***
It’s a struggle to concentrate on my job, but I manage. As the day wears on, my mood becomes more dismal. After work, Ash and Harper will pack their belongings and be uprooted from their home, because I have a serial killer stalking me. I’ve had enough excitement in my life to last a lifetime.
After leaving the salon for the day, Ash drives with a troubled expression on her face. “Harper’s right. It feels like we’re abandoning you.”
“I wish you guys didn’t feel that way.”
“You guys have been,” I insist. “But I can’t concentrate on staying safe if I’m worrying over you guys,” I point out in a light tone.
The light changes, and the car moves forward once more. “What’s being done to keep you safe?” she asks. “Is there anything more that Bryce can do?”
“Right now, the best thing for me is to stay close to Colt. Bryce is still gathering information from the other law enforcement departments in Canada and Maine. He told Colt this morning that once he has all the details, he’ll let us know how to proceed.”
Ash nods, keeping her eyes focused on the cars ahead of us. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Colt’s not going to let anything happen to me,” I say confidently. I feel safest with him, and I know he’s capable of taking down a psycho like Shane. It’s weird thinking of him with a different name, but I’m getting used to it.
Ash glances over and gives me a small smile. “That, I fully believe. I’ve seen the way he looks at you these days.”
“Really? Please share,” I press with interest.
Her lips pull into a full grin as her eyes slide back to the traffic. “They say you’re his, and nothing is ever going to stand in his way again.”
“Good,” I say with a satisfied smile.
“Channing’s beginning to realize that this thing between you two might actually be serious.”
I roll my eyes as she switches lanes so that we can turn at the upcoming intersection. “I already told him that it’s serious.”
“He needs to see it for himself before he believes it.”
“Men,” I mutter.
As Ash falls silent, I gaze out my window, watching as we drive towards the house. “Quinn?” she asks a moment later.
“Hmm?” I ask, looking at her.
“What if he realizes that it’s just Colt and Sebastian in the house with you?” she asks uneasily, referring to Shane.
I hadn’t thought of that. “Colt keeps his gun close. He won’t hesitate to shoot him if he has to.”
She nods and begins to relax. “Okay, good.”
“Think of your stay at the hotel as a mini vacation. Maybe you guys can upgrade to a suite.”
Ash shrugs. “I prefer the house.”
It was a dumb comment. Ash comes from a wealthy background, so a suite probably doesn’t sound all that appealing. She enjoys living the ‘real life’ as she calls it. “I’m sorry,” I murmur.
She glances at me. “For what?”
“That you guys have to leave the house because of me.”
Her eyes soften. “Quinn, none of this is your fault.”
“Ash—”
“It isn’t,” she cuts me off, her tone firm.
We’ve reached the house, and as she pulls into the driveway, I note that Gabe’s car is present—as expected. Colt’s truck is gone, so he must not have been able to get out early. Knowing Colt, he’s probably aggravated over it too.
Ash parks the car near the garage on the left, and we climb out and go inside. “I’d better start packing,” she tells me as we begin to part ways in the foyer.
“I’ll be up in a few to help,” I offer.
“That’d be great!” She disappears up the stairs, and I pass by the kitchen and enter my room, closing the door.
After tossing my purse on the bed, I strip down and change into gray, drawstring shorts and a navy tank. I’m just pulling my hair back into a messy ponytail when I hear a thud come from upstairs. Had Ash dropped a suitcase?
I leave the room and make my way to the foyer, going up the stairs. “Everything okay, Ash?” I call. I wait for her reply, but only silence reaches my ears. Maybe she’d hurt herself. I quickly reach the top of the stairs and hurry down the hall to her room.
“Ash!” I exclaim with alarm as I rush over to where she’s collapsed on the floor next to her bed. Her long, dark hair is strewn across her face, and I brush it aside, spying a red bump near her temple that’s beginning to swell. What the hell?
“Hello, Quinn.”
The blood freezes in my veins when I hear his voice, and I look up to see him in the doorway. He’s wearing an electrician uniform with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
In the span of a second, it all begins to make sense. When Ash and I had pulled into the driveway, I’d glimpsed the electrician van parked in the neighbor’s driveway. I hadn’t thought anything of it.
It was him, waiting to make his move.
Gabe should have already appeared by now. Fear for those that I love tightens my chest, and it’s difficult to draw in a full breath of air. I slowly rise to my feet, my eyes trained on him. “Gabe?” I whisper, dreading the answer.
Those pitiless brown eyes observe me, alert to my ever move. “He’s taking a nap.” His gaze drops to Ash’s prone body. “Just like your friend here.” I watch as his expression hardens. “Are you going to be difficult, Quinn?”
The photo of the blue-haired woman flashes in my mind, and I know that if I leave with him, I will become a similar picture—and I will die. Hell yes, I’m going to be difficult! My eyes dart around, but I have nowhere to go, and he’s blocking the doorway.
He lunges at me, giving me no more time to think, and I throw myself to the side, stumbling. He dives for me, and before I can recover, his hand wraps around my ankle, yanking me down to the floor.
My elbows hit the carpet first, and then the rest of my body follows, nearly knocking the air out of my lungs. I try desperately to kick at him, but I’m on my stomach and completely vulnerable as he crawls up my body, his heavy weight trapping me beneath him.
I open my mouth to scream, but it comes out muffled as my nose and mouth are covered with a cloyingly sweet-smelling rag. Instinct as me trying to buck him off as I claw at the carpet, struggling not to inhale. I feel one of my nails tear away from my skin, but the pain is barely noticeable. My heart is thundering inside my chest as I fight for my life, but the lack of oxygen is getting to me.
The weight on top of me is crushingly heavy, and I know he’s patiently waiting for me to suck in a lungful of the chemical-soaked material. I don’t have a choice, I need oxygen. My time has run out, and I draw in a desperate breath of air, allowing the chemical into my system. “That’s it,” Shane murmurs in my ear, his hand running through my hair as if trying to comfort me. My voice is muffled as I try to snarl at him, but everything begins to fade away.