"Don't fucking move, Kylie."
I lock my gaze on the gun pointed at me, the silver muzzle glinting in the sun. I might be able to outrun John but not a bullet. My lungs push painfully against my ribs, and I struggle to pull in air.
John's not here to threaten me or scare me. He's here to kill me.
He takes a step towards me. "You don't look very happy to see me."
"How are you here? You were in jail." I fumble for words, taking a couple of awkward steps backward.
"Don't fucking move!" His voice rings through the trees.
I freeze.
A sick, evil grin crosses his face. "I made bail, of course."
I shake my head. The pulse in my neck feels like the heavy beat of a battle drum. The trembling of my body causes my knees to quake, and nearly collapse.
No, no, no, this can’t be happening.
"What? Didn't think anyone would loan me the money? You always did underestimate my worth. I have very influential friends, Kylie—the kind who can loan me a million dollars, the kind who would like nothing more than to see you removed from the firm and not just from the penthouse."
I blanch at the implication. One of the attorneys I work with has provided the funds to get John out of jail so he can finish what he started.
"Why are you doing this, John? You can't possibly think you'll get away with it?"
I try to buy some time while my mind gets past the extreme fear it's under. I need for it to kick back into gear and offer a plan to get out of this situation.
"Even if you kill me, you'll be arrested, unless Alex finds you first. Then, he'll kill you himself, and I'm guessing he'll do it very slowly, torturing you until you beg him to end it."
"Where is good ol' Alex and his lapdog henchman?" John asks, looking past me.
I remain quiet. I don't need John getting any ideas about taking this fight to the house, especially since I have no way to contact them and give any advanced warning. I will not be the cause of anyone getting hurt because of the madman I brought into their lives.
But there's a saying about the best-laid plans—and no sooner is mine hatched and set when I hear my name being called in the distance. My body stiffens, and a string of expletives screams inside my head.
"Oh, good," John says. "Here he comes." He looks over at me, waiting.
I remain quiet and still.
"Not going to call for your boyfriend?" John asks, his eyes narrowing.
I have to keep Alex away from here, away from me and from John and the gun he seems to be itching to use.
"I see. You don't want your boyfriend to join our fun. Why is that? Do you love him, Kylie? Are you scared I might kill him instead of you?"
I glare at John, inadvertently confirming his assertion.
"Well, I want Alex to come to our little soiree." He fires the gun into the air.
As soon as the reverberations subside, Alex's panicked voice hollers my name. He's moving closer to John and me on the dirt path—in almost the same spot where I found Alex's dismembered body in my nightmares. Fear grips me, and I realize the prophecy is about to come true.
No matter what happens, no matter what I have to do, Alex will live even if that means I have to die.
I brought this on all of us. I was weak and allowed John to abuse me. I let him get away with it, knowing he would never stop. I kept it all in instead of putting a stop to it before other people's lives were in the balance. And I will be the one to correct the mistake.
Crashing through the trees behind me, Alex stops as I turn to look at him, attempting to assure him that I am unharmed...for the moment. Jake stands behind Alex, his gun drawn.
"Alex, so good of you to accept my invitation. Although, I must tell you, your girlfriend was none too pleased about me asking you to our party. I guess she wanted me all to herself." John's voice drips with false sweetness. "Have your little sidekick drop his gun and kick it to me, or I'll shoot Kylie in the head."
"Let Kylie go, Sysco. It's me you want anyway."
"No!" I yell.
Both men look at me. Alex is pissed, and John is intrigued.
"Well, Alex, I have to admit. That was my plan. I wanted Kylie to see what a horrible mistake she had made, choosing you over me. And I wanted her to wake up every morning, knowing she was responsible for your death."
My knees begin to buckle, my legs nearly giving out. I can't bear the thought of Alex being killed. There would be absolutely no way for me to survive without him—especially if he were murdered in front of me.
Because of me.
John leers at me, running his eyes up and down my body. He licks his lips. I shift uncomfortably, feeling dirty and assaulted.
"You always did look hot in your running gear, Kylie."
Alex bristles behind me, which catches John's attention, and he beams in delight of Alex's complete disgust and discomfort.
"She is a most excellent fuck, is she not, Alex? The way she screams. Does she scream for you? I loved getting her to scream, to beg me—"
"Stop it, John." I pull his attention back on me.
But John only smiles at me before refocusing on Alex. "I was all set to kill you, Stone. Then, I thought about how much I hate you. I mean, I really hate you. You come strutting into our office, arrogant prick that you are, swoop in on Kylie, and then she just fucking melts like all the other whores. You could've had anyone. Why did you have to go after Kylie? She's mine. She will always be mine. I knew I had to get rid of you. I mean, it's almost a service to all the other men out there who have to deal with you flaunting your millions and stealing women at will. If I kill you, Kylie will be free of your grasp.
"I've seen you two together, and I know what you're feeling, Stone. That all-consuming sensation that comes over you whenever she's near. I know it well. She demands it of you, captures your mind and body and nearly suffocates you. All you can think about is having her in any way—in every way."
John's eyes are focused on Alex, and both exude the intensity of men engaged in a fight to the death. "So, it came to me in a flash of brilliance. If I kill you, she'll just move on to someone new. But I will never let her be with anyone but me—ever. We were together once, and we can be together again—for eternity. The only way to make sure you hurt as much as I did and to ensure she is with me forever is to kill her."
A loud blast fills the air. Things move in slow motion around me. Smoke wafts from the muzzle of the gun in John's hand. A second shot rings out through the trees, and for some strange reason, I note with interest that the birds have scattered.
Fire burns through my shoulder. Pain radiates down my arm and across my chest. Alex is next to me, pushing me down. I look into his eyes as I'm falling. I hit the ground hard, the impact recoiling through my body.
My head whips back, and I take in the blue sky. It reminds me of Alex's eyes, the first thing I fell in love with. My head strikes against something hard, and a sharp edge slices through my skin. A metallic taste floods my mouth and slides down my throat, choking me. Something warm and wet flows over the back of my head and down my neck. I try to lift my hand to touch it.
The noise in my head is interrupted by Alex's voice finally reaching my ears. I hear my name with so much fear and panic surrounding it.
I want to tell him not to worry, that I love him. Always. Forever.
Then, the world goes black.