Insane - Who Are You To Judge? (Gripping Psychological Thriller)

Chapter 66 - Avery

Getting from the taxi to my front door is a challenge.

Not only am I having to drag Him up each step behind me, but I also have to pull Him straight when he swings off to one side. On the bright side, it's a great arm workout.

He hangs his arms over my shoulders as I struggle to shove the key into the lock. Why does it have to be so tiny?

Once I do, I immediately throw Him inside, crouch down and scoop up the letter at the foot of the door. He may be hammered, but I still can't let him see that.

As I am helping Him clamber onto the first step, I hear a rattling in the kitchen. He hears it too.

"Wha-i-at?"

"Oh it's nothing, just the wind. Come on, let's get you to bed."

He shrugs and continues his mighty task of conquering the stairs, not thinking twice about it.

Seven agonising minutes later, we reach the top and I throw the bedroom door open. He quickly flops onto the bed and instantly passes out.

I am kind enough to remove his shoes and shift his entire body onto the bed rather than just his torso, but my kindness stops there. He is going to have to sleep in his jacket tonight.

Quietly closing the door and tiptoeing back downstairs, I pull the envelope from inside my coat and rip it open.

Inside, there is a picture of Him. From tonight. Laughing and drinking with his friends. I can see the dirt of the pub's glass window on the photograph, showing it was taken from the street.

My heart gradually beats faster and faster as I take out the other contents of the envelope – a letter.

Have I found your Achilles' heel, I wonder?

The message is clear. He is now a target. I have to protect Him.

My heart stops when there is another rattling from the kitchen. I storm in and am rather unsurprised by my findings.

"Oh hey, Buttercup. I'm sorry, I was trying to be quiet – was I not quiet?" His fake sincerity only irritates me more.

I whisper a growl; "no you weren't being quiet and what the hell are you doing here? Did you not hear me last time?"

Julian nods, taking a large chunk out of my scotch pancakes – of which I see he has already eaten four. "I did, and I considered it. But then I decided to call your bluff – I think you're all talk." He gulps down the food and waltzes towards me with those...eyes. "I thought we could maybe crack open the wine." Julian snakes his hands around my neck, closing the gap between us, and I feel his fingers interlock in loose strands of my hair. "Maybe bring out Twister, have a little bit of fun and," he pulls me into him so that our hips are pressed together, "I don't know, see where the night takes us..."

I don't move for a millisecond, letting my mind see exactly how that would play out, before I duck my head under his arms and back out of the kitchen. It was a millisecond too long.

"Why do you insist on being such a dick?"

He shrugs, following me into the lounge. "I can't help it, love. It's just who I am."

"Well," I begin while spinning around to face him, "I am going to bed so unless you would like me to physically remove you, please exit my house."

He tilts his head back and mouths a laugh. "As much as I would love to see that, I only came to give you a message."

I frown. "What message? From who?"

"You don't need to know who. Just watch your man. You don't know all there is to him, and someone else does."