Page 78 of Beautiful Prey

He looked back at the older woman who was pulling her jacket tighter around her. “You saw him too, you said?”

“That’s right,” she answered. “He broke the storage room door to get to us. Followed us down to the garden.”

“But you didn’t see him start the fire,” the officer asked us both.

“Well, no,” the woman replied.

“It was him,” I said after. “I’m telling you. He will hurt more people.”

“Why would he do that if he's after you?”

“He just would. Please, you have to—”

There was another thunderous boom, fire shattering several windows. I could suddenly hear the loud sizzle of an electric line and the shouts of more people close by. The officer put out his arm to have us back away as he talked into his walkie.

“Eve!” Mr. Foley called. “We have to go.”

The officer was calling for backup and I was out of time. People were rushing everywhere, the street was becoming congested with cars and if I didn’t leave now I could be blocked out. Any moment he could appear. I fell back and the woman nodded for me to go, to get out and run.

I returned to Megan and Mr. Foley. Megan’s car was parked closer. We saw her off before heading back toward mine.

“Be safe, Eve,” Mr. Foley said as I got in my car. I shut the door and locked myself in as he walked off. I quickly shifted into drive, my car jerking as I backed out of the space.

I was so tense getting out of there my neck and back started to hurt. I waited to see Emery coming at me, shattering my window and dragging me out. I checked all around me, my knuckles white on the wheel, honking a few times for someone to move. When I thought I caught someone moving behind my car, I jerked forward and cut across the corner of the street in my desperate need to get away, almost colliding with an oncoming vehicle. I looked back behind me and saw it wasn’t him.

It wasn’t until I reached a stop light on a wide main road about to head onto the freeway that I reached inside my dress to take out my phone, ready to call—who? I couldn’t call Uncle Wes of course. I thought about 911 but I figured half the police were on their way to the mansion now. Plus, what could they do if I was driving? For now the only one I could think to contact now was Jamie.

As I unlocked the screen of my phone, I was met with twelve missed calls, five texts, and three voicemails. Four calls were from that number I hadn’t recognized. The rest were from Jamie.

“Jesus, Eve, I thought the worst,” Jamie picked up at the first ring. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I’m about to get on the highway. I-I’m not sure what to do.” I tried to keep my voice from cracking but couldn’t help it. “He’s out, Jamie. Somehow, he got out.”

“I know,” he said.

“How?”

“Liam told me,” he said. “He got wind of Emery’s escape from work. The department in Bayville was trying to keep it secret to not create a panic so no one outside their jurisdiction got informed until a few hours ago. He got out this morning. Killed two of the security guards on the bus and one of the doctors who had been following behind.”

I remembered the eyes in the little box and knew exactly who. The light turned green and I floored it. “He came to the banquet,” I said. “He set the place on fire and came after me. He nearly caught me.”

“Shit, Eve.”

“Uncle Wes is in the hospital, I thought to go but…but I’m scared he’ll go there too. I don’t know what to do.”

“Did the police show up?” he asked.

“Yeah, I told them he was there. They called for backup but I was too scared to stay. I thought if I got as far away as I could…”

“That’s a start,” he said. I could hear the dull sounds of laughter and music in the background, then the shutting of a door, making them grow quiet. “Liam is on his way. He was out near Bowling Green, but he just left a half hour ago.”

“I’ll head back to my apartment then, let the building staff know and call the police from there—”

“No. Donotgo back there. Not tonight.”

“I need to change anyway, then pack some things and get out of dodge or something. Find a safe place.”

“Just come here. We’ll call the police when you get here and Liam will be right behind to protect you until we can figure something out.”

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