Page 113 of As Thick As Thieves

“Hungry?”

I screamed, finding Owen standing behind me with a plate in his hand, apology on his face.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Here, sit.” He placed the plate on the table off to the left, and I tracked him cautiously with my eyes.

“Where am I?” I asked, not moving from where I stood.

“My house. Well, it’s your house, too, Emily. See? I made it just how you like it,” he beamed. I went to tell him I wasn’t Emily, but I paused when I realized something was even more odd.

“Owen, how do you know Emily? I never showed you pictures of her or anything.” I took a step back, but he followed me.

“Emily was everything to me,” he explained, his eyes getting a glazed look to them as he lost himself in whatever memories he thought he had. He didn’t know her, it was impossible. “We were each other’s first everything. She saved me from my demons and kept them at bay. She wasn’t afraid of me, not like everyone else.”

I absently dropped down on the couch, not taking my eyes off him. “You dated?”

“I was going to marry her. We were so excited when we found out she was having a baby,” he smiled, but rage suddenly took over as he fisted his own hair firmly and pulled. “But then he killed her and took her from me!”

My mind was still focused on the baby thing, but I managed to ask the other burning question. “What do you mean someone killed her? She killed herself.”

“She’d never leave me!” he screamed, getting in my face. “She loved me! She told me every day!” His face softened a fraction when I flinched, and he reached out to cup my cheek. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not mad at you.”

“I’m not Emily, Owen,” I whispered, my own grief surfacing and mixing with pity for him, but it was short-lived as he slapped me. He looked eerily calm, no emotion on his face, which was scarier than his anger.

“If I can’t have her, I’ll have you. I can turn you into Emily, you see? Then she can be alive again. The day you walked into that gym, I just knew it could work.”

“Owen,” I said softly, shuffling back a little to put some distance between us. “She’s gone. I’m Penn, remember? Your friend?”

Instead of getting angry again, he nodded. “I’ve always been your friend, right? I’m the only person that knows you properly. I’d never deceive you like those boys that claim to love you, or that girl.”

“Leah?” I croaked out. “You killed her? Did you kill Dad and Estelle, too?”

“I’m going to kill all of them for you, Emily. So then we can be together,” he said firmly, muttering under his breath to himself as he started to pace. “Leah was going to stop us from being together. She had to die, right? Jai said she wasn’t a problem, but he lied. He lied!” He grabbed the small coffee table and threw it across the room, his emotions giving me a severe case of whiplash. “I tried to take down too many at once at the track that time, but I learned. It’s smarter to take them out one by one. If Cruz hadn’t shoved you to the ground, you would’ve gotten shot instead. I didn’t mean to. You believe me, right? I’d never hurt you.”

“Jai? What did Jai do?” I asked as I stood on shaky feet, trying to keep him talking as he spilled everything.

“He said he’d help us be together, but then Leah got in the way and he started freaking out! So I got rid of her before she could tell you lies about me. She doesn’t understand my love for you,” he scowled, clenching his fists. “Jai was distracted by her anyway. She had to go. I should’ve just threatened his life a long time ago, he’s been good today.”

“If you’re only trying to help me, why did you kill Estelle? She was good to me,” I whispered, crying out as he slapped me again, sending me flying to the floor as he stood over me.

“Because she lies! They all lie!”

“No she didn’t! She loved me!” I sobbed, his face twisting with disgust.

“If she loved you, why did she let you be raised like trash? Why did she let your father abuse you? She could’ve tried to run with you, but she chose not to.”

“She couldn’t, that’s kidnapping.”

“She could’ve fucking run, and your father wouldn’t have gone after you! He’d never let the town know all about his filthy little secret that he’d tried so hard to keep buried!” He grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet. “You want to know why Barbara Whitlock left and never came back for you? Because she fucking hated you. You’re the product of Louis’ affair with the lowly nanny who cared for their little princess. I find it amusing that they promoted her to housekeeper, probably as hush money. The second Emily was killed, Barbara left because there was no longer anything in that house she cared for, including your father. I know he found out about Emily’s baby and fucking killed her.” Tears tracked down my face, and he pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. “It’s okay, they can’t hurt you now, I fixed it.”

“Don’t touch me!” I shouted, attempting to push him away but he held me firmly.

“Emily, stop.”

“I’m not Emily!” I screamed, trying to hit him, but he pinned my arms by my sides and shushed me, stroking my hair.

“It’s okay, you’ve had a big day, I know you’re confused.”

“You’re confused, you psycho! You blew up Drake’s car! I could’ve died!” I threw back, lifting my knee and hitting him right in the balls. He hunched over in pain, his arms loosening enough for me to dart away. He grabbed me, tearing my shirt as I kept fighting to get away from him, my voice hoarse as I managed to stumble away and run for the door. There was a padlock, my heart sinking as terror raced through me. I was trapped in here.

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