AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know you think Gareth and I are the wolves. We are, to everyone else, but it doesn’t have to be that way for you.” Alistair paused, letting his words sink in. “You could be one of us, and we would protect you from everyone else.” At that, he finally released my pencil, allowing me to take it.
I gave him my back, unable to meet his intense, cold, blue-eyed stare. “I never asked for any of this. In fact, if you would’ve asked me if I wanted to become the newest plaything to a rich, spoiled serial killer… spoiler alert, I would’ve told you no.”
“I’ve been watching you a lot longer than you know,” his voice came out low, a dark, chilling whisper that crept up my spine and gave me goosebumps. It took everything in me to not turn around and face him. If I did, I had the feeling it would all be over. “I didn’t choose you simply because of your art.”
An uneven breath left me, but I couldn’t say a word.
“I’m sure you’re aware the most infamous people in this country tend to have trauma in their childhoods. Abuse, be it physical or mental… but sometimes, there’s simply something missing, and when you’re one of the few born like this, you tend to view the world differently. You tend to look at other people differently. Objectively, like they’re puzzles, waiting to be put together. When you’re born with certain tendencies, you start to recognize yourself in others.”
Dread had started to creep over me. Dark, dangerous dread, threatening to choke me as I listened to him.
“I knew you would be perfect for Gareth when I saw you sitting in the park one day, all by yourself, your sketchbook in your lap. You weren’t drawing. You weren’t doing anything. You were just sitting there, a blank look on your face, almost like you weren’t quite all there.”
Alistair moved, finally, letting me breathe now that he wasn’t standing so close to me. He shoved his hands in his pockets and moved to stand on the other side of the easel, staring at me over the canvas. The way his azure stare bore into me, like he could see my very soul, all the parts of me I struggled to hide.
“You see, I’ve been looking for a… let’s just call it, a partner, for Gareth for a long time. Up until you, I’ve never met someone who could be his match, someone to keep him on his toes, someone to keep him entertained. To tell you the truth, I’d started to lose hope. But then I found you. It was easy enough to track you down, and when I learned your mother had an art gallery in the city, well… it was perfect.”
I didn’t know why he was saying all this, but I had the feeling it would be smart not to interrupt him, so I didn’t.
“It was never about your mother, Brianna. It was always about you. I told you that before, but I don’t think it really sank in. I need you to take this seriously.”
Finding my voice, I told him, “It’s not my job to take care of Gareth. It isn’t my job to make sure he stays out of trouble!”
Alistair appeared unimpressed. “But it is. If you cannot do it, then there’s no use in keeping you around—”
I let out a short chuckle, holding onto my pencil like I wanted to stab something. “No, you see, then that’s not a real family. Families don’t come with conditions, but I guess that’s something you guys don’t understand. A real family is supposed to love and care for you no matter what. It isn’t just about how useful you can be to them.”
“And how would you know?” Alistair asked, cocking his head at me, sounding thoughtful but looking bored as hell. “You’re not family yet, Brianna. If you prove yourself to me, then you will be, and I’ll make good on my promise to keep you safe. You need to try harder with Gareth. He’s planning something.” The look on my face must’ve said it all, because Alistair asked, “You know something, don’t you?”
I shut my eyes, unable to take that intense stare anymore. “He started talking to a friend of mine at school. He told me he’ll hurt her if I don’t… if I don’t admit that I belong to him.”
“Well, that seems an easy enough fix, then.”
My eyelids opened, and I glared at him over the canvas, the hand holding the pencil so hard my arm began to shake. Maybe I’d stab Alistair. Yeah. It’d be short-lived, but I’d love to knock this sexy, emotionless asshole down a peg or two.
“Tell him what he wants to hear,” Alistair said, taking on a firm tone, very reminiscent of the one he’d taken with me when he had me in the bathroom. “Tell Gareth what he wants to hear, Brianna.”
“How is giving in to him going to get him to stop? How do I know he’ll actually leave her alone?”
Alistair swept around the canvas, returning to me. His voice came out low and deadly, “Gareth killed last week because you ignored him. That tells me he indeed cares about what you think and what you do. If you give him what he wants, he’ll play nice. It’s the entire reason you’re here.”
“And when he gets bored? What then?” Because, sure as hell, someone like Gareth would get bored of me eventually. He’d get bored of anyone. To put all of this on my shoulders was… God, it was just insane.
“We just went over this. You aren’t a normal girl. I don’t anticipate him becoming bored with you.” Alistair let out a long, exhaustive breath, lifting a hand and running his fingertips down my cheek caressing it in a way that was both inappropriate and opposite of how he’d touched me in the shower the other day.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t get away. I… I didn’t want to. His cold, blue eyes had trapped me, ensnared me to the very bone.
“So be a good girl and do what he wants,” he whispered. “Do it before Saturday. Your mother and I are expected at a charity dinner in the city. That’ll be when Gareth makes his move on your friend.”
The hand caressing my cheek fell to my jaw, which he then gripped and angled back, tilting my head back as he gazed down at me. His body was so close to mine, I could smell him. His heat, his musk, things I shouldn’t notice about my new stepdad.
But, I think we’d crossed that line a while back.
“Unless,” he whispered out, “you want her to die. Maybe Gareth has piqued your interest. Maybe you want to watch someone die.” Alistair spoke of a frightening possibility, a potential dark truth.
My voice came out shaky, “I’m nothing like you and Gareth. I know the difference between right and wrong.” It was why I’d tried calling the police on Gareth while he and my mom were on their honeymoon.
Alistair leaned his head toward mine, a devilish smirk crossing his face—but only for a moment. “Is that so? You certainly didn’t look like it when you were locked in that room, writhing around, getting yourself off while using blood as lubrication. But what do I know?” He released me and took a step back after that, content now that my face was burning with mortification.
