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She places the glass in front of me, the clink of it against the counter echoing.
I reach into my pocket, pulling out a few crumpled bills and tossing them onto the counter. The faint scent of the bartender’sperfume wafts over me as I mutter a gruff “Thanks,” not meeting her gaze.
There’s a pause, a moment where she might have said something and tried to break through the wall I’ve built around myself, but then she simply turns away, leaving me with my thoughts and my drink.
The glass feels cold against my hand, condensation beading on the surface against the worn-out wood of the bar. I take a swig. The beer is bitter, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters except for her. Lila. She permeates my every thought and breath, an obsession gnawing at the edges of my sanity. I run a hand through my hair.
Why not just leave her?
Why not pack up and go, leaving her alone in that dingy motel room?
But I can’t. I can’t because the moment I close my eyes, all I see is her. And I know, deep down, that leaving her would be the most dangerous thing I could do. Not because she’d turn me in but because I’d be lost without her.
There’s a rasp of a voice behind me, breaking me from my thoughts, “Ash, is that you?” My fingers tighten around the glass, the coldness seeping into my veins at the sound of that voice.
I turn around, my eyes meeting Ian’s. A familiar smirk plays on his lips. “Ian,” I murmur. Though aged and worn, his face brings back memories from a past I’ve been trying to escape.He was a foster kid in the system with me and we used to rob places together. Until he disappeared one day with all the cash we’d robbed from a convenience store, never to be seen again.
He motions me toward the exit, his gaze never leaving mine.
I hesitate, looking back at the bar, but then I follow him outside. The parking lot is shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the flickering streetlamp at the corner. “How areyou out, Ash?” He continues when I don’t say anything, “I’ve seen the news. There’s a huge reward for turning you in.”
A cold smile curls my lips, masking the turmoil within. “Well, Ian,” I retort, my voice laced with a threat, “maybe they just couldn’t keep me in.”
His gaze hardens at my cockiness. His eyes drift to my hands, clenched by my side. “I need money, Ash,” he states, a desperate edge to his voice, “I can easily make a call, you know.”
I take a step closer, my jaw set. “Is that a threat?” I ask.
He swallows visibly, the flickering street lamp casting an eerie glow on his increasingly pale face. “Give me whatever cash you’ve got, and I’ll be on my way.”
My anger flares, a wildfire inside me licking at my insides, desperately trying to break free. My hands twitch at my sides, aching for a fight. Darkness seeps into my vision, a sinister veil descending over me. The psycho within enjoys the situation, a dark, deadly smile playing on my lips. “You should be careful around a man like me.”
Ian’s laughter echoes in the stillness. “Don’t forget,” he growls, “we’re both criminals. We’re both encoded with the same dark ink. You’re no better than me.” His voice carries a note of finality, an unspoken challenge hanging between us.
My eyes catch a glint in the shadows. Not two feet away from me, a metal pole lies discarded. Without missing a beat, I lunge for it. My fingers curl around the cold metal as Ian lunges at me, a snarl tearing from his throat. But I’m faster, I’m deadlier. Instantly, I’m on my feet, swinging the pole. There’s a sickening thud as it connects with Ian, sending him sprawling on the cracked asphalt.
My heart pounds, adrenaline surging through my veins as I lunge forward. Before he can recover, I bring the metal pole high above my head. His eyes widen in fear, a feeble hand reaching up futilely to ward me off.
But it’s too late. I bring the pole down, impaling him straight through the heart. I pull back, leaving the pole lodged in his body. A strange sense of satisfaction washes over me, the thrill of the kill resonating deep within me.
Ian’s lifeless eyes stare back at me. The darkness welcomes me, wrapping me in its cold embrace, a lover welcoming me home. And like that, all my worries about Lila disappear. I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to claim her as my own. Make her mine. And I’m never letting her go. Because this is who I am.
11
LILA
Ash left over an hour ago.
He’s taken the motel phone with him and locked me inside to ensure I don’t try to escape. And, I wonder if I’ve lost the plot as I hadn’t considered escaping.
Four days trapped with a psychopath, and I’m not even sure I want to escape. He’s crazy and possessive but makes me feel like no man ever has.
Special.
As if he’d kill to keep me safe. He did kill to keep me safe. I watched him kill, and I should be horrified by it. Instead, it turned me on watching him come to my rescue.
Clearly, I need to visit a psychologist because this isn’t normal.
A knock on the door jolts me out of my contemplation. The motel door creaks open, and Ash looks like a man unleashed. His clothes are splattered with blood, and his gaze is wild as he stares at me through a ski mask. His chest is heaving as if he’s been running, and his hair is disheveled.
