Page 199 of Teacher's Pet

His knife arcs down, the blade narrowly missing my skull as I roll aside.

Walker’s dying gasps rattle behind me, his body twitching in its final moments.

Cole’s breath is ragged, fury dripping from every inch of him. His eyes lock onto Walker’s corpse, horror and rage twisting his features.

"You fucking killed him!" he snarls, staring as his friend’s body stills, the last bit of life draining from his eyes.

"Fuck you!" I snap, clawing at the frozen earth, my nails raking through dirt and stone. Desperation fuels me. I scoop up a handful of debris and hurl it at Cole’s face, gravel and dust striking his skin.

He flinches, just for a second, wiping at his eyes.

"Who knew my life would be ruined just for fucking you," he snarls, his voice sharp with fury.

I barely hear him. My gaze flickers downward, searching frantically. A rock. Sharp. Jagged.

Here goes nothing.

With a burst of movement, I drive the rock into his thigh.

His scream is raw, furious. His knee jerks up in retaliation.

Crack.

Pain explodes across my face as his boot connects. My vision tunnels, stars bursting behind my swollen eye. The impact sends me sprawling, my breath hitching, choking on the blood pooling in my mouth.

Cole staggers, cursing, his fingers clawing at the embedded rock. With a sickening grunt, he rips it free, blood seeping from the wound. His grip tightens around his knife, knuckles white with rage.

I barely have time to react before his hand yanks at my hair, wrenching me toward him. A scream rips from my throat as I claw at his fingers, nails digging into his skin.

It doesn’t matter.

He’s stronger.

His blade presses against my throat, cold steel biting into my skin as he forces me still. My body trembles, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Look," he hisses.

I don’t want to. I know what’s there, but he wrenches my face toward Walker’s lifeless body. The blood pooling beneath him, the vacant stare, the way death has already claimed him.

"Walker won’t be needed to accomplish what I need to do," Cole mutters, his voice eerily calm.

My pulse pounds. What does that mean?

"I can still pin this all on you," he continues, tilting his head, considering. "Make it look like you killed Walker to save your own ass. Everyone will believe it."

My swollen eye refuses to stay open, leaving my vision half-blurred, lopsided. Every part of me aches. The chill of the snow seeps into my skin, numbing me to everything but the fire of survival still burning deep inside me.

I spit blood onto the ground, taking a shuddering breath.

Noah.

"Noah will kill you," I rasp, my voice broken, barely above a whisper.

Cole lets out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Really?" he sneers. "And where is Noah right now? Hmm?"

I clench my jaw, swallowing back the fear gnawing at my ribs.

I want to believe Noah is close. That he’s looking for me. That he’s coming.

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