Getting through to Amelia was my only chance, because I know Blade will use her as much as he can. I thought that maybe I had, based on the way she reacted when I begged her to leave him. She stopped fighting me and looked as defeated as I felt. If all that conversation had done was gotten her away from Blade, I would have been happy with that, but it didn't.
I should’ve known Blade had a plan to counteract anything I told her. Somehow, that piece of shit is always a few steps ahead, and I can't figure out how. Seeing his grimy little hands all over Amelia is enough to make me want to cut them off, but that would be like signing my death certificate.
He's too connected.
Too powerful.
Too evil.
The sound of someone walking behind me makes my whole body go stiff. I don't even need to turn around to see who it is. There's only one person who would look for me right now, and only one person who would be able to find me.
“I have to admit,” Blade's voice cuts through the peaceful silence, “it was a good effort. She almost believed you.”
I roll my eyes and throw another rock. “And you were there to make sure she didn't.”
“Of course. I can't have you cutting my fun short.”
That's what bothers me the most. This is all a fucking game to him. Like we're all his personal little puppets, and he's just having a great time making our lives chaos. Hell, he knew Tessa overdosed and nearly died. All he did was give Easton more drugs.
A Band-Aid for his heartache.
He's the worst kind of person. The kind who would lace a drug with lethal doses of fentanyl just to feel in control. And that's what makes me most afraid for Amelia. He has no limits, and if he lets her in on secrets she's not supposed to know, there will be no getting out for her.
“What do you want?” I ask, completely defeated and ready to comply.
He takes out a cigarette and puts it between his lips. “There's a lot of things I want, Zaynie, but we can start with you not being such a fucking problem.”
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls out more heroin and tosses it on the ground next to me. My head drops, and I don't think there is much worse than what I'm feeling right now. It's like I'm trapped. There's no way out. Nothing I can do. But I need to protect Amelia.
I take the Ziploc bag and stuff it in my pocket. “Same deadline?”
He chuckles. “Now, that's a good boy.”
The lake doesn't have the same calming effect it had before, and it's not hard to figure out why. I nod and get up before walking over to my motorcycle. Blade stands there with a smug grin on his face. As I throw a leg over the bike, he calls my name.
“Don't worry. I'll be sure to tell you how her pussy tastes.”
It takes everything in me not to pummel him right then and there. Amelia is delicate and deserves to be treated with care. I've seen the way this fucker treats girls, and it's nothing like someone should treat her.
Instead of playing into his attempts to make me angry, I take off on my motorcycle—getting far as fuck away from him.
WALKING THROUGH CAMPUS, I glance around at the students going from one class to another. Some of them look panicked, while others look like they would rather be sleeping. The first couple months of school are my favorite to watch. You have the ones who excel, the ones who manage to flounder their way through, and the ones who completely burn themselves out. Over time, you start to see who falls into what category.
“I swear to God,” Easton whines beside me. “English Lit is going to be the death of me.”
I snicker. “It's not that bad. I took that class last semester.”
His brows raise. “Not that bad? Dude, I damn near fell asleep during the lecture, only to find out we need to write a three-page essay on it by tomorrow morning.”
“And you would rather sit on the couch and watch TV?”
He smiles. “You know me so well.”
We turn the corner to head our next classes, when a couple sitting in the courtyard catches my eye. Blade is sitting across from Amelia while she talks animatedly. I know it’s no accident when his eyes meet mine and he winks. Easton is oblivious at first, but when my whole body tenses, he looks at me oddly.
“You good?”
I nod. “Yeah, but let's go this way.”