Page 10 of Call It What You Want
“Shit. What are you planning?” Christian calls after me.
“Something I should have done years ago,” I call back.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ava
When I wake up, morning light is just starting to peek through the curtains. My head is pounding, and my throat feels raw, like I’ve been sleeping with my mouth open.Ugh. I swallow and wince at the sting.
Sitting up, I suddenly realize I’m not in my bed, and that realization triggers a flood of memories that slam into me like a nightmare—getting kidnapped, waking up in some random bedroom, seeing Jackson McKnight for the first time in three years…
The fucking cunt.
God, I hate him.
With a groan, I lean forward and press the heel of my palm against my throbbing temple. What the fuck did he inject me with?
“Morning, Doe-eyes,” comes his deep baritone from beside me.
I jump.Fuck.
“Youhaveto stop doing that,” I hiss, twisting to see Jackson lounging next to me on the mattress, his long, muscular legs stretched out in front of him, looking down at his phone.
“What did you inject me with?” I choke out, the words catching in my dry throat.
“Just a little something to help you sleep. You were getting agitated.”
Goddamn. This guy must have a death wish.
“Agitated?” My voice cracks with rage. “You drugged me, kidnapped me, then drugged me again, and somehowI’mthe problem?”
He doesn’t look up from the screen, thumb scrolling with casual indifference. Then I notice the teal phone case. He hasmyphone in his hand. I swipe at it, but he moves it out of my reach.
“Where’d you get that? I accidentally left it in my locker at work.”
Though it occurs to me now, my phone was never in my locker at Isca. He stole it somehow. This whole thing was orchestrated—my missing phone, Davidcoincidentallynot being at his post when I left...
Ignoring me, his thumb pauses, and he flips the phone around to show me the screen. “You and this douche, Chase, have such a boring relationship,” he says with a smirk.
“Boring is what I want,” I spit back. “It’s a million times better than the alternative.”
His eyes narrow. “Which is?”
“Chaos,” I say, unblinking. “Violence. Destruction.”
A slow smile stretches across his face as he sets the phone down next to him. Then he rolls over, bracing his hands on the headboard, one on each side of my head.
“We did have fun, though, didn’t we?” he says, his tone deep and gravelly.
A sliver ofsomethingsnakes down my spine, but I work hard to suppress it. Because this is his thing. This is what he does. He seduces, he lures, then once he’s gotten what he wants, he tears his victim to shreds…
“Sure,” I say with a scowl. “Until you wentfucking psycho.”
His eyes flick over my face, like he’s trying to decide what to do with me—strangle me, or kiss me. And honestly, I’d rather he try to kill me. At least I have some defense against that. Not much, but more than I have against those deep green eyes and that sexy-as-fuck smirk.
Finally, he pulls away, grabs my phone, and starts scrolling again. He pauses and turns the screen toward me. “Who is this?”
A sweet cherub face fills the screen—round, red cheeks, and messy brown hair that’s gotten too long. My heart stutters in my chest, and adrenaline floods my veins. I don’t want Jackson anywhere near my life, or the people I love. But I know he won’t accept a non-answer, so I give him one.
