Page 60 of Wickedly Tainted

“Okay, even ifyou’re not coo-coo bananas, what do you want? It’s been years. Whydidn’t you just go on about your life? Start fresh somewhere else.Why track me down?”

He smiled that samecruel smile as he glared at me. “I don’t want a fresh start. I wantmy life back but you took it away from me!” he yelled. He pulledthe knife he had used on Fiona out of his pocket and smiled at me.He twirled the blade between his fingers as he had in my dream. Myhands started to shake as I looked for a way out of this situation.I furrowed my brows in confusion. How did he get it back?

“Your lover wasstupid enough to leave this in his car after he brought you backhome.” He answered my unspoken question as I stared at the knife.“You took something from me, so I took something from you. Youshould just be lucky I took your cat and not your lover.” His smileproved just how insane he had truly become.

I couldn’t stop thequestion that rose from me. “Why did you take her to Damon’shouse?” I choked out behind the thick emotion clogging mythroat.

He chuckled as heplayed with the blade. “I had to make sure you’d come back here tome. I could see how much you were starting to hate being here. Iknew it was only a matter of time before you asked that fucker totake you to his home. So, I brought the cat to his house to scareyou back here.” He snarled in Boone’s direction as he spoke again.“The dog did take a chunk out of my leg before I could get away,though. Damn thing was lucky my knife was otherwise preoccupied,”he admitted as he lifted his pant leg. A nasty-looking gash in hisleg made me want to give Boone the biggest steak I could find.

When he walked overto the door that led to my backyard, I thought he was going toleave. But all he did was open the door and walk back toward me.Boone’s snarl of outrage became louder the closer Jason came tome.

All at once, hisadmission smacked me in the face. I felt all the color drain frommy face as I shook with adrenaline.

“What do you meanyou could see how much I hated being here? How would you know?” Iasked the question I already knew the answer to.

He snickered at meas he used the blade’s tip to scratch his temple. His smile wouldhave been endearing if he wasn’t so fucking crazy.

“Funny thing abouthome invasions, most people don’t think to check the attic.” Helaughed as I stopped breathing. “I’ve been your roommate for quitesome time now, Jill. You just didn’t know it until I was ready foryou to,” he admitted before he rushed for me.

I jumped back andtripped, falling flat on my ass and dropping the heavycandleholder. I thought I was done for, as I watched his largeframe hurtle toward me, only to be stopped by a seventy-poundgolden retriever. Boone launched himself in the air at Jason. Icringed as I heard the sickening sound of flesh being shredded.

Boone snarled as heclamped down on the intruder’s arm. Jason wailed in pain as the dogpulled all his weight down and shook his arm viciously, causing himto drop the knife. I scrambled across the floor for it. I was justwithin arm’s reach when Jason brought his booted foot down on myribs with a harsh kick.

All the air in mylungs left me in a whoosh as I screeched to catch my breath. Painflared across my torso as I curled in a ball at his feet. I watchedin horror as Jason used his free arm to hit Boone along his side,trying to get him to release his arm. His face was red and brutallyhateful as he hit the dog hard enough to elicit a yowl from him.Boone dropped to the ground next to me with a thud and Jason kickedhim just as hard as he’d kicked me.

“Stop!” Iscreamed.

Jason pulled thetemporarily incapacitated dog by his collar to the open door. Oncehe was clear, he slammed the door hard enough to rattle the glass.Boone was immediately on his feet, clawing, barking, and growlingat the door. Trying desperately to get back to me.

Jason leaned againstthe door for a moment before his hateful gaze turned back to me. Hewas covered in blood and it was pouring out in a steady stream tothe floor. As he stalked toward me, I scrambled for the knife onemore time.

I was on my handsand knees by the time he made it to me and had just gotten my gripon the knife as I felt him pull my hair. He ripped me up from theground and pain flared along my scalp as I screamed. I nearlydropped the knife to hold my hair as he jerked me upright.

He released me longenough to grab me around my torso. He held my arms to my sides andsqueezed me so hard I couldn’t breathe. I cried out as my bruisedribs screamed in protest. His blood still gushed from his arm,smearing all over me.

“Please!” I gaspedas my air was cut off.

He lifted me off theground briefly and I kicked wildly. A small victory rushed throughme as I landed a blow to his thigh and he lurched backward. Herecovered quickly, though, and tightened his grip once more beforeplacing my feet back on the ground. I tried to breathe as I grippedthe knife so hard in my palm that I thought my hand mightbreak.

“I should have endedthis the other night! It would have been easy,” he snarled againstmy cheek. “I’ve watched you for weeks, I learned your routine athome. You drink the same wine every night before bed. Every night!”he yelled against me and I gritted my teeth. “It was easy to crushup some Ambien and dissolve it in the wine,” he admitted and Ipaled.

He’d drugged notonly me but Damon too. That was why Damon couldn’t stay awake. Ishook violently as he continued.

“Loverboy laid therewhile I stood over you, Jill. He didn’t care enough about you towake up and protect you. I would have woken up!” He wasdelusional.

“You drugged him,you crazy fucker!” It took all my air just to get the words out asI thrashed against him. If I could just get my arm free I could endthis.

Jason’s heavy breathslithered across my ear as he spoke. “Stop fighting me, Jill. Can’tyou see that I just want to be with you? I love you so much, baby.”His voice sounded desperate as he shoved his face in my hair.

I shivered indisgust. “Jason, let me go.” I wheezed. My air supply was slowlydisintegrating the longer he gripped me, and my vision darkenedaround the edges.

“No! Don’t you getit? You’re mine and I’m not going to let anyone else have you,” hegritted angrily as he pushed me forward. I couldn’t let him get meout of the house.

I swore I heard myname being called suddenly. Jason stopped moving as if he heard ittoo.

Damon.

“He can’t have you,”Jason’s harsh whisper against my ear sent panic through my body. Icouldn’t allow him to take me.

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