Page 14 of Carnival Nightmare

“Except the cop who you threatened and held a knife to his throat!’”he shakes his head. “What the fuck, man?”

“He didn’t see me. I wore a mask. Chill out, Ty. We’ll leave here in less than two weeks. This shit never follows us.”

Ty rakes his hands through his hair, looking like he wants to murder me.

“It wasn’t just any bullet, Ty. It was my grandpa’s engraved bullet,”I explain. “The one he gave me before he died.”

Ty’s face softens a bit, but his eyes stay hard. “And why exactly did the cops have it in evidence?”

I hesitate. If I tell Ty the full truth, he’ll flip his lid. But I also know he won’t drop this without answers.

“I left it for someone,”I say finally. “A girl.”

“A girl,”Ty repeats. “So you broke into her place?”His face turns furious. “Fuck’s sake. You said you had nothing to do with breaking into that girl’s apartment!”

“I didn’t break in,”I lie. “I was invited over and left it as a gift. The girl must’ve freaked out and called the cops.”

Ty narrows his eyes, scrutinizing me. “Bullshit. I know how you can get. Obsessive. Possessive. You’ve gone full-on stalker on this one, haven’t you?”

I clench my jaw, hating when Ty talks to me like I’m some kind of psycho.

“I really like her, okay?”I snap. “She’s special. Different.”

Ty snorts. “Yeah, I’m sure. Listen to me, brother. Leave this girl alone. Don’t go near her again.”

My hands ball into fists. Who is Ty to tell me what to do? He doesn’t understand my connection with Lily.

“I can’t do that,”I say through gritted teeth. “I need to see her again.”

Ty grabs my shoulders, forcing me to look him in the eye. “If you care about staying out of prison, you’ll stay away from her.”

I know Ty’s looking out for me, but he doesn’t get it. My angel is different. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. Sure, I’ve got in trouble being too forward with women before, creeped them out, as well as getting in fights after fucking women who were already married, but this with Lily is nothing like those occasions. I knew she was special when I first saw her in that diner. Those big doe eyes seemed to stare right through me. That cascade of golden hair framed her delicate face. The way she smiled shyly when she brought me my coffee. Everything about her draws me in like a moth to a flame.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stay away from her,”I say, even as my gut twists just thinking about never seeing Lily again.

Ty looks relieved, clapping me on the shoulder. “Good man. Plenty of other girls out there.”

I force a smile and nod. But as Ty walks away, I know there’s no way I can keep that promise. Lily has awakened something primal in me that I’ve never felt before. An all-consuming need to possess her, protect her, make her mine.Sure, I’ve had infatuations with girls before, and I have never been good with boundaries, which is why I’ve got into a shitload of trouble, but Lily is different.

I saw the fire in her eyes when our gazes locked as she waited to get on the gravitron. Deep down, beneath her facade of fear, a part of her craves me too. If I could get her alone again, she’d realize we’re fated for each other and awaken the fierce passion hidden beneath her shy exterior. She thinks she wants some nice, normal guy, but she needs someone like me who sees beyond the surface to her true, wild self. Together, we’d be unstoppable. She’s the only one who can tame the darkness within me.

I respect Ty, but he’s wrong about this. I have to see Lily again, no matter the risk. I’ll be more meticulous this time and plan every detail, covering my tracks. One way or another, she will be mine.

10

LILY

Blinking against the sunlight streaming through the blinds, I wake, wondering where I am. For a moment, I panic. Then it comes back to me—I spent the night at Alice’s apartment.

I sit up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I feel rested. Ever since that disturbing encounter with the mysterious man at the carnival, I’ve barely been able to close my eyes without imagining him lurking in the shadows.

But spending the night at Alice’s, staying up late watching silly movies together, has helped calm my nerves. I feel lighter this morning, and the knot of anxiety in my chest has loosened slightly.

I shuffle into the small kitchen, following the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Alice is sitting at the tiny table, staring intently at the newspaper. She startles when she notices me and quickly folds the paper shut.

“Morning!” she says brightly. Too brightly. “There’s coffee if you want some.”

I pour myself a mug and sit down across from her. “Thanks again for letting me crash here. I really needed a good night’s sleep.”

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