Page 57 of Jack

“Oh, Ava, I forgot to get the mail. Would you run out and grab it?”

“Sure,” I said and headed back outside to the mailbox at our curb. The minute I stepped outside, I felt a skitter of nervous energy zip up my spine. Jack had been so paranoid, it was starting to rub off on me. I laughed a little, feeling simultaneously ridiculous for being afraid to walk to my own mailbox and vulnerable for being in the dark alone.

I got to the mailbox and found nothing but stupid flyers. All this anxiety for nothing.

“Hello, Ava,” a voice said from behind me.

I knew that voice.

I hated that voice.

I slowly turned, my legs shaking, a buzzing noise in my ears. This could not be happening.

But it was—he was here. His blond hair standing on end, as though he had run his fingers through it repeatedly, his blue eyes focused on me with single-minded intensity, filled with hostility and malice. Objectively, he was very attractive, but having known him, having dated him, his looks did nothing but fill me with fear and disgust.

I clutched the mail to my chest as though it might protect me from the wrath I could feel emanating from him. Terror had my pulse racing and my knees weakening. My breath was starting to come out in pants as my brain scrambled for a way out of this confrontation.

“Nothing to say?” he sneered.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I told you. I’m here for you. Did you think moving a couple states away was going to change anything between us?” He started to walk towards me and I stepped backward with each advancement.

I moved until the mailbox was between us. “Look, Chad, we’re done. You need to go home and move on with your life,” I said softly. I wanted to scream at him, but I didn’t. I was afraid to do anything that might provoke him. Using the mailbox to cover my actions, I slowly reached down into the pocket of my jacket for my cell phone. Fortunately, texting at school had made me an expert at navigating my phone without actually looking at it.

“Ava, you don’t fucking get it. I decide, not you. I say when we’re done. And I’m not done yet. You think I didn’t see you with that asshole? You think I didn’t see him with his fucking hands, his mouth, all over you?” He moved another step toward me, his fists clenching. I glanced around and saw his stupid Porsche sitting across the street behind me. It was like he was corralling me toward his car. I shot a look down at my hand and saw that my phone was open and hit the last number on my call list, which I knew was Jack and quickly put it in my pocket.

I hoped he could hear us.

“See, Chad? I’m not nearly good enough for you. Why do you even want me?” I asked, desperate to placate him, like I always had. Falling back into the old patterns of our relationship as a survival reflex.

“Ava, why doesn’t fucking matter. I want you and I get what I want. Let’s go,” he said as he walked toward me, clearly planning to drag me off and do who knows what.

Fuck no. Filled with adrenaline and mounting anger I darted toward my house and screamed. “Mom–”

I was cut off as a body slammed mine into the ground and a large hand covered my mouth. Chad was on top of me breathing heavily, his face twisted into a snarl of aggression, holding my hands above my head with one hand, his other still over my mouth. “Why do you have to make this so hard, Ava? Why do you have to make everything so fucking hard?”

I kicked my legs and screamed behind his hand, but it was muffled and not nearly loud enough to get anyone’s attention.

“Stop it, Ava,” he chastised me, as if I was a small child who couldn’t sit still in a movie theater, rather than the woman he was trying to abduct.

I tried stopped, but not because he told me. I needed to think, but all of my nerve endings felt like they were exploding simultaneously, and I couldn’t think of anything else but fighting.

“This is what’s going to happen, Ava. We’re going to get up and you’re coming with me. Do you understand. If you do, nod your head.”

My brain was screaming no, but I nodded my head, eager to get out from under his heavy body. He looked at me warily, no doubt suspicious of my sudden capitulation, but slowly lifted me off the ground, one hand still wrapped around my wrists and the other now wrapped around my throat.

When we were standing, he leaned in and his fingers tightened on the sides of my neck. “You can’t imagine all the things I’m going to do with you. I’ve been holding back, Ava, taking it easy on you. No more,” he gritted out.

“Is that why you’ve been following me, slashing my tires, breaking windows?” I choked out.

He jerked his head back, his eyebrows drawing together. “What?”

I peered at him and was stunned to realize he looked genuinely confused.

The screech of tires distracted both of us. We turned to find Jack, his eyebrows knotted over eyes simmering with savage rage, storming towards us. His fist was already drawn back, ready to attack.

“Get your motherfucking hands off her,” Jack growled as he grabbed Chad by the collar of his undoubtedly very expensive button-down shirt and dragged him away from me.

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