HAUNTINGLY | 18+

40 | Sharp Edge

Xavier's POV

I step inside the house and glance at Layla one last time through the glass doors. She's sitting against the wall, her head buried in her hands, tears flowing freely.

Seeing her cry tugs at something inside me, but I had my reasons for what went down. She can't just talk to me however she likes.

Walking back to my room, I collapse on the bed. I haven't slept in the past 24 hours. I was exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was argue with Layla.

I realized I should've told Layla about not being able to make it to our date, but Axel's last-minute call changed everything. He claimed to have news on Jason's whereabouts and insisted on discussing it in person rather than over the phone.

As it turns out, Jason was still alive and lurking in town. He had been here for a while.

Now, I just had to wait until Axel made his move on Jason. The thought of finally having him in my hands made me fucking excited.

Hoping for a few hours of rest, I shut my eyes, only to be bothered by someone entering my room. I open my eyes and see Hunter standing at the edge of my bed.

"What do you want?" I grumble, my irritation evident.

"Rise and shine, it's a new day," he says with a hint of playfulness.

"Hunter, I'm giving you a few seconds to start talking or else I'm kicking your ass," I warn him. All I wanted was to be left alone, so I could sleep.

"Alright, well, I wanted to talk to you about Layla," he says.

"What about her?"

"So..." he begins, causing me to sit up and face him. His feet shuffle uneasily. "Actually, hand me your gun first," he requests.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" I question.

"Because I've got something to say that might set you off," he explains. "And I'm just making sure you don't have any weapons on you that you could use to kill me."

I give him an exasperated look and toss him the gun, which lands at his feet with a thud. He picks it up and places it on the nearby drawer.

"By the way, I don't need a gun in order to kill you," I remark, enjoying his increasing unease.

"You got any knives on you?" He asks.

"Start talking, Hunter," I reply, irritation creeping in. The faster he spoke, the faster I could get some rest.

"Liam and I took Layla to the carnival last night to cheer her up since you bailed," he explains, and I nod, urging him to continue.

"It was all good until we lost her inside a maze," he goes on.

"And?" I prompt.

"Well, when we finally found her outside the maze, she was bleeding," he admits, and my glare intensifies, causing him to take a cautious step back. "It wasn't that bad, she just needed a few stitches," he rushes to explain.

I rise from my bed and close the distance between us. "Not that bad, yet she needed stitches?" I growl, my anger simmering.

He retreats another step. "She's okay, honestly. It's just that when we asked her how she got the cut, she said she grazed herself on a sharp edge while she was running in the maze," he relays hastily.

"A sharp edge did that much damage? Deep enough to need stitches?" I question, my skepticism clear. "That's fucking bullshit."

He nods, his expression serious. "We thought so too. But there's one more thing."

"What?" I demand impatiently.

"When Layla and I were at the party, the night of the accident, she kind of vanished from my side. I later found her in one of the rooms upstairs," he explains.

"Are you fucking serious?" I exclaim, staring right into his eyes.

"Listen, when I asked her why she was up there, she mentioned that she thought she had seen someone she recognized and was staring out into the front yard," he continues.

"Did you see who it was?"

"When I glanced at the front yard, I caught sight of Jason lurking behind a tree," he explains, locking eyes with me. "I think he tried to talk to Layla, or at least that's what I gathered. Since then, she's been on edge."

"That fucking bastard," I mutter. Running my fingers through my hair, I return to my bed and take a seat, giving Hunter a hard look.

"I learned just yesterday that he's been in town for a while. I've told Axel to track him down and deliver him to me," I inform Hunter.

He nods solemnly. "Is that why you bailed on your date last night?"

"Yeah, Axel got in touch. He wanted to have a talk," I reply.

"You should've given Layla some sort of explanation," he advises.

Meeting his gaze dead on, I make my point clear. "Layla doesn't know anything about this. And I swear, if you or anyone else says a word to her, I'll fucking tear you apart."

"I won't say a thing," he promises.

It was quiet for a few seconds as Hunter and I were both lost in our thoughts.

"A sharp edge, huh?" I remark, recalling Hunter's words.

"That's what she said," he confirms, shrugging.

"Why the hell would a maze have a sharp edge?" I mutter aloud.

"Think she's lying?" he inquires.

"I know she's lying. There's no fucking sharp edge in that maze," I state firmly.

"So, what do you think went down?" he inquires, his curiosity evident in his gaze.

"I don't know," I confess. "But I'm going to fucking find out." He nods, understanding my determination.

"Is that all?" I question as he starts heading for the door.

"Yeah, that's it." He nears the door. "Oh, by the way, I promised Layla I wouldn't spill about the cut on her stomach. So, you know, don't go ratting me out, okay?" he asks with a hint of a grin.

I give him an unamused look. "Just get the fuck out of my room." He makes a hasty exit, the door shutting behind him.

I flop back onto my bed, releasing a breath as I stare at the ceiling. I've got a feeling about what might have really happened in that maze, but the only one who can confirm it is her.

Layla, Layla, Layla.

You better start praying now.