Page 168 of Ominous: Part 1
She darts in front of me, opening up the door to the onslaught of the storm.
After I reassure her I’m more than okay to drive, I tuck the books close to my chest and sprint down her steps, past the fountain in the circular driveway, and to my car, parked behind a freaking limo.
I yank open my back door, dump in my books, close the door, and slip in behind the wheel, slamming my own door closed and wiping water from my temple with the back of my hand as I take a breath, adrenaline coursing through me.
The rain isloud,and I can’t see shit through my windshield. But my car isn’t on yet, and the wipers are stationery, so I know once I get that taken care of and my lights flicked on, I’ll be okay.
I turn the key I left in the ignition, and the dash lights fill the cabin of my Sentra as my yellow headlights shine on the rear of the limo.
“Fifty Shades”by s0clichè starts playing loudly as I blindly reach for my seatbelt, watching lightning streak across the sky in a bright, vivid shade of blue. When I drop my gaze to click my belt in place,I almost fucking scream.
My heart leaps to my throat, the belt slides from my fingers, and my pulse ricochets inside my head. I don’t even have words for a long moment, they’re stuck inside my open mouth as I blink, taking inEli Addisonin my back fucking seat, opposite the books I hurriedly tossed in.
He has his elbows on his knees, his hands pressed together, resting just under his chin as he watches me, dressed all in black, the skull ring on his middle finger glinting from the dash lights. There’s the slightest smile on his face, and he is perfectly still.
I press a hand to my chest, feeling my heart racing beneath my shirt, my jacket pushed back on my shoulders as I tighten my other hand around the wheel.
“Hi,” he says softly, and I still haven’t yet caught my breath. I can’t speak, so he keeps going. “If you don’t mind…” He nods toward the front seat, and without waiting for my response, he gets out, shuts the door, and gracefully gets into the front, closing the door and quieting the storm raging outside.
I inhale, great gulping breaths, heart hammering hard. “What thefuckare you doing?”
He swipes his hand over his dark hair, rain flecking from his strands as he looks at me, dropping his palm to his lap, fingers splayed.
I think about his texts.
The photo of Dom.
“I could ask the same of you. You like playing with Dom in the library?”
Every limb in my body is tense and shaky all at once. I want to smash his head against the window. I want to kiss him so hard he bleeds. “You’re stalking me.”
He rolls his eyes, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Who has whose passcode to their phone?”
My pulse is loud inside my head. The music seems louder, still, as I stare off with him.
“Let me see yours.” The request is said like an afterthought, like he’s asking for spare change. His eyes drop down to my phone in the console.
“See it?” I taunt him.
His smile is eerie as lightning illuminates just this side of his face. “What has Dom been whispering to you in the dark?”
“What happened to Winslet?”
His eyes lift to mine. “Unlock your phone for me.”
“Get out of my car.” The cold rain is wicking away from the back of my neck, causing chills to course through my body. My leg starts to tremble, my foot on the brake even though I haven’t put the car in drive yet.
He stays silent. I wonder what he thinks about in these moments, when he’s watching, taking everything in, but refusing to give a piece of himself. He wants all the cards. He makes all the calculations. He writes the rules of the game before anyone makes a play.
“Unlock your phone.” He repeats the words.
I grind my teeth, turning to stare out at the storm.
I sense him as he leans in close. He’s an icy darkness, far more terrifying than the lightning and thunder and downpour happening all around us. He’s frozen in my veins, he could stop my heart. He could take my life, and I’m not sure I’d mind.Thatis what scares me. Not him.Never him.
“Unlock. Your.Fucking.Phone.”
I close my eyes as if I can turn off my feelings.
