Page 26 of Stalking His Prey

No, that’s not true.

One emotion has a firm, painful grip over me: betrayal.

If these charges against Hawk are true, then that means he betrayed me in a way that I will never be able to recover from. What we shared together in the woods and his cabin goes beyond any kind of bliss I ever felt possible. Hawk gave me an experience so special that it will be embedded in my very soul for the rest of my life.

And to think that it could all be spoiled now by what happened back at the bar…

How will I go on?

“He can’t be…” I mutter again, as if on repeat.

Todd is in the kitchen, getting together some snacks for everyone, while Mack is standing in the corner with his arms crossed. Somehow, he ended up back here with us. I guess Todd invited him for some reason.

I still don’t like the look of him. He seems almost happy with what just happened. Does he think that if Hawk is out of the way, he will have another chance with me?

“It makes perfect sense!” he says with a shrug. “That dude lives in a cabin in the woods! Is that not aperfectlocation for a serial killer? Think about how easily he could be hiding bodies out there!”

“Mack, would you shut up?” Anna hisses. “You’re not helping.”

“I’mnot helping?” Mack scoffs. “That guy was about to pick a fight with me because he didn’t like where I was looking!”

Anna shoots Mack a scolding glance, which shuts him up for the moment. I pick up my tea and take a sip. Ginger-orange. I feel my sinuses opening up as I inhale the steam and close my eyes, trying to shut out the dreadful reality that has come crashing down on me like an avalanche.

Images of Hawk flash into my mind: him standing behind me, shirtless with his mask on…the coil of rope in his hand…him chasing me naked through the woods…him holding a knife up to my face…

Could he actually be the fabled Tree Saw Killer that’s eluded the police for the last few years?

“No!” I blurt out, opening my eyes. “It’s not him!”

My dramatic outburst causes my entire body to shake, and I spill tea everywhere, including all over my hands and arms. The steaming water stings my skin, but I’m not affected. I have bigger things on my mind right now.

“Unbelievable,” Mack scoffs once more. “Look at the facts! The cops foundbloodin the back of his truck.”

“So? He lives in the woods. Maybe it was from hunting!”

“The cops said it washumanblood,” Mack counters. My heart skips a beat. I glance over at Anna, who sadly nods her head.

“That is…super sketchy,” Todd agrees.

“And think about how you two met,” Anna says softly. “Is a man who chases you down with a mask, threatens you with a knife, ties you up and carries you back to his cabin in the woods really…normal?”

I rocket to my feet, overwhelmed by a rush of painful emotion.

“I loved what he did to me!” I lash out as tears spill down my cheeks. “Does that meanI’mnot normal?” Everyone just looks at me.

“The fact that Hawk helped me fulfill a fantasy of mine does not make him a killer!”

“So why did the cops arrest him?” Mack laughs. “What about the blood? You think they just randomly picked him up for no reason? They’ve clearly been tracking him–”

“We don’t know that,” Anna interrupts. But yet again, Mack simply laughs as though we’re both idiots.

“Come on, Mack,” Todd chimes in. “Give it a rest.”

“Women are ridiculous!” he sneers, throwing his hands up. “I make one joke she doesn’t like and she walks out on me, then Hawk tries to start a fight with me, and she’s defending him? How dumb can you be?”

“That’s enough, Mack,” Todd says sternly. He brings some chips and salsa over and sets it on the coffee table. “It’s been an emotional day already. Let’s not make things worse.”

Todd takes pulls up a seat and starts snacking, but I’m still too torn up to even function, let alone eat. Anna rubs my back, doing her best to comfort me, but my mind is so scattered I’m having a hard time deciphering how I should really think about this.

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