measure, Carl sprawled backward, thumping against the hallway wall as the front door opened, shielding him from view.
"Behind the door! Get the fuck in here!” Brian yelled.
"What?” said Lil. “I come home early, and you—"
"In here! Now!” Brian shouted.
Lil strode into the living room, and Carl stepped out from behind the door, charging forward, knife raised, poised to plunge it into Lil's back.
"Lil!” Brian leaped forward, shoving Lil out of the way, putting himself between Carl and Lil.
Mistake .
Carl grinned, lunged, and felt the satisfying sensation of steel sliding into flesh. He pulled back and plunged again, this time meeting resistance almost immediately.
Brian lurched away with a howl.
Landing on his side, head almost hitting the coffee table edge, Lil turned to face Carl, eyes wide and face blanched of all colour. “You fucking...” He scrambled up, reaching for the phone on the coffee table.
Brian approached, and Carl reversed out the front doorway.
He was supposed to stay down!
The knife was slick with blood now, unstable, too hard to grip. “Fucker.” He snarled, turning quickly and running for the stairwell. Hard footsteps followed him, and he sped down the stairs, almost tripping, the squeak of his shoe soles loud in the confined space. At the bottom, he shoved the door open and burst outside, racing toward his car. Clicking his key fob to unlock the door, he yanked it open and dove inside, hands shaking as he inserted the key into the ignition. He slammed the door closed and revved the engine, glancing to the side to see Brian thundering toward him. He cursed parking in such a tight spot, and his foot slipped on the accelerator. The car shunted forward, smacking into the rear bumper of the car in front. He reversed, pranging the car behind, and stared at Brian, who slapped the driver's-side window, his face red and eyes blazing, leaving behind a smeared, bloody handprint.
Attention back on maneuvering his car out, Carl ignored his fast-thudding heart and pulled out, heedless of a car coming his way. He floored the gas pedal and slewed across the road, narrowly missing the other moving vehicle. Fear and excitement pumping through him, he swerved out of the street and around the corner, the realization that he couldn't return home slamming into him.
That bitch Lil will have called the police. Shit.
Out on the main road, he took deep breaths to calm his speeding heart and soothe his stretched nerves. He spied a woman getting out of her car outside a large residence and failing to lock it as she carried paper grocery sacks to her front door. Carl brought his car to a stop a few feet away and shut off the engine. The woman went inside her house, and Carl exited his car, running to the woman's. He slid inside and thanked his lucky stars that keys swung in the ignition. Quickly, he started the car and drove away slowly so as not to alert the owner with screeching tires. As he prepared to turn the corner at the end of her street, he glanced in the rearview mirror. The woman stood on the sidewalk where her car had been parked, hands on hips, a look of confusion on her face.
Carl turned right and laughed his adrenaline-fuelled ass off.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Six
* * * *
Vic—the cop...why I thought we were on a first-name basis eluded me at the moment—didn't speak as he'd manoeuvred the car away from Brian's building. His face was grim, blank—except his eyes. They were too deep, too intent. That look sent shivers through me, like he was trying to memorize my face, trying to see into my head, trying to...
"What?” My question came out harsh. Yeah. It sounded surly. Fear did that to a person.
I shifted, trying to ease the ache of shoulders held at an awkward, humiliating angle by the cuffs. The metal bit right through the bandages Lil had applied, and the pain cleared away some of the fog of shock. “You keep staring. What's your problem?"
"What do you see in
"Behind the door! Get the fuck in here!” Brian yelled.
"What?” said Lil. “I come home early, and you—"
"In here! Now!” Brian shouted.
Lil strode into the living room, and Carl stepped out from behind the door, charging forward, knife raised, poised to plunge it into Lil's back.
"Lil!” Brian leaped forward, shoving Lil out of the way, putting himself between Carl and Lil.
Mistake .
Carl grinned, lunged, and felt the satisfying sensation of steel sliding into flesh. He pulled back and plunged again, this time meeting resistance almost immediately.
Brian lurched away with a howl.
Landing on his side, head almost hitting the coffee table edge, Lil turned to face Carl, eyes wide and face blanched of all colour. “You fucking...” He scrambled up, reaching for the phone on the coffee table.
Brian approached, and Carl reversed out the front doorway.
He was supposed to stay down!
The knife was slick with blood now, unstable, too hard to grip. “Fucker.” He snarled, turning quickly and running for the stairwell. Hard footsteps followed him, and he sped down the stairs, almost tripping, the squeak of his shoe soles loud in the confined space. At the bottom, he shoved the door open and burst outside, racing toward his car. Clicking his key fob to unlock the door, he yanked it open and dove inside, hands shaking as he inserted the key into the ignition. He slammed the door closed and revved the engine, glancing to the side to see Brian thundering toward him. He cursed parking in such a tight spot, and his foot slipped on the accelerator. The car shunted forward, smacking into the rear bumper of the car in front. He reversed, pranging the car behind, and stared at Brian, who slapped the driver's-side window, his face red and eyes blazing, leaving behind a smeared, bloody handprint.
Attention back on maneuvering his car out, Carl ignored his fast-thudding heart and pulled out, heedless of a car coming his way. He floored the gas pedal and slewed across the road, narrowly missing the other moving vehicle. Fear and excitement pumping through him, he swerved out of the street and around the corner, the realization that he couldn't return home slamming into him.
That bitch Lil will have called the police. Shit.
Out on the main road, he took deep breaths to calm his speeding heart and soothe his stretched nerves. He spied a woman getting out of her car outside a large residence and failing to lock it as she carried paper grocery sacks to her front door. Carl brought his car to a stop a few feet away and shut off the engine. The woman went inside her house, and Carl exited his car, running to the woman's. He slid inside and thanked his lucky stars that keys swung in the ignition. Quickly, he started the car and drove away slowly so as not to alert the owner with screeching tires. As he prepared to turn the corner at the end of her street, he glanced in the rearview mirror. The woman stood on the sidewalk where her car had been parked, hands on hips, a look of confusion on her face.
Carl turned right and laughed his adrenaline-fuelled ass off.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Six
* * * *
Vic—the cop...why I thought we were on a first-name basis eluded me at the moment—didn't speak as he'd manoeuvred the car away from Brian's building. His face was grim, blank—except his eyes. They were too deep, too intent. That look sent shivers through me, like he was trying to memorize my face, trying to see into my head, trying to...
"What?” My question came out harsh. Yeah. It sounded surly. Fear did that to a person.
I shifted, trying to ease the ache of shoulders held at an awkward, humiliating angle by the cuffs. The metal bit right through the bandages Lil had applied, and the pain cleared away some of the fog of shock. “You keep staring. What's your problem?"
"What do you see in
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