Page 80 of Beautiful Prey

“I know. But it’s okay. We got the cops here, they agreed to stick around to talk, but…”

I glanced at the officers who now turned to study me as Lena tried to talk with them. “What?”

“We called them specifically to tell them you were in danger. After fifteen minutes of questioning, they finally agreed to come. But now they’re interrogating Lena and giving off that ‘party’s over’ vibe. Half the people left already when they showed up. It’s bullshit.”

I gazed around and noticed the place seemed less crowded than usual. And I saw more people leaving out the patio gate. I wanted to feel sorry for Lena, for all of them, for putting them through any of this. But I knew if I tried to apologize, they would hear none of it.

“They wanna talk to you,” he said, “just to get an idea of the situation.” He led me back out to the patio. I saw the worry on Lena’s face as the officers turned on me.

“You Eve?” one officer, a large man with a reddish beard, asked, his eyes looking back at me suspiciously. His badge readCormin.

“Yes,” I said.

“They said you were at a different party and someone attacked you?”

“That’s right.”

He shifted, putting his hand on his belt. “You think he followed you here?”

A shiver went through me. “I don’t know.” Now that the officer brought it up, I was growing paranoid again, shifting my eyes toward the patio gates to the dark street beyond.

“Have you been drinking or done any drugs at all?”

“No.”

He studied my face as if not totally convinced. “Has this man been following you for a while?”

“Just tonight.”

“What does he look like?”

I closed my eyes and started to laugh. I placed my hand over my face as if to hide my embarrassment. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” he repeated.

“He’s changed. I don't know for sure. But he’s very large. He has dark auburn brown hair and yellow eyes.”

“Yellow eyes?”

I swallowed. “Maybe like a golden hazel. He’ll be wearing a red or silver skull mask. That’s all I can tell you.”

“So you know him?”

It took me a moment to answer. “Yes, I know him.”

“He an ex-boyfriend then? You two have a bad fight or something?”

“N-no, not exactly.”

“Um, more like hell no, this guy is crazy,” Lena finally blurted. “He’s a damn serial killer. He wants her dead.”

The two officers looked at us each like we were a bunch of stupid kids messing with them. The other officer, a thinner man with short buzzed hair, looked a little annoyed.

“He wants you dead?” Cormin asked.

I nodded, feeling my throat tightening.

“Do you have anywhere safe you can go?”

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