Page 4 of A Very Killer Christmas
“Turn off the screen and open the curtains. I need to see outside.”
I unfold my legs, wincing when pins and needles attack my calves. I’ve sat in one position way too long.
When I unwrap my electric blanket from around my shoulders, the cold in the room makes me shiver. Damn, I should have turned on the heat, but I was too engrossed in my game and lost track of time.
As soon as I pull the curtains open, the man is at my back. A strong arm snakes around my collarbones, and he drags me to the side. He is so tall, the back of my head rests against his chest. I shiver. I can’t remember when I was last touched by a man.
“Don’t try anything funny, like opening the window and screaming for help,” he growls in my ear, sending an electric current down my back.
Oh my.
“I wasn’t going to.” I swallow around a sudden lump in my throat. He’s sosolid, his body pressing to every plane and curve of mine. “It wouldn’t be logical, anyway. If anyone heard myscream, which is unlikely, they wouldn’t get here in time to prevent you from knifing me.”
“That’s right,” he rasps, shifting his hips until we’re even more tightly pressed together.Wow.“You’re a smart girl, aren’t you?”
My stomach clenches and releases with a strange, swooping feeling. As if something inside me took flight. Maybe the curry was bad.
“I suppose you could call me smart, for a certain value of smartness. What I lack in emotional intelligence, I make up for in strategic thinking.”
He tenses, the strong forearm pressing down on me growing harder, the body at my back stiffening. Then it vibrates. A low, raspy sound comes out muffled through the helmet.
After a moment of confusion, I realize he’s laughing.
His laughter cuts off immediately when the street outside pulses red and blue. A police car passes without a sound. The man releases a harsh breath.
“Oh.” I sigh in realization as I connect the facts. “Are they looking for you? What did you do?”
“I murdered someone,” he says in a cold, tense voice. “And if you don’t do as I say, you’ll be next.”
I swallow with difficulty, trying to stop thinking about how he’s still so solid and big against me. I’m not cold anymore, even though his clothes are well insulated, and I don’t feel much of his body heat. The heat is all mine.
My heart races from adrenaline, and my mouth goes soft and uninhibited as panic wipes out my mental filters.
When I get nervous, I babble.
“That’s not very logical, though, is it? If you kill me, you’ll raise your chances of being caught, which already seem high. I mean, they suspect you’re somewhere in this area. You don’t need another body.”
Just look at me, half-heartedly fighting for my life with logical arguments. Go, girl.
He grunts once, shifting his stance. I stumble and lose my balance. Faster than I think possible, he hooks his leg around mine to keep me upright. We’re entwined, and it’s so intimate, I feel like I’m about to self-combust. All my senses are in overdrive, and I don’t even know what I feel anymore. Am I terrified? Thrilled? Aroused? It’s so confusing.
The knife fills my vision as he lifts it to my face. In the faint light from the window, I can tell it’s sticky with something dark and viscous. Blood.
“See this?” he asks, his voice softening. “I’m a murderer. I’m in your house. Nothing will stop me from cutting your throat. So stop thinking and trying to be smart, and do as I say.”
My hands tremble. He’s being very clear. And yet…
“But you could have killed me already. You were going to, weren’t you? Instead, you’re holding me in this really confusing manner. You took my phone. I don’t think you want to hurt me.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
The cold edge of the knife presses to my throat. I freeze completely, my heart pounding so fast, it feels like my ribcage will burst any moment.
“Then again, I’ll be happy to follow your instructions,” I whisper, doing my best not to move my throat. The knife presses into my skin a touch too close. It feels like it will cut me if I take too big a breath. “I’m just saying. You don’t need to threaten me, is all. You could just ask.”
He pulls the knife away, and I’m ready to collapse from relief. My legs are jelly. The only reason I’m still upright is because the killer holds me up.
“I’m not stupid, so stop trying to get me to trust you,” he hisses. “I’m going to tie you up. Does this house have a basement?”
