30

Yet the last thing I wanted to do was to call attention to the fact I was standing outside watching whoever it was casing my house. Things like this didn’t end well. Could it be that Joshua had found me? That wasn’t possible. My address was unlisted on purpose, only my boss… Fuck.

I held my breath as a truck rolled by, where I was standing lit by the single streetlight on the entire block. This was getting ridiculous. When it finally drove by a few seconds later, I didn’t waste any time, still fumbling but finally getting the key into the small slot. When I threw open the door, I still expected someone would jump from the shadows, but the warmth of my cozy home, including the light over the stove I had left on allowed me to feel a little better.

Still, I closed and locked the door, almost dropping the wet bags. I hurried into the kitchen, barely able to get them onto the counter before one of the bags split. Thank God, I caught the bottle of wine before it smashed to the floor.

At least I had my priorities straight. The thought brought another wave of laughter into my system, yet I was sick to my stomach. I had no one that could help me unless I got Jenny involved. And I just didn’t want to do that to her.

Oh, God. I gripped the edge of the counter, realizing I was dripping all over the surface. Plus, I was freezing. I headed for the small laundry room, grabbing a clean towel from the basket. The moment I returned, I was horrified to see the truck was lingering outside. I was able to see it through the open blinds.What the hell was going on? Should I contact the police? And tell them what? That a truck was temporarily idling on a public road? Yeah, on top of everything I’d be labeled a kook.

Instead, I moved toward the window, closing the blinds. Then I backed against the counter, hugging the towel to my face for a few seconds before glancing toward the laundry room once again. After a few seconds, I returned to the small room, grabbing a box from one of the shelves. Nestled inside was the specialty knife. I ran my fingers down the wooden handle before wrapping my fingers around the smooth wood. It felt better just having it in my hands.

I returned to the kitchen, trying to imagine actually using the ancient piece. The blade was sharp, capable of doing damage. Now I was a killer? Right. Fortunately, I could laugh at myself even though this was far from being a laughing matter.

As I finally managed to take a deep breath, I realized I noticed a light coming from the hallway. Wait a minute. Had I been in such a hurry that I’d actually left the light on in the bathroom? It was possible. I kept the knife in my hand, moving down the hallway while constantly looking over my shoulder. When I reached the edge of the doorway, I hesitated. I took a deep breath, leading with the sharp point several feet away from my body. There was no one inside, no indication that anyone had been.

I usually wasn’t this careless, but I had been flustered and in a hurry. Backing away, I flicked off the switch. At that moment I heard a loud thump coming from the back of the house. A scream threatened to give me away. I slapped my other hand over the back of my mouth, realizing the sound had come from directly behind my bedroom window.

Every step tentative, I headed toward my bedroom, making a decision that I’d never open the blinds again. Fuck the sunlight. As I crept closer, I found myself crouching down in the darkness, even if what little was left of my rational mind reminded me no one could see inside given the protection being in the dark held.

The bloody, gruesome pictures from the crime scenes four years before meshed with the ones from the Voltairs’ murder investigation and those I’d finally located regarding the two other murders with similar MOs. I couldn’t distinguish one from the other except for the fact Damien’s victims had all been female. I’d studied serial killers over the years, honing my skills as a prosecutor, determining their minds were entirely different than process killers, those doing it for revenge or taking out an enemy.

It was likely that if there was any truth to Joshua being a murderer, the people he’d killed had wronged him in some manner. It wasn’t about a new flavor of the week sparking his twisted mind.

“Stop it. You can’t keep doing this.” The shadows and whistling wind were making everything worse. Soon, I’d turn on every light in the house.

I made it to the window, standing by the corner, darting a peek through the window. Just as a limb from my favorite tree smacked hard against the glass. I yelped once then groaned. I was turning into some crazy woman. The goddamn storm. The driver outside was probably searching for an address and given the torrential rain needed to pull over.

Fuck.

I was such an idiot. Still. It couldn’t hurt to check the locks on the windows and doors just in case. That should make me feel better. I turned on the light, checking both windows and closing the blinds. I did so in the other rooms, finally moving into the living room, holding my breath as I took one last look into the darkness surrounding the house. There was no idling truck, no evidence of any disturbance.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I closed the blinds then went to double check the lock on the front door. Hair stood up on the back of my neck again as several simultaneous things happened. There was another loud thump coming from somewhere in the back of the house, and a rumble of thunder occurred that was so loud I gasped for air.

And someone was outside my front door, jiggling the knob. Oh, no, no.

The combination was too much, and I let out a scream that could wake the dead. Oh, God. Oh…

There was another pound on the door, and I was uncertain what the hell to do.

“Open the door, Selena.”

What? It was Joshua. Oh, God. I had no clue what to do at this point.

I opened my mouth to retort, to try to get him to leave but nothing came out. Suddenly, the handle was turned, and I was forced to slap my hand across my mouth once again.

“Open this door or I will kick it in.”

“Just go away.” Great. My voice was shaking. The last thing I wanted was to have him in my house. This had to stop.

“I mean it, Selena. Open. This. Door. Now.”

Hissing, I knew from experience he’d make good on his threat. But I refused to allow him to get the better of me. A wave of anger swept through me as I unlocked the door, throwing it open. Then without thinking, I lunged forward with the knife, keeping it just inches away from his jugular.

“Shit!” Joshua caught my arm a split second before I jammed the blade into him. “What is going on? Let go of the knife, Selena. Just let go. It’s me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

When I realized what I’d done, I gasped, but refused to let go of it. “Just get out, Joshua, before I hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,cherie.”

“You can’t be here.”

“But I am. We need each other.”

“No. No…” The look in his eyes was hypnotic. And I wanted him as badly as he seemed to want me. Oh, God. What was I going to do?

Joshua

Seeing her so distraught was unnerving. Something terrible must have occurred. Plans would need to be changed, I sensed it in my bones.

“Drop the knife,mon amour.” I heard the gruffness in my voice, the dark command. She was shaking badly enough that shecould easily cut me. While that had occurred many times in my life, it was the last thing I needed at this point.

“Not a chance,” she hissed.

“Then you will die, and it will not be by my hands. Do you understand me?”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“I can’t allow you to do that,cherie. That would weigh heavily on my conscience.”

She laughed bitterly, a single tear slipping past her lashes. All I wanted to do was to wrap my arms around her, ensuring her safety. I took a cautious step forward, never allowing my eyes to leave the position of the weapon. When she swung it, the blade came damn close to cutting me. I jumped back but refused to allow her to push me away.

However, when she darted her eyes downward, I stole a quick glance. I’ll be damned if she hadn’t managed to nick my chest, red soaking through my shirt.

“Then so be it.” She swayed back and forth, trying to debate what to do.

“You’re in danger,cherie. Allow me to take care of you.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“You belong to me. You know that.”

She laughed, whatever she’d gone through taking a significant toll. “Not any longer. I’ve seen images of your world, the violence and bloodshed, and I want no part of it. This is my home. My life. What happened was a mistake.”

When she pressed the tip of the blade against my chest, I threw my arms out. I’d brought her flowers, food for dinner. The moment was ugly and surreal.

“Then do it, Selena. End my life. If that’s going to make yours easier, removing the need we have for each other, then do it.”

“I hate you,” she said through clenched teeth, rearing back her arm.

I wanted to tell her I knew better, but there was no sense of fueling her even more. I had to get the fucking knife away from her.

“And I adore you,mon amour. Together, we will find our destiny. You will become mine until the end of time.”

I sensed another moment of panic starting to consume her. She took a partial swing and I sucked in my breath, ready to knock it from her hands. Thankfully the knife slipped from her fingers, clattEricag to the floor, additional tears falling.

“Jon-ny…”

“It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be okay.”

By the horrible expression on her face, I knew she’d been threatened. And I would make it my mission to hunt down the fucker responsible. The violence and bloodshed of my world. Soon, she’d be forced to learn that it was necessary to keep the peace.

I would protect this woman with my life.

So help me God.