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He walks forward, swaying as he does, making my eyes go in and out of focus, watching him as the light fades even more.Is it already sunset?
“You look confused, but I’ve already told you this part. Tate mentioned you might remember. That the town was holding you back. So, I turned it into a game after that,” Alex says, taking a few steps back to me. “Figuring it all out was what made it fun. Until I tried to get you to remember, and you didn’t seem interested. Not that it mattered in the end. I found out the truth anyway. Because when you went up the mountain, all alone, two people knew exactly where to find you.Exactly where.”
Oh God.My text to Jesse. He wants Jessehere.
Alex stops walking when he’s directly in front of me, sinking his hands into my hair. “Imagine my surprise when one of them was Tate, and the other, a big-name hockey star. It made this whole thing so much more interesting.”
My vision blurs again, and I start seeing spots.This can’t be happening. Now is not the time for a panic attack.
It’s all been a game?
Alex leans forward, pressing his forehead to mine, and even though it’s the softest touch, it burns, adding to the headache already threatening to take over me. “And now I’m about to win,” he says, giving my hair a strong tug, sending a nauseating pain down my spine, rendering me speechless.
“Get off her!”
Chapter Forty-Three
Willow
“Stop!”avoiceyells,and I manage to turn just enough to see Tate arriving breathlessly.
Alex laughs sardonically as he grabs my arm, spinning me around. “One down, one to go. Jesse’s coming, right? I already know he’s in town.”
It’s my fault he knows about Jesse, but how is Tate here?My head spins and I struggle to make sense of anything. Like why Tate is swaying, too.Are they both drunk?
“He’s coming,” Tate confirms, stopping in front of us. “Let Willow go so we can talk. You know she’s done nothing wrong. It’s me you want.”
“And Jesse,” Alex adds. “Don’t forget about him.”
“Okay, fine. I said he’s on his way, and I know he’ll give you anything. He—”
“I want my fucking life back!” Alex yells, releasing my arm so that he can grab Tate, scrunching his tee in his fist. “I want youallto suffer like I did.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, taking a few unbalanced steps back. No one answers, and it makes me wonder if I whispered it or only thought about speaking.
I feel sick, praying that Tate’s wrong about Jesse. But I know he’s not. I sent the text.
I made him come.
“You should have tried harder to warn Willow,” Alex says to Tate, his voice lowering once more. “How do you think Jesse’s going to feel when he finds out you could have saved her?”
Oh God.I should have listened. This ismyfault. Not Tate’s,mine.
Tate’s eyes flash in my direction as Alex laughs hysterically. “God, this is fun,” he sings out, his personality seemingly split in two. “You should have spent more time deciding who to trust, Willow. You should have paid more attention. Are you sure you can even trust Jesse?”
I’m about to tell him to fuck off when Jesse comes tearing through the darkness, moving so quickly Alex has no time to react before he’s thrown against a tree, the shock of it making me stumble. “If you fucking hurt her, you’re a dead man.”
“She’s fine,” Alex wheezes with a laugh, unperturbed by the pressure Jesse has on his neck. “See for yourself,” he croaks out.
Jesse turns around, and I nod to tell him I’m okay, though I’m not entirely sure that I am. My vision’s a little blurry, and the pain in my head seems to be traveling.
When he continues to stare, I whisper, “I’m okay,” but he sees through it, softening his hold on Alex, giving him the chance to shove back and step out of his grip.
“Now that you’re all here, I’m ready to talk,” Alex says, moving away from Jesse, his eyes manic as he clenches and unclenches his fists, pacing between us. “Toallof you,” he adds, his lips curling into a sneer. “I could have focused my energy on Willow, made her life hell before ending it. And at one point, I seriously considered it. But when I found out the two of you were involved, I couldn’t waste the opportunity. I just had to be sure. And when Tate saw the photos of you two, his panic confirmed it. You were all there, so you all deserve to behere.”
“It’s three against one,” Jesse says with a smirk of his own, ignoring Alex’s speech. “How well do you think you’ll fare with those numbers?”
“I’m not worried about numbers,” Alex says, touching his pocket, making me gasp. "I'll be fine."
