Page 17 of Smoke the Enemy

A dark smile tugs at his lips and slowly spreads into place. “I know you’re not pure inthataspect. But your heart is. My precious, precious Taylor. A little lamb surrounded by wolves.” He licks his lips, and I hate how it’s disturbingly seductive. “Is that the worst of my sins? That I scared you with my disorder?”

“No! Don’t twist this around to make me sound heartless and insensitive.”

“What do you mean? I do nothing but compliment you.”

I press my lips together and release a noise of frustration. “You became obsessive. Controlling. The cutting. The need for usbothto be pure and perfect. You even went as far as to make it feel like it was my fault you were aroused. Which is crazy because we were both hormonal teenagers, of course we wanted to have sex.”

Alex presses into me, causing my back to bump into my cart and send it rolling away. “Do you still want to have sex? Do I still ignite something inside of you?”

I don’t step back. I allow him to invade my space and stare him directly in the eyes. “No.”

“Liar,” he whispers in almost a hiss. “I can feel your nipples hardening against my chest.” He takes a step back and clears his throat. “What do you want me to say? I’m sorry. I was an idiot. I was brainwashed. We both were.”

“No. I never was. I still held onto my beliefs. You took it too far. But it’s not only that. Your obsessiveness is alarming.”

“Have you met Soren? Funny that you don’t seem to mind his stalker dick.”

“Stay away from me. We’re done. It’s time for you to move on.”

“Like you have.”

“Yes.” With that I end the conversation by turning around and walking away. Thankfully, he doesn’t follow me. However, I don’t breathe a sigh of relief until I’m safely home with the door locked.

Mississippi

Taylor

There’s only a few days left until Christmas, which means it’s time for last-minute church choir practice. Mom and Dad went into town earlier so Mom could stop at the bakery to pick up cookies, and my dad had to help hang up the tree lights in the town square. I told them I would be fine on my own, but truthfully, I’m still wracked with nerves each time I leave my house. Nothing has happened yet, but I still feel uneasy each time I step away from the safety of my home. Sitting behind the wheel of my car, I take a few calming breaths, and then I pull out onto the street and drive toward the side of town where the church is.

My mind begins to wander back to the very things I’ve been trying to forget all this time.

It’s been days since I’ve heard from the brothers, and the worry is getting to be too much. I had left all of them, the university, and I’m finally alone with my thoughts, trying to heal and trying to find a way to move on but it’s not far enough. The past few months keeps hitting me in waves. I discovered my roommate’s dead body. Then I stood outside and witnessed another person’s death. Snakes were left in my bathtub. The guy at college I lost my virginity to has been stalking me, and then I slept with himandhis twin brother.Alex is back. He keeps messing with my head with apologies, but he’s still showing up randomly… I’m still struggling to process everything.

How had I survived the semester? How had I been so calm through it all? My mind must’ve been trying to protect me because only now am I registering the horror that unfolded during my time on campus. I feel like it was all straight out of a 90’s horror flick, yet it was my reality.

And with that realization, my hands begin violently shaking and my vision blurs as I’m driving into town. Heart palpitations have my chest hurting. Sweat gathers at my temples and then drops slide down the sides of my face. The loud thumping of my pulse in my ears muffles the sound of car horns.I’m having a full-on panic attack and there’s not a thing I can do to stop it.

That is, until the smooth road turns rough and the car bounces before I feel the impact of the airbag.It all really happened. They’re all dead. I was part of it all and running away got me nowhere. Are they coming for me? Am I next?

I wake up shivering. The windshield of my car is shattered, somehow some of it remains together, and cold air bleeds through the cracks. I raise my head from the airbag and blink rapidly trying to clear the haze from my eyes. Snow flurries fall to the ground all around me. It hadn’t been snowing when I lost control of the car. At least the sunhasn’t set yet, so I haven’t been out of it for too long. Pain radiates through my neck and shoulders, and I try to move. My entire body is stiff and feels bruised.

The short hairs on my arm stand up when I hear a noise from behind. I push against the door, but it won’t budge. That’s when I notice the plastic has popped around the trim and the metal is bent. A vehicle door slams and then I hear running. A shadowy figure slides on the light dusting of snow as it reaches my door.

“Taylor! Precious!”Precious…Oh God, no!I’m pinned between the seat and the airbag, my seatbelt is locked in place, and my door won’t open. I close my eyes as a river of silent tears stream down my cheeks. Of all people, Alex is the one to find me. Of course, he did. He’s found me everywhere else, why wouldn’t he find me trapped in this cage…like a mouse. Soren’s nickname for me is so very fitting.

“Are you hurt? I’m going to get you out!” He sounds like my Alex. The sweet boy from church I used to know and love, and I hate it. I should yell for help, but I can’t get my voice to work. Everything about him being here sends warning bells straight to my brain. I feel the car jerk as he pulls on the door handle. “Can you move? Can you crawl through to the other door?”

I don’t answer him. I’m too busy trying to focus on my breathing and how in the hell will I escape him. We’re out here in the middle of nowhere. In a wrecked car, no less, and the church is another ten-minute drive, but on foot, and injured,I don’t stand a chance against him.

Kali’s gift.I can’t see over the inflated airbag, but I feel with my right hand for my purse in the passenger seat. When my fingers touch leather, I curl them around it and… The door flies open. The purse is knocked from my hand as Alex places his knee on the passenger seat. I’m engulfed by the smell of mint, soap, and spice. I can’t help but find familiar comfort and pain in that scent. Light reflects off a blade that appears before my face, and I find my voice as a scream rips from my throat.

Alex’s big hand covers my mouth as he shushes me. “I have to cut the seatbelt. Sshhh, it’s okay, precious. It’s okay.” He removes his hand from my lips to gently touch each cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re freezing.” Alex begins frantically cutting through the material. With quick and precise movement, he slashes the airbag, andthen retracts the blade and places it back in his pocket. “I’ve got you, precious,” he keeps whispering in my ear as he helps me slide across the armrest of my car. His voice is deep and soothing. Alex always had a hypnotizing voice.The kind that could easily lead its victims into a death trap, and that’s how I’m feeling right now.

I stand on wobbly legs next to my car with Alex’s strong hands still supporting me. “Call 911. Or hand me my phone so I can.”

He’s looking me over carefully. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. Please, let’s call 911. Or I need to call my dad. Where’s my phone.”

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