| gave Charlie a frosty, mocking look. "So, what's your point after all that talk?" He casually touched my cheek with his fingers. "I've taken care of them. Cwith me. What do you say?" "You're crazy!" | snapped, my stare sharp as knives.
Instead of getting mad at the insult, he just asked, "What's the matter? Can't stand the thought of leaving your family, friends, or Idris behind?" He was completely unhinged, and | was not about to waste my breath on him. | met his gaze with a chill in my voice, "Lucas, this isn't slawless frontier. You killed Officer Jackson and took me. Do you seriously think you're off the police's radar?" He let out a low, mocking laugh. Before he could reply, however, his phone started ringing.
He glanced down with a smirk, "You're right on twith that warning. How about a little wager? Let's see what the cops can do to me, even if they manage to trackdown." | watched him, all cocky and mocking. Quietly, | bit my lip, keeping quiet.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWith a playful raise of his eyebrow and a smile, he slipped back into Charlie's friendly, approachable skin and walked out of the dark room. | was amazed at how quickly someone could flip their expression like a switch.
| never once suspected that the kind Charlie, who was always so nice to me, was actually Lucas—the sguy who could kill without a second thought. If it had not been for Officer Jackson's death, | never would have connected the dots between these two completely different people.
The dark room was still as empty as ever, with the TV at the end of the bed frozen on a scene of a man and a woman.
The man's face on the screen was all too familiar, and it felt like a thousand knives were stabbingin the heart, making every breath taste bitter and sharp.
Why was Idris with Alice? What on earth happened tonight? How did it cto this? Had Idris really not noticed | was missing all this time? As for my mom and Maxwell, last night was New Year's Eve, and they had not seenall night. Did they really have no clue? Lucas's words were not just empty threats. | was alive and now kidnapped, stuck in this pitch-black room, not knowing if | would live or die. If | ended up dead and dumped in the wilderness, how long would it be before someone found me? Would | just be a pile of bones years from now or found only after | had rotted away? Thinking this only mademore terrified and helpless. | was scared of dying alone, scared of Lucas's madness, scared he might go after everyone | care about, and terrified that the people | love would not even know how | died.
| forced myself up from the chair, desperate to find a way out to save myself.
| never saw it coming. Lucas barged in way too fast. He paused at the top of the stairs, givingthis eerie smirk that sent chills down my spine. He watchedflail around like | was a fly without a head, clueless and desperate.
Our eyes locked, and he flashed a twisted smile, sauntering down the stairs with that wicked curved knife in his hand. He ran his finger along the blade, and blood welled up like beads of water, trickling out without a care. He licked the blood off his finger, letting the rest drip down, as if he could not even feel it.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe sight of this lunatic made my skin crawl.
He stareddown, his voice dripping with scorn. "Quit trying, you're not going anywhere," he taunted, smearing his blood on my face. "Nobody's coming to whisk you away," he continued, undermining any hope | might have had.
| jerked away from his touch, glaring daggers at him. If | could, | would give him a few more stabs myself.
He did not give a damn about my glares. He just plopped down in a chair and said casually, "Sure, the cops were sniffing around me, but they didn't have a scrap of evidence. They left with nothing." Yeah, no evidence and no way to touch him.
| bit my lip, my mind racing to Idris. Maybe, just maybe, if | have been gone long enough, he would notice something is off. He might clooking, might pick up on something.
What if he did not, though? 1 did not know. Lucas seemed to get a kick out of my panic, lounging there with those cold, dark eyes fixed on me. He put the knife away with an almost reverent care, shootinga look that was calm but carried a clear warning. "I gave you that knife to keep you safe, not to turn on me, Yvette. Don't you dare try to use it againstagain." | kept my lips tight, staring down this creep. | hated him, more than anything, wishing he would just drop dead.
Lucas's brow creased in annoyance as he caught my gaze. "Stop staring atlike that," he snapped, standing up and striding over to me. He took hold of my chin, forcingto meet his eyes. "I don't like it." I met his glare with one of my own, my voice rough with emotion. "Lucas, what are you planning?" He sighed, a tired edge to his voice as he stroked my chin. "Why the hurry? You'll find out soon enough."