone who fucks him over.” Seth’s face hardened. “Like you.”
My foreboding sharpened into a dagger of fear. Goosebumps pebbled my flesh, and my pulse hammered against my veins with painful intensity. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I saw you,” Seth growled. His hands clenched into fists at his side. “You were having tea with another man this afternoon, near the club. You said you came home to surprise Vincent, but that’s the first thing you do after you land? Cheat on him?”
“I wasn’t cheating on him. I?—”
“I saw you!” His words turned shrill, almost deranged. “Don’t lie to me!”
I quickly scanned the kitchen for potential weapons. The knife block was only two feet away, but I couldn’t reach it without tipping him off first. My phone was in my purse, which I’d placed on a stool on the other side of the island, and everything else was either fixed in place or too light to do much damage.
Bile rose in my throat.
“Do you know devastated Vincent will be when he finds out? He’s been pining after you all this time! Missingyou! Messing up at training and getting yelled at by Coach because ofyou! He’s even thinking of leaving Blackcastle and moving to Chicagofor you!” Spittle flew out of Seth’s mouth. He was completely unrecognizable from the mild-mannered man I’d known all these months. His eyes were wide, his face rapidly morphing from red to purple as he gesticulated wildly. “He thinks you’re his soulmate, but he couldn’t be more wrong. A soulmate wouldn’t make him suffer like this.”
He was bonkers. Absolutely, totally, out of his mind delusional.
I tried to keep the conversation going and stall for time. “I promise, I wasn’t cheating on him. I ran into an old acquaintance and?—”
“I told you tostop lying.” There were genuine tears in Seth’s eyes. “You left Blackcastle. Then you left for Chicago. You’ve never once considered his feelings when making those decisions. You don’t deserve him.”
My jaw clenched, but I forced myself to remain calm. “He was the one who told me to take the Chicago job. Wemade the decision together.”
“No.” Seth shook his head. “That’s another lie. Why would he tell you to move away when he’s so devastated over it? I can’t let him follow you. I won’t let him ruin his career over a lying, selfish bitch. He doesn’t see the truth yet because he’s under your spell, but a good friend will save him from himself. I just need to get rid of you first. As long as you’re around, he’ll never be free.”
My fight-or-flight kicked in before he finished speaking. I lunged for the knife block, hoping the surprise from my sudden movement would slow him down. My heart beat so fast I could scarcely breathe, and my fingertips grazed one of theknives’ handle before a violent tug on my hair yanked my head backward.
I cried out. Seth shoved me to the floor, and pain exploded when I hit the tile with a hardthud. I scrambled to my feet, my movements clumsy with terror, but Seth grabbed me from behind again before I could make it two steps. A cold blade pressed against my throat and cut my second scream short.
“I didn’t want to do this.” His breath was hot against my cheek. “I don’t like hurting people, but you hurt him first. I just wanted to show my appreciation for him with the doll, the photo…I never wanted him to forget that there’s someone out there rooting for him. Butyouconvinced him I was out to get him. I should’ve known then that you were bad news.”
Dots danced in front of my vision. I could barely think; all my attention was focused on the sharp knife nicking my skin. One quick slash, and I was as good as dead.
The taste of copper filled my mouth.
