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That’s true.
“It could be something else, though,” she adds. “Something more personal.”
“Like what?”
She looks over at me. “You’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you.”
“I already think everyone involved with Dare is crazy,” I tell her lightly. “Might as well share.”
She fidgets with her fingers, looking at them instead of me. “I think Dare might become a serial killer.”
My eyes widen and my heart sinks. Whatever I expected her to say, it wasnotthat. “What?”
Her haunted gaze darts to mine. “I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights to think about this, and I think what he pulled last year with Aubrey was his trial run. He got to plan and almost execute a murder to evaluate his performance, see what he nailed and what he needed to improve upon.”
“Hannah…” I trail off uneasily.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I have this weird connection with him. I don’t know what it is, but it’s like I can see him clearly and he fogs everyone else. You know how Harry Potter and Voldemort were linked? It’s kinda like that.”
“He’s your Voldemort,” I repeat flatly.
She shrugs. “Maybe. All I know is I can see things he doesn’t want me to, things other people don’t notice. People see him as such a mystery, but he’s not to me. Not really. I can see the moves he makes pretty clearly. I can see through his bullshit.” She pauses. “And sometimes I think I can feel his intentions, and sometimes those intentions…”
I wait, but she just sits there unwilling to verbalize whatever she’s thinking. “Come on,” I say, my eyes widening. “You can’t leave me hanging like that.”
Her gaze is so solemn it scares me. “I think he’s going to kill me, Parker.”
My heart nearly stops.
I shake my head without thought—a denial, a refusal to accept what she’s saying. I mean, it’s objectively crazy to predict something like that. Yeah, Dare is dangerous, but…
“I feel it,” she says softly.
Dread dances down my spine. I wish I could dismiss this as paranoia or her being dramatic, but Hannah has never been one to overreact. And I guess after the stuff he pulled last year, it’s not such a stretch to imagine him murdering someone.
It’s certainly not a stretch to imagine if hewerecapable of murder, Hannah would be his chosen target.
“Is that what he threatened to do?” I ask softly.
She shakes her head. “No. But he didn’t hate me as much then as he did by the end. Realistically, he’d probably even do that first. I think some part of him wanted to. I’ve had dreams about it.” She looks down. “But I think he lied to Aubrey about needing her to cover for him to keep him out of jail. I think he only wanted Anae locked up for as long as he and Aubrey were around. It seems pretty convenient that she would be locked up only until they were gone, doesn’t it? I think hewantedher out this year so he could sic her on me.”
“How could he have possibly predicted she would even be willing to do anything for him? If some guy got my ass locked up in a mental institution for a year, I’d want his dick on a skewer roasting over an open flame.”
Hannah smiles without humor. “He didn’t leave it to chance. He tossed her a couple of bones. You heard Anae. Whether I‘m right and he did or not, she’s convinced herself he worked out that deal so she wouldn’t spend much time locked up. The picture at prom made it feel like he was still on her side, and I was their common enemy. Even the crown tattoo. Maybe Anae’s right and it is for her, but even if it isn’t, he may have meant for her to think it is. Not blocking her so she could creep on his profile. He left enough openings for her to grasp onto and imagine he’s still interested in playing with her. He’s not into her romantically, but he could definitely be using her and stringing her along. Turning the queen into his pawn. Playing with her until she’s no longer of use to him.”
“That seems like a dangerous move when she just tried to kill his girlfriend last year.”
“I know. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Looking at the pictures, it doesn’t seem like there’s any weight to Anae’s hope that he’s bored with Aubrey, but Dare is also very aware of the importance of appearances. She told me last year he strategically liked and posted things on social media to portray things in a certain light because he was lining things up to look that way after the kidnapping. If he wants to come off as the loving, devoted boyfriend and then his lunatic ex—who already tried to kill her once—comes back to finish the job? I mean, it’s absolutely believable, and he looks totally innocent. Only Anae would go down for it. His hands would be completely clean this time. And if she tried to defend herself saying crazy things like ‘he wanted me to find breadcrumbs in his social media posts!’ she would look like a raving lunatic, even if it’s actually what happened.”
“Yikes. That’s diabolical, Hannah.”
“And maybe that’s not why, maybe he only wants Anae out to torture me and he just thinks he can control the chaos and keep Aubrey safe, but he’s definitely siccing her on me. There’s no other reason for him to do these things.”
“But what’s his end game?”
“I don’t know. I feel like he wants to kill me himself, but maybe he knows Aubrey would never forgive him, so he’s trying to outsource the job? The feeling isn’t a conveniently shared google doc; I can’t read his mind, I just have this sense that he wants to kill me. And I have these horrific dreams.” She shakes her head, probably not wanting to think about them right before we go to sleep. “I don’t know, Parker. But I know there’s violence in him, and I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet. I think he’s capable of truly catastrophic damage, and I really don’t feel like he’s done with me.”
“Well, if you seriously think he would kill you, that’s even more incentive to stay out of it. I’m serious, Hannah. Just let him be gone. Blockhim. Block her if you have to. Sever all contact and just move on with your life. Maybe then he’ll… back off.”
