Trapped (The Nine lives of Kira Harting #1)

Chapter 15

I spin around quickly ready to confront the person I know is standing behind me, but nobody's there. No... wait...I could have sworn I heard footsteps behind me. I know I felt eyes piercing through my back. I felt it. I know I did. I think I did. I wasn't really paying attention, not until I heard the footsteps. I did hear footsteps, didn't I? I should have paid more attention. I was too worried about getting away. Shit, was I being too careless? I have to pay more attention. I have to watch my back, stay alert. I can't get caught over here.

God. How could I have been so stupid? How could I let this happen? I should have known I wasn't ready. Tonight was a rough night. I should have just gone back to The House. But I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to see their faces, any of them. I didn't want to hear their thoughts. All their thoughts about how stupid I am. How everything is going to just go back to how it was. It won't, this time is different, and he is different.

J has only been home a day but I can see it. It's like suddenly I'm his world and he is the moon gravitating around me. When Cassie saw my ring she cried, Mae shook her head at me and Melanie laughed. Fuck them. Fuck all of them. Shit I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. I have more important stuff to worry about.

I try to walk quickly with my head down trying not to draw attention to myself. I replay the last hour in my head, trying to figure out where exactly I went wrong. I screwed up. I screwed up bad. I made too many mistakes, got too cocky. I should have known. I should have known I couldn't keep winging it forever. I hadn't given myself enough time to study him and that place. I'd gotten lucky with the others. I should have known that my luck wouldn't last forever. I should have known. Dammit. I screwed up bad.

I couldn't have imagined there would be two of them. What kind of people do that stuff together? It's sick. Just sick. Why couldn't they find something normal to do together? Like golf? How could I have known two people would have this same interest together? I couldn't have known, but I should have been more careful. If... well, things could have been a lot worse.

Maybe it's because I found him right after I'd been out drinking all night? But how could I just walk right past the guy? I couldn't, not after seeing into his thoughts. I'd thought maybe this guy, Jose, was just what I needed to get my mind off those bitches back at The House.

So, like an idiot, I followed him and the girl he picked up from the bar. They were stumbling along the sidewalk together, then all of a sudden he wasn't stumbling anymore but walking confidently pulling her in the direction of that house. I guess I should have seen the end coming but I never expected him to be bringing her to a squatter house. I'm not sure how I didn't notice it wasn't his house. All the signs were there, I'd just ignored them.

The longer we walked the more I sobered up and the easier it was to read his, Jose's, thoughts. He'd been planning a very special night. After all, his next victim would be his 30th victim. And he planned it right. He planned to have her to "play with" for 30 days. The last day also ending on his 30th birthday. He planned to end her life on that last night. She would be his first kill, his first full conquer, and I couldn't just let that happen no matter how intoxicated I may have been.

Just as they'd gotten in sight of the house the girl passed out and he scooped her up. He walked the rest of the way with her dangling in his arms and then he walked up the path and went inside the house. I closed the distance between myself and the door quickly and as I'd hoped it wasn't locked. I guess that should have been another sign but adrenaline was already pumping through me so I hadn't paid attention to that. I opened the door a crack and peeked my head in to make sure the coast was clear, it was so I'd gone inside.