Page 140 of Dream On, Liar

He stepped forward.

Slow now.

Deliberate.

My body reacted before my mind did, pressing back into the wall as if I could disappear into it, as if solid matter would suddenly decide to protect me.

“That's it?” he asked.

My voice shook.

“I gave you everything.”

He closed the distance again.

The knife lifted, and closing in on my skin.

A pressure that made every nerve in my body go rigid at once.

My breath stopped completely.

The world narrowed to that point of contact.

Nothing else existed.

Not the room.

Not the broken phone.

Not the suitcase.

Just that blade and the fact that I was still breathing around it.

“Ro..la..nd…”

His mouth moved as I stuttered his name in a plea. “You wanted to call 999 on me? Go ahead, bitch. Try. I have friends who would help me before I even get behind the bars.”

He laughed, and the next second there was a buzz in my ear.

I couldn’t hear him anymore.

Everything had turned into a roar inside my head.

My heartbeat was too loud.

Too fast.

Too wrong.

Before he could open his mouth, the sound of my doorbell cut through, making him jump.

Sharp.

Real.

He froze.

So did I.