Page 51 of Casper
“We left rational behind a long time ago. Right about the time you decided to move on and forget about me.” Eyes flashing with a manic rage, he smashed his lips against mine. His kiss was hard and ugly. Making me feel sick. “You won’t forget about me for long, Luna. I’m going to make you remember everything.”
My stomach turned as nausea caused bile to rise up in the back of my throat. His mere proximity was enough to make me sick.
“You need to stop this, Jace. You’re going to get yourself killed. You just got your life back. You should want better for yourself. Let’s talk this out.” We both knew there was nothing left to say. I had to try something to get him to back off.
“What would you like to talk about? How you’ve put together this neat, tidy life for yourself. Forgetting about the guy who would’ve done anything for you. Replacing me withsome black market thug who can’t even speak. That’s fucking pathetic.” Jace’s fingers tightened on my arms, squeezing hard enough to make me cry out.
Hearing him talk about Casper that way infuriated me. Who the hell did this loser think he was to talk about Casper like he was less?
“You don’t even know him,” I spat. “Casper is better than you’ll ever be. In every way. The only pathetic person here is you. Still the same loser you were as a teenager. You haven’t changed at all.”
So much for talking him down. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Pissing Jace off was only going to make things worse.
He gave me an aggressive shove, throwing me against the window. My head banged off the glass. Adrenaline flooded me. I was going to have to fight.
Jace confirmed that when he pulled a knife, pressing it to my throat. “I could kill you right here and now. What would your boyfriend think if he found you with your throat slashed wide open? Maybe if I can’t have you, then neither can he.”
Fear had me trembling. The sharp side of the blade bit into my skin, making me afraid to move or even speak. He could so easily slice my throat open.
“Please don’t do this. We can sit down and talk. We can even go out for a drink or something.” Desperate to get him away from me and out of my room, I was willing to bargain. To try anything.
“It’s too late for that now. The damage is done. You know I really didn’t want it to go down like this. We could have had something really great, Luna. Our whole future ahead of us. Instead, you chose to throw it all away.” With every word Jace spoke, his tone took on a more deadly and unhinged note.
The pressure of the knife against my throat increased. The blade began to cut into my skin. Knowing I didn’t havemuch time to make a move, I flung my hand out, snatching up the lamp from the small bedside table. Swinging it as hard as possible, I smashed the thick ceramic base against Jace’s skull.
The first hit momentarily stunned him. Before he could recover, I swung the lamp again and again. The third time the base broke apart over his head. His eyes rolled back as he went down on the floor. Dropping the lamp, I jumped over him and raced for the door.
I made it down a few floors before I realized I left my phone behind. Not knowing what else to do, I headed for the main floor toward the common area where some of the residents hung out in the evening. Maybe I could use someone else’s phone to call Casper.
Momentarily, I considered calling the cops, then immediately dismissed that idea. If the cops knew that Jace was bothering me, they would immediately link his death to Casper when that finally occurred. I had no choice other than to keep this quiet.
Needing to take a few moments to calm down, I paused near the lobby. There was always someone going in and out. If I’d had my car keys, I would have simply left and driven to Casper’s house.
Not wanting Jace to wake up and find me, I turned to head down the hall to the common area. There was a bang on the front door to the building. I spun around to find Casper there, desperate to get inside.
I hurried to open the door for him. “I was just about to call you. Jace is here. He’s upstairs in my room.”
Casper nodded, signing, “I know.”
Gently he took my chin in a hand, lifting it so he could see the small wound at my throat. His fingers were gentle on my skin as he wiped a small bead of blood away.
“How did you know?” I asked. Overcome with relief, I held tight to his arm as we ascended the stairs back to my room.
“There’s a camera in your room,” he signed, unapologetic. “I put it there for this reason.”
I certainly hadn’t expected him to say something like that. Still buzzing high on adrenaline and terror, I wasn’t sure how to feel. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought it was safer if you didn’t know.” Casper paused, pulling his arm from my grasp to make it easier as he continued. “I know it was a violation of your privacy. I wish I could be sorry, but I needed to protect you.”
He continued on up to my floor with me in tow. I didn’t know how to feel about anything right now. Maybe later when I had some time to calm down. Discovering that my criminal boyfriend had stashed a camera in my room may have freaked me out more if my ex hadn’t just promised to kill me.
We reached my floor, finding the door to my room open as I’d left it. I hung back, letting Casper go first. Peeking into the room behind him, I was surprised to find it empty. Jace was gone.
Casper silently fumed. A notification on my phone screen caught my eye. Picking it up from the desk where I’d left it, I found a text message from Jace.
See you soon.
CHAPTER THIRTY
