Page 108 of Temptation
“He lied to me!” The barrel of the gun pressed tighter against my skin. “He lied to me just like you.”
“Danny, please.” I tried to reason with him, but I knew that crazy look in his eyes. Judah brainwashed him, just like he tried to do with me. “You’re my friend. You’re my brother, Danny. I would never want to take anything away from you.”
“I don’t believe you,” he spat out and pushed me away from him.
He started pacing in front of me, going from left to right, murmuring to himself, while I stood there shaking. My mind went into overdrive, trying to come up with an escape plan, but I had nothing. No weapons, no one was coming to save me, and there was nowhere to run.
He was faster and stronger than me, and even if I attempted to run into the forest, he would find me. My cellphone was lying on the ground, not too far away from me, but with his eyes constantly on me, I couldn’t reach it.
Or maybe I could.
With shaky legs, I started leaning to my right, trying to reach the fucking thing.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Danny murmured to himself and kicked the stone in front of him. I tried not to flinch as he turned toward me, but he didn’t seem to see me.
Whatever was going on in his head was a war I wasn’t privy to.
I extended my leg and pulled the phone toward me, flinching at the sound of the stones moving. His eyes were still plastered on the river in front of him and I bent down and picked it up, hoping that it still worked.
“What are you doing?” he suddenly asked, and when I looked up, I saw him staring at me.
Shit, shit, shit.
“N-Nothing,” I stammered.
“What’s in your hand?” His feet ate the distance he previously created between us, and within seconds, he was in front of me, pulling my phone out of my hand. “Were you trying to call someone?” He grinned. “Maybe your boyfriends?”
“M-My—”
“Don’t play coy, Skylar. I saw you guys. I saw you last night, fucking like there was no tomorrow. I guess I’m not the only sick bastard in this town.”
“That’s no—t,” I inhaled sharply. “You had no right.”
“I had every right.” He looked down at my phone, and without another word, he tossed it toward the water. The splash echoed through the night, and as it died down, so did all my hopes.
I was all alone.
“That’s better.” He looked at the river, and then back at me. “Nobody is going to come, Skylar. By the time they figure out where you are, it will already be too late. You belong to the darkness, my dear sister. You belong to the dead, just like your mother. Just like our father.”
“No.” I shook my head, my tears cascading down my cheeks. “I can help you, Danny. You could come with us.”
“I don’t want your help. I want you gone.” His eyes narrowed at me. “You’re the only thing he talks about. You and Dylan, and I can’t stand it anymore. You’re the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and unless you were six feet underneath the ground, he will always think about you.”
“But I don’t want him!” I shrieked. “I never wanted any of this.”
“Liar. You wanted him. How could you not?” A dreamy look took over his face, and I could almost see him going through all the things Judah did to him. “His touch, his lips.” Danny closed his eyes as he spoke of Judah. “His perfect cock,” he moaned.
God, this wasn’t the Danny I used to know. This wasn’t the boy I grew up with.
And how long had this been going on?
“Danny—”
“You don’t get it. I need him, Skylar. He’s the air I breathe. He’s everything I will ever need. When he’s not around, the darkness comes in faster, the voices are louder, and I can’t think, I can’t eat… I need him!”
“Okay, okay,” I murmured and took a step back. “What if I disappeared? Huh? What if I left Winworth?” God, please let me leave. “What if you never saw me again?”
“No! You’re not going anywhere. He would never stop looking for you, and that’s something I can’t risk.”
