Page 75 of Rage's Heart

I kept looking around but didn’t see a thing.

It’s all in your head, Davis.

Shaking my head, I squatted back down in front of the flat and got back to trying to remove the last lug nut.

Just as I’d positioned the tire iron, a shadow fell over me and a familiar voice rumbled, “If it isn’t the bitch who poisoned my girlfriend against me.”

My flight or fight instinct kicked in and I spun around to find Chad standing not even a foot away. His face was twisted in a scary, sardonic smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

I swallowed around the lump that was forming in my throat. He didn’t look like the Chad I knew at all. His clothes were rumpled like he’d had them on for a few days, his hair was greasy and unkempt, and there was a wild, unhinged look in his eyes that made my blood run cold.

“Chad,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady considering the fear prickling along my spine. “What are you doing here?”

He took a step closer, and I instinctively backed up against the side of my car.

“Waiting for you,” he replied, his voice slurred. “Been waiting a long time. Had to make sure you’d stop.”

The flat tire suddenly made more sense. This wasn’t a case of bad luck.

“You did this?” I gestured toward the tire, fighting to keep my tone neutral. “Why would you?—”

“Shut up!“ he snapped, his face contorted with unveiled rage. “You don’t get to talk. Not after what you’ve done.”

I swallowed hard, eyes darting over his shoulder to the garage’s entrance. There was no one in sight. My fingers inched toward my pocket for my phone.

“What exactly did I do, Chad?” I needed to keep him talking while I assessed my options. I quickly glanced to the tire iron that I’d dropped on the ground. It was a few feet away. I just needed to?—

He laughed. “You poisoned Sarah against me. Filled her head with lies. Made her leave me.”

“Sarah left because you hurt her,” I countered, immediately regretting my words when his expression darkened even more.

Shit.

“I never hurt her!” he roared, taking another step toward me. “She… she...” He took another step closer. “It was a fucking accident. But you—” his eyes narrowed to slits. “You took advantage of her. Got her to run away with you and your loser boyfriend.”

Loser? Rage was ten times the man Chad would ever be. He’d seriously lost his damn mind.

My eyes darted around, looking for an escape, and that’s when I saw it. The outline of a gun tucked into his waistband, under his shirt.

My mouth went dry.

“Chad.” I forced myself to remain calm. “Why don’t we both calm down and talk about this like adults? I’m sure we can?—”

His face twisted with rage, and I knew I’d screwed up trying to reason with him.

“Calm down?” he hissed, his hand moving to rest on the gun. “You want me to calm down when you’ve destroyed my life? I lost my job yesterday. Did Sarah tell you that? I was late again because I was up all night wondering where she was. But you knew, didn’t you? You’ve been hiding her from me.”

My heart was racing. He really had lost his fucking mind. I held my hands up placatingly, every muscle in my body tense. “I’m sorry about your job. That must be really difficult. I’ll help you find another one—a better one, okay?”

His eyes shifted around the parking garage before landing back on me. “You know what’s funny?” he asked, his voice suddenly eerily calm. “I always thought you were hot. Always wondered what it would be like to have you instead of Sarah.”

My nose wrinkled. How disgusting could one man be? But considering all the vile shit he’d said to me over the last couple of years, it really didn’t surprise me.

“Oh, I see. Too good for me, right?” he said, noticing the look on my face. “Too busy being a little cock tease. Strutting around the apartment in those tiny shorts.”

I inched sideways, trying to put some distance between us. “You need help. This isn’t you talking, it’s the alcohol or?—”

“Don’t tell me what I need!” he roared, lunging forward.

---