Page 43 of Down Knot Out
“That essay you wrote for college.” He leans close enough that his breath caresses my cheek. “The one about when you almost died, how you gave up hope but then found the resolve to keep going. That’s when I knew.”
My blood turns to ice in my veins. That essay was included in my application to the university’s special writing program, a personal piece about my struggle with depression and a suicide attempt during my senior year of high school. It was private. Confidential. Only the admissions committee was supposed to read it.
Horror cinches around my throat. “How did you read that?”
Simon’s expression flickers between devotionand mania. “I worked in the admissions office. Student work-study job. I was supposed to scan and file the applications.” His grip on my hand tightens. “When I read your words, I realized you needed protection. You needed someone who understood the darkness. And who better than me? I was already watching.”
Nausea rises in my throat. He’s had this obsession with me foryears. And somehow, he knows things about my parents that even I don’t.
“Simon.” I lift my chin, trying to sound firm. “I appreciate that you care, but this isn’t the way to show it. Forcing me to go with you, scaring me… This isn’t protection.”
“You don’t understand the forces at work. These Alphas have gotten to you. Clouding your judgment and forcing you to give up on our world.” His expression hardens. “I tried to save you when I took over your social accounts, tried to lead you back to the path destined for you, but they interfered again. They’ve hypnotized you.”
Simon was behind my social media being hacked? I swallow hard, trying to find the right words to defuse his anger without setting him off further. “Nobody has hypnotized me. I hadn’t even met these Alphas yet when I decided to end my book series.”
Simon barks a laugh that bounces off the elevator walls. “That’s what they want you to think! That’s how they control you, by tricking you into believing the choices are yours! But he was at the signing, pretending to bump into you!”
His fingers dig into my hand until I wince, but the pain brings focus, reminding me that I need to play along if I want to escape.
“You’re right.” I relax my posture. “I need to step back and see the bigger picture.”
Hope flashes across Simon’s face, and his grip loosens. “I’ve been trying to tell you. I can protect you from everything.I’mthe Alpha meant for you.”
But he’s a Beta. I can smell it beneath the artificial cologne he wears, but his delusion runs deeper than I realized. He truly believes he can replace the Alphas in my life.
His thumb rubs circles on the back of my hand in what he intends to be a soothing gesture, but it sends revulsion crawling up my arm. “We’ll go somewhere they can’t find us. I have a place all ready, with bookshelves for your collection and a writing desk by the window. You can finish your next novel in peace, away from all their influences.”
The depth of his delusions leaves my knees shaking. “How will we escape?”
“I have a car ready.” Simon releases my hand to stab at the elevator buttons.
My mind races with half-formed plans. “That’s so clever of you.”
As the elevator descends, Simon straightens, becoming more confident that he’ll get away with this.
The indicator above the door blinks. Three… Two…
The elevator stops before reaching the ground floor, and the doors part with a cheerful ding. In front of us stretches a hallway that mirrors mine upstairs, giving a sense of déjà vu, as if we hadn’t gone anywhere at all. Same beige walls, same bland artwork, and same potted plant by the stairwell door.
Simon’s fingers dig into my upper arm as he peers out into the corridor. His breath comes quick and shallow with excitement, his pulse jumping in his neck.
“Why aren’t we going to the ground floor?” The question trembles despite my efforts to remain calm.
Simon’s head turns one way, then the other to check the hallway. “Cameras in the lobby. Securitydesk. Too many people.” His words come in clipped fragments, each one stoking my fear higher. “This is better. Service stairs lead to the back lot.”
He’s planned everything from the delivery disguise to the escape route. How long has he been mapping out ways to take me? My skin crawls at the thought.
“What if someone spots us?” I ask, trying to sound concerned rather than hopeful.
Simon’s lips stretch into a rictus grin. “The second floor is all storage and maintenance. No one comes here this time of evening.”
My mind races. Dominic must have discovered my absence by now. He might have called the building security or even the police. But would anyone think to check the second floor?
Simon tugs me toward the open doors. I resist, digging my heels into the elevator floor.
“What about cameras here?” I gesture toward the ceiling.
“Dummy cameras on this floor. Budget cuts three years ago.” He shakes his head in disgust. “This place should be sued for false advertising about their security system.”
