Page 98 of Racing Hearts

I follow him down and lock the front door, checking the windows. Everyone is huddled together in the living room. “Don’t panic, okay? He’s here.” Alice’s eyes widen, and I pull her into my arms. “He’s trying to scare you. I’m going to call the police. The doors are locked. They’ll come and get him, alright? You’re safe. We are all here.”

Just as I finish speaking, there’s a crash from the back of the house—the kitchen. I share a look with Evan, who finished setting out candles. “Stay with her,” I order. Gripping the bat tighter, I make my way down the hallway, but I feel Evan follow seconds later. When I glance back, Bones and Skylar are standing next to Alice, and they nod at me to let me know they have her.

I turn back to the hallway, peering at the dark kitchen, straining to see anything.

There’s another crash, this time from the front of the house. I hesitate but keep moving, needing to check the back door.

“Well, that’s clearly a trap, so nope, I’m not doing that. Not today, Mr. Serial Killer. You will have to do better. That’s a basic bitch move right there,” I hear Lally call as I move to the kitchen, Evan on my heels.

It’s dark, but light from the back garden streams inside.

The back door is open, the lock on the floor. I search the empty space, my eyes landing on the knife block and the empty spot where the biggest knife should be. All the hair on my body rises as fear washes through me. This is serious. I need to get them out of here. It’s no longer safe. “Evan, we can’t wait here for the police. We’ll drive to the station. Tell the others—” I turn just as something flashes in the dark.

A blur heads toward Evan, knife raised to plunge it into his body, the sharp tip glittering in the limited light.

Snarling, I push Evan aside, and he slams into the floor as I take the blade meant for him.

The sharp pain makes me grunt as I hit the wall, the knife sticking from my side before the shadow yanks it out and raises it again. My hands come up slowly to cover the wound when Evan yells and tackles the shadow, sending them sprawling across the room.

“Evan!” I yell, stumbling forward.

They grapple until Evan is above the masked assailant. The light shining in allows me to see a creepy mask over his face. Evan doesn’t care. He slams his fist into the man’s face over and over until he stops moving, then he grabs the knife and jumps to his feet. He turns to me, his eyes dropping to my side where I’m bleeding.

“Alek,” he whispers before he grabs me and shoves me down the hallway to the others. Alice screams when she sees me.

Evan grabs my keys and looks at the others. “Go now! To the cars! Head to the station,” he barks, shoving me to the front door as he glances back at the kitchen, the knife held in his hands as I grab him and pull him out after us, and we spill into the front garden. We all sprint to my car, squeezing in—Evan in the driver’s seat, me in the passenger seat, and the others in the back, sitting on knees. As Evan turns on the engine and peels away, I turn back to see the masked man run from the house and dive into a car two doors down. The lights splash on the empty, quiet road, and then he’s driving after us.

I look at Evan and find him gripping the wheel, glancing at the mirror over and over. “Ease up, baby,” I warn. “Head to the station.” Glancing down, I peel my hand away to see the bleeding wound. It’s deep, but I don’t think it hit anything vital or I would be bleeding more.

“What happened?” Bones asks from the back, where he’s perched on Skylar’s knee.

“Alice’s stalker was there. He tried to gut Evan, but I stopped him.”

“And got stabbed!” Evan yells hysterically, glancing at me with worried eyes. He looks at my side, where I’m holding the wound, and he gulps.

“Shh, it’s okay, pretty boy, just a flesh wound,” I promise, trying not to let my pain show.

“You let yourself get stabbed. Who lets themselves get stabbed nowadays?” Skylar scoffs.

Sighing, I glance back at him in disbelief. “I didn’t let myself get stabbed. I got stabbed. There’s a difference,” I grumble.

“Who gets stabbed? What are we, in Scream or Freddy vs. Jason? Hell, even Texas Chainsaw Massacre or some The Strangers bullshit?” He just keeps rapidly listing horror movies, and we all turn, even Evan, to stare at him. He stops babbling and glances around nervously. “What?”

“You have a suspicious amount of knowledge about horror films,” Bones deadpans as Sky’s cheeks heat, making me grin.

“I watch them when I want to feel something, okay?” Sky counters, and despite the situation, I kind of want to laugh, which is probably why he did it.

“When this is over, I think we need to get you a therapist,” I suggest with a grin.

“Or laid.” Bones snorts, glancing back at Sky, who wiggles his eyebrows at the tattooed asshole.

“Are you offering, sexy?”

“Is this really the time?” Evan yells, glancing at me as I staunch the blood flow. His eyes are wide and wild, and he’s holding the wheel like a lifeline.

“Right, serial killer on the loose and chasing us. Alek let himself get stabbed?—”

“I didn’t let myself get—you know what? Throw him out and let the stalker have him,” I tell Bones and Evan.

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