Not knowing whether it was the dinner party from before or the new environment of being at Nero’s house, Chloe desperately needed to take a breather. The second she had entered the spacious living room, she had seen a hint of the backyard that looked absolutely stunning. It called to her, made her itch to want to see it for an unknown reason.
“Do you think Nero would mind if I walked out there?” she asked, deciding to take the opportunity of the pizzas arriving for distraction.
“No, he shouldn’t.” Elle knew that was the only way she would survive any social function. “Go on.” She smiled in encouragement.
Chloe walked to the back door and placed her hand on the doorknob. She had been waiting for this all night. Quietly, she slipped out, closing the door behind her. Then, turning around, her breath was taken away by the sight.
There was only one word to describe it: magical.
Thirty-Three
He Was No Man. He Was the Boogieman
Present Day
The smell of him was what woke her from her long slumber. She hadn’t awakened once, still covering herself and clutching Amo’s jacket throughout the night. It was the best sleep she had gotten in years, making her wonder if his jacket had …
She sat up quickly and pulled the material away from her body, placing it on her bed. She found herself staring at it for several minutes, trying to fully remember how she had ended up with it.
The sleepy daze wore off, directing her eyes to her blank white wall, bringing the memory of last night alive …
Pop. Pop.
The quietest gunshot greeted her ears, trailed by a door squeaking open.
Stay still, little girl …
Mind going blank, she had no recollection of how she had ended up in the bathtub.
Elle’s crying voice seemed so far away as she got in the tub beside her. “Nero, someone’s h-here. I think they have a gun.”
Or it’ll just hurt worse…
The sound of the door breaking in was the last sound she thought she was ever going to hear.
I’ve come for you …
Crack.
The sound of broken bones greeted her ears as a baseball bat slammed down onto a limp body.
Snap.
Another flash of the bat making contact with the man’s leg, the man who lay practically lifeless on the floor.
He raised the bat once more, pausing only to look her in the eyes. An evil pair of blue-green eyes stared back at her, making her blood run cold. She watched his hands grip the neck of the bat with a force so intense she was positive it was going to shatter before the bat was brought down for its final time.
Crunch.
As she watched the man inhale the air around him, he looked crazed, his appearance disheveled. Then he slicked his overgrown hair back in place, and you could see the slight smile come to his lips.
“Chloe,” Amo’s voice quietly appeared, trying to bring her back. His jacket was carefully draped over her shoulders after he managed to talk her out of the bathroom. “Let’s get you home.”
Coming closer to the evil, blue-green eyes, she gripped the jacket for dear life.
Violence calmed the man before her. He lived off torture, feeding himself by causing pain to others. He had wanted her to see him, see what he was capable of, see who he truly was.
Lucca was his name, but he was no man.
He was the boogieman.
She had only witnessed that in one other being in her life: the devil.
Thirty-Four
When I Leave
After that day, it brought back too many memories, and she then found herself in the same haunting place after she had been kidnapped in freshman year. Since then, she only ever hung out with Elle and Amo. And throughout the summer, she had found herself decreasing the amount she spent with them… More… And more…
It’s going to make it easier on them… for when I leave.
Thirty-Five
When You’re Sitting In California, and I’m Missing You
“Chloe, please! Just one dance!” Elle yelled at her over the blasting music.
Chloe violently shook her head as she sat uncomfortably at the high top table with the loud-ass music in her ears. She wondered how in the world she had let Elle talk her into coming to Poison on her birthday.
“You promised me you would go out for your birthday!”
Oh, yeah, I did. She guilt me into it.
Vincent’s girlfriend, Lake—yes, the world is still on its axis—screamed over the music. “Come on, Chloe, you ditched us practically all summer!”
That wasn’t completely true; she just didn’t hang out with them all at once anymore, especially at Nero and Vincent’s new apartments downtown. The last time she had hung out with them there, a gunman had almost killed them.
“Go dance. I’ll be fine!” Chloe yelled at them. This place wasn’t for a girl like her.
She watched her friends roll their eyes before they grabbed their boyfriends up and took them to the dancefloor.