Page 14 of Haunt Me

No, no, no. This can’t be happening.

Staring at the screen, my eyes wide and my heart racing, a cold sweat forming on my brow. Chloe’s voice brings me back,“Star, they say he’s not been seen since that night—the night he took you home. Did anything happen?”

As I clutch my phone tightly with shaky hands, I pause and inhale deeply before explaining, “Uh, well, things were getting a bit heated, but I had a change of heart, so he ended up leaving.”

She remains silent for a while before speaking again,“Okay, damn, I hope he’s okay. But please, don’t tell anyone. If the police find out you were the last person seen with him, they might consider you a suspect, even if nothing happened.”

This is all my fault.

“Yeah, okay—thanks for letting me know, Chlo, see you tomorrow, yeah.”

After saying our goodbyes, I head back to the kitchen, slowly stirring the hot liquid, lost in my thoughts.

That psycho did this.

He did something to Caden, I’m sure of it—and then I let him touch me. God, I think I’m gonna be sick.

My heart jumps as a loud bang echoes through my front door, making me yelp and nearly leap out of my skin. I feel a chill as each additional bang reverberates through the air. With each step toward the door, my heart quickens its pace and my breath becomes shallow. With caution, I gently twist the knob and gradually open the door, causing my heart to feel like it’s ready to burst.

Why the hell am I even opening the door?

I fully extend the door and, wouldn’t you believe it, Mr. Creep has returned.

“No, you’ve got what you wanted, so please leave or I’m calling the police.” I try slamming the door in his face, but he stops it with his hand, and that’s when I see him slumped over and holding his ribs with one hand. He’s breathing heavily and when he lifts his head, I gasp. His face is covered in bruises, and blood is dripping from his nose and mouth. The red liquid staining my front porch.

“Please,” he pleads in a barely audible voice, as if speaking louder would cause him pain, “I havenowhere else to go.” Skeptically, I gaze at him with disbelief.

“Why would I ever help you after what you’ve done?” I say, crossing my arms and waiting for his response. A cunning smirk spreads across his lips, and I can already tell he’s about to make a snarky comment.

“What? Is making someone cum a crime now?” he retorts.

I fucking knew it. Ugh, he’s so insufferable.

I give him one more glance and can’t help but wonder what happened. Against my better judgment, I step outside and support his weight by slinging his arm over my shoulders. It's like trying to carry a skyscraper. He’s incredibly tall and probably twice my body weight.

Once we’re inside, I kick the door closed and guide him to the bathroom. I help him sit on the steps of my bathtub, then rush to the kitchen to fetch the first aid supplies.

“So, you actually knocked this time instead of breaking in through my bedroom window,” I mutter while retrieving the items from the kit. He cocks an eyebrow and watches me closely.

“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll be back to my old ways in no time,” he teases, drawing his lower lip between his teeth, instantly capturing my attention. I ensured that I pressed firmly against the deep cut above his eye, causing him to hiss in pain. A faint smile tried to creep onto my lips, but I quickly shook it off. Silence hung between us as I continued to clean the wounds on his face—it seemed like someone had roughed him up badly. I wanted to ask what had happened, but I restrained myself and instead inquired about something I had been curious about, “So, are you going to tell me your name, Mr. Creep?” His chest rumbled with laughter at the nickname I had given him, and he bared his teeth, revealing a captivating smile.

Oh my.

“Mr. Creep—that’s quite creative,” he teased with a mischievous grin.

“Well, the things you do are creepy, so I thought it was fitting—plus, I don’t know your name.” He slightly spreads his legs and pulls me closer, positioning me between them. Our faces mere inches apart, his eyes darting between mine.

“Argent, my name is Argent.” I stared at him, quietly repeating his name, “Argent... well, I would say it’s nice to meet you, but that would be a lie.” His eyes glinted with something sinister as I repeated his name. I quickly averted my gaze and began to pack up the supplies, trying to focus on the task at hand.

“I love the way you say my name, princess,” he purred, causing me to involuntarily inhale sharply.

How does he do it? I’m supposed to be terrified of him, yet he has this ability to make me feel weak in the knees whenever he speaks to me. Suppressing any thoughts I had, I turned to him, glaring, “Stop calling me that—as you said, you know everything about me, so you probably know my name too.” I hiss at him, but all I get in response is another low chuckle, and I notice him clutching his side again.

Instantly, my attention is back on him as he continues speaking, “You’re right, I do know everything about you—except your name,” furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, waiting for him to elaborate, “I want to hear it from your pretty mouth.” I stare at him, wide-eyed and speechless. We lock eyes, neither of us daring to break the intense gaze. His eyes flicker between mine,and I feel as though he can see right through me, into the depths of my soul.

I swallow hard, moistening my lips, “Starlet.”

“Starlet,” he smiles, “Little star,” he murmurs in a low, seductive tone making me suck in a quick breath. I look away and grab the kit, ready to leave the bathroom, but he grabs my arm, stopping me, “Thank you, you had every reason to slam the door in my face, but you didn’t—thank you.” I simply nod, but as I turn to leave, I hear him hiss in pain. When I turn back, I see him clutching his ribs again.

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