Page 134 of Freshmeet
Someone was clearly fucking with us, and all I had to go off on was a text message from an unknown number.
Who texted me?
Fear for Sarah’s safety brought me to my feet despite all the pain. Wind whipped the icy rain into my eyes, making it difficult to see as I limped across the empty square. The storm had replaced every bit of summer heat, chilling me to the bone.
As I reached the edge of downtown, tornado sirens blared.
“Fucking perfect,” I groaned, picking up the pace toward Frattic, praying she’d let me in when I got there.
In the alley behind Sarah’s apartment stood a lone figure.
“Connor,” they called out.
“What are you doing here?” I yelled over the howling wind.
Carter laughed and walked toward me. “Duncan and I ran into Sarah, and she seemed upset, so I walked her home.”
“I need to talk to her,” I said, trying to go around him.
His hand shot out, and he stopped me right in front of the steps. “I don’t think so. Why don’t you go home, and she’ll call you when she’s ready?” He gave me a smug smile and patted my cheek.
I slapped his hand away. “Fuck you, man.”
Carter’s grin twisted into something ugly, and he stepped into my space, chest to chest. “You want to hit me, Connor? Do it.”
Carter and I were roughly the same size, but I was thicker, strengthened by years of manual labor. Lucky for him, Duncan had beaten the shit out of me.
“Get out of my way,” I snarled over the sirens, ready to go right through him.
He laughed and gave me a half-hearted shove. “I see Duncan didn’t beat the spirit out of you.” Sighing, he pulled something out from behind his back.
I was too late when I realized what it was.
Carter swung the large hunting knife at me, slicing my forearm as I jumped away.
“You’re fucking crazy,” I yelled. A flash of lightning splintered across the sky, illuminating the now bloody blade as he raised it above his head.
“Maybe.” He jabbed the knife toward my midsection, but I lunged away.
My foot caught in a pothole in the gravel parking lot, and I fell on my cut arm. Howling in pain, I crawled behind Sarah’s car, dragging my twisted ankle through the worn rocks past her slashed tires.
Carter stalked me, his calm steps crunching in the wet gravel. “Let’s make this fair,” he chuckled, setting his knife on the trunk of Sarah’s car. Crouching down, he offered me a hand. “Stand up, and let’s handle this like men.“
I huffed out a humorless laugh.
His smile fell, and he stood. “Let me rephrase that. Stand up, or I’ll gut you like I did Hailey.”
His words punched the air right out of my chest. All this time, we’d been partying with a killer. My blood ran cold when I realized he’d slept under the same roof as Sarah. He must have been the one who tacked those panties to my door.
“You sick fuck.” I scooted back, my ass hitting grass.
“Well, now you’re just being mean.”
I stood, favoring my good leg. Testing my hurt ankle, I let out a relieved breath when it could bear my weight.
Carter’s eyes flashed with excitement when I took a step toward him. Balling up my fist, I swung, clocking him right in the face. His head flew to the side, and he laughed.
Spitting out blood, he smiled at me. “Again.”
