Page 96 of Bound to a Killer
Maddie catches sight of us from across the room, her blonde hair swept up to reveal the deep V-cut in the back of a silky, midnight-blue gown. She tilts her head toward Hunter, whispers something in his ear, and he answers with a nod before lifting a hand in a quick wave to Jayce.
The music dips along with the sinking feeling in my stomach, transforming from a loud beat into a slower rhythm. Around us, the crowd begins to shift. Movements slow. Bodies press closer together as everyone falls into a silent dance.
Jayce takes the opportunity to slip a hand in mine, dragging me forward, and I begrudgingly follow, every tightening muscle in my body begging to stop. He wraps a hand over my waist, pulling me in and guiding one of my hands across his chest. My clutch dangles from the other hand, pinned between us as I brace against his shoulder.
I avoid looking at him, my eyes drifting somewhere into the sea of moving bodies behind him.
“Ease up a bit, will you?” he chastises, his fingertips digging into my hips, bringing on a rush of moisture to my eyes. “Seriously, you’re about to cry? Stop being so dramatic.”
“You’re blackmailing me,” I clip.
His brows furrow as he wets his lips, shaking his head in disbelief. “Blackmail? Aria,yousent that photo to me.”
I take a slow, measured breath, trying my best to appear calm and collected, but his voice scrapes the restraint from my chest, grinding it into dust, sharp and stinging as it hits my eyes. “So you won’t leak the picture if I decide to leave right now?”
A small breath escapes his lips. “I don’t get it. You used to enjoy my company,” he says, tilting his head to the side, trying to catch my attention again, but I glance away, shaking my head. Our bodies stop swaying. His voice darkens, the tone turning sharp and cold. “Unless there’s someone else.”
“No,” I begin, but the rest of my words collapse into a trembling sob. The tears finally spill. Cutting through the careful canvas Clara painted onto my face, through the perfect little facade I’ve tried so hard to hold together. The illusion shatters.
My teeth clamp down on the inside of my cheek, willing the tears to stop, but it’s too late. They keep coming. Unstoppable now. Somehow, I find the strength to push myself off him. Without hesitation this time, I bolt from the room—past the empty table and down the hall, through the heavy double doors. Gasping. Sobbing. One hand flies up to angrily swipe the tears away, smearing dark shadow and eyeliner into my fist.
I hate that I cried in front of him. How small it makes me feel. Helpless. Fragile. Like an empty shell used to its fullest extent before being thrown out.
Exactly like my mother.
I blink into the cool, late breeze, letting it soak up what’s left of the moisture in my eyes and the mess on my face.
I’m nothing like her. I’m not even the same version of me that I was at the start of the school year. That quiet girl, too afraid to draw attention to herself. Always hesitant. Desperate for control.
It’s true, life can be cruel, and I can’t always control what happens around me. But Icancontrol my part. Nobody else is in control of me. I make my own choices.
The doors click open behind me, startling me out of my thoughts. I glance over my shoulder, head spinning as I hear Jayce calling after me, my ankle twisting in the stupid platforms Clara paired with this dress.
I steady myself, the sharp sting dulling into a throbbing smolder as I push through it, walking faster down the side of the building, farther from him.
“Aria, stop!” he calls out again. “You’re acting crazy.”
I don’t look back a second time. I keep walking. The pain in my ankle is nothing compared to the deep ache in my chest. Eventually, he’ll stop following once he realizes I’m not going back.
“Hey!” he shouts again, louder now, the sound spiking my adrenaline. “Just slow down. Let me talk for a sec.”
He catches up to me, clamping a hand on my shoulder as he spins me around, eyes wide and frantic. “Just listen to me, damn it,” he says, jerking my shoulders in his grasp like I’m a ragdoll.
“No!” I snap, shoving him. Tears rising again, hot and furious as I drive into him harder. “Don’t touch me. Don’t you dare touch me.”
“Aria—”
If he doesn’t let go in the next second, I swear I’ll start screaming like an actual crazy person. I open my mouth to warn him, but he backs up almost instantaneously, like a magnetic force snapping him away.
My breath catches. It takes a second for my senses to sharpen, for my brain to catch up to what is happening.
When Jayce speaks again, his voice comes out strained, almost breathless. “What the…? Who the hell are you?”
My heart leaps out of my chest as I blink through tears, tilting my head up to see who it is. A crashing wave of dizziness hits when our eyes meet. Gray. Cold. Familiar.
It’s him.
Not a dream. Not a phone call.
