"Love the witch outfit," Jackson said over the loud music. "Some tricks you got up your sleeves?"
"What are you doing here, Jackson?" I asked, practically screaming over the loud music. Now that I knew it was him beneath all that skeletal makeup, I wondered how I hadn't recognized him before.
"Following you of course," He joked.
The way he said it, I suspected if he did follow me here. How had he known I was here? Or was it perhaps a coincidence?
"You need to come back to the asylum, re-admit yourself," I said.
"Do you miss me that much?" He pulled on his cocky grin. "I love how you're bossy the second you see me."
I rolled my eyes.
"I didn't escape to go back to that hellhole again." He got hold of my wrist and started dragging me away from the dance floor.
"Where are you trying to take me?" I said, resisting his grip on my wrist.
He let it go at once. "Just want to talk, nothing else. The music is too loud here, let's go underground."
I folded my arms across my chest. "You're stupid if you think I'm going anywhere with you."
The DJ changed the song to a slower one. Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud. Jackson grinned. "Looks like the DJ can read my mind." He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me taut against his chest, bringing his mouth close to my ear, he whispered. "Dance with me."
My body moved along with his in a slow dance. It was just a dance nothing else. He wouldn't try anything in public. Right?
Unless he was desperate to go to prison again. I didn't even carry a weapon with me that I could use should the time arise.
I felt his nose bury in my hair, my head fitting perfectly in the crook of his neck. He smelled different, not like the hospital soap or the detergent. He smelled musky and male. I moved with the flow of the slow beats, at this point I wondered if all the logic had left my body. I tried to pull away from him, but his grip tightened around my waist. "A little while longer, Riley, please." His voice was husky and pure silk.
If the devil was a human, he'd look just like Jackson.
I let him waltz me around for a while. "Is Dr. Shaw truly pissed with the prospect of his pet nurse teaming up with the enemy?"
I gave out a laugh. "You have no idea."
"Well, I can only imagine." He said.
I had a ball of rage bubbling inside me ready to surface. I tried to get out of his grasp. "Let me go!" I let out a frustrated yelp that only he could hear over the music.
To the onlookers, we probably looked like a couple having a small argument.
That only made Jackson dig his fingers deeper into my waist, possessively. "Ouch!"
I placed my palms on his chest and tried to push away from him but he wouldn't budge. He was smiling, that smug smile again, and his eyes were blazing with something that I wasn't aware of. "Fight me, sweetheart. Fight me all you want."
"You threatened to kill my brother. I almost lost my job because of you! Aaron won't even look at me now." I said with gritted teeth. "It's your entire fault, Jackson!" And then the tears began falling without me even realizing it.
Jackson's stare turned daunting, and if I wasn't terrified before, I was now. "Why does it even matter to you if Aaron looks at you or not?” He caught my jaw in his fingers. "Do you have some feelings for him, Riley? Why is it always Aaron this, Aaron that!" He loosened his grip on my chin. And I thought I saw hurt flash in his dark toffee-colored eyes like I was a cheating girlfriend.
"Are you jealous, Jackson?"
Why was he acting like a jealous boyfriend all of a sudden? Did he ever ask me out in a different dimension and I possibly said yes because I'd lost my mind?
"Jealous?" He laughed. "I'd be jealous if there was any reason to be. I'll never be threatened by the likes of Shaw or Bennett or anyone for that matter."
"Don't you think you're too full of yourself? Besides, why do you think I would have feelings for a killer?"
"You're drawn to the bad guys, Cotton-Candy. You may try to find someone like Shaw, always the sweet, helping doctor that the nurses adore, the type of guy who would give flowers. But deep down, you seek the darkness. You don't need flowers; all you need is a man who'd kill for you. Isn't that right, Riley?"
I was rendered speechless. It frightened me how Jackson saw right through my mind. He voiced the thought that I was too ashamed to admit.
A few minutes later I said, "Aaron is my mentor. He's like a brother to me and you have a sick mind, Jack!" I said trying to turn away from him but Jackson was faster, he brought his lips crashing against mine, it was a slow kiss at first and then it got deeper. His tongue seeking entrance, I parted my mouth just a little and his tongue delved into the contours of my mouth. I moaned as the sparks of pleasure went down to my toes. Without being conscious of my actions, my fingers bunched up in his fine dark hair.
He broke the kiss to trail his tongue down my jaw and neck. Sensual and sloppy kisses. My heart stopped beating for a minute and I froze when he reached my collar bone. I pulled away from him and as if he could read my mind, he whispered. "I would never hurt you. Believe me."
"I don't trust you," I said and started walking away.
He seized my hand. "Come with me."
I spun around to face him, confused by what he'd just said. He repeated. "Come with me, Riley."
"Where?" I asked.
"Wherever that I'm going." He pauses and continued a beat later. "Just come with me." He insisted as I stared at him in disbelief. He traced my lower lip with her thumb. "I will protect you, Cotton-Candy. I promise. I won't let anyone lay a finger on you." He touched his forehead to mine. "It would just be us. Together. Forever."
"I don't want to go anywhere with you." I snapped, pulling my hand out of his grasp for the hundredth time tonight.
"Why not?"
"Because you're crazy Jack, and I'd rather be away from you than with you."
"Those are lies and you know it." He said.
"I'd be damned if I was lying about that."
"The kiss didn't exactly say that. You responded to me. You liked it as much I did."
"I don't have time for your games!"
His eyes were focused somewhere behind me, he said. "There's a reason why I'm here. I wanted to tell you something; to warn you."
I raised my hand to stop him. "I don't want to listen to anything that you have to say. I can't trust someone who deceived me to get away from there, much less a killer."
"Riley, please...just listen to me once. Just once." He pleaded, his gaze darting behind me again.
"Just leave me alone, Jackson!" I said firmly, trying hard to not be lost in those smoldering eyes.
I was going insane.
Thankfully, he took that as a sign of my disapproval and didn't follow me as I threaded through the crowd of people and towards the parking lot. I decided to text Maddy to tell her I was going home so I opened my bag and rummaged through it for my phone and came empty. I'd become careless and absent-minded in a very short time, I'd never been this way. I pinned the blame on Jackson. He was one reason I'd been concentrating less and less on my work, he was the reason for the growing distance between Aaron and me.
I didn't want to admit it but I liked the way Jackson's lips felt against mine. There had been nothing in his kiss that felt even remotely revolting, it was like he was trying to prove me something. Maybe I was just as crazy as he was, or maybe I was worse.
I walked back into the club and searched every corner of the bar, even looked under the seat but it wasn't there. There was a possibility I'd left my phone in my car so I walked back to the parking lot, keeping a close eye behind me. The parking lot was almost empty with only a few people huddled in groups by their respective cars, too intoxicated to even think straight.
I spotted my car a few rows down and started walking towards it. I had an eerie feeling of someone following behind me. I stopped and looked back.
There was absolutely no one.
I turned forward and resumed walking towards the car, my feet picking up speed. I heard the footsteps behind me.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I stopped again, this time my eyes were blurring with tears. "Jackson, if it's you, please stop! It's not funny anymore." I didn't want to sound so weak but I knew I'd sounded just that.
I hugged myself as if that could be enough as self-defense and "frightened" wasn't even a close word to describe how I was feeling right now. I was terrified. I'd never seen the pictures of Jackson's victims but I knew the gory details enough to realize I was in danger should Jackson decide to put me on his victim's list. A chill ran down my body.
Maybe this was how Jackson murdered his victims; sweet-talking to them first, before brutally murdering and cutting them into pieces, and then taking home one of their belongings as a trophy.
In a few hasty strides, I managed to reach my car and fumbled inside my bag for the keys. My hands shook fiercely as I searched through it, finally finding the key within the depths of the bag.
I was so clumsy that I dropped the keys on the floor; cursing to myself I dropped down on my knees and looked for them, spotting them beneath the car parked next to mine. I picked them up and stood up.
That's when a phone started ringing.
The familiar ring tone. That was undoubtedly my phone.
I glanced towards where the device was humming.
Jackson was leaning against a car, two rows down with my phone in his hand. The skeletal makeup looked even more alluring as he grinned. His voice echoed when he said. "Perhaps, I have something that you lost, Cotton-Candy."
Phone, be damned!
I pressed the auto-locking remote of my car and pulled at the handle but the car wouldn't open.
The bastard had done something.
I tried to open the driver’s side door of the car one more time before I took off, running through the parking lot until an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me into the corner. I was face to face with him.
"I asked you to come with me nicely, but you didn't, so I have to do this the hard way." He said.
"You can't kill me. The police will...the police will find out and..."
"Shhh...it's okay. Everything is going to be fine now."
Just then I felt something like a needle pierce into my neck and I knew then that I was going to be nothing but another name in the list of his victims.
****
"Rise and Shine." I heard the familiar voice, and suddenly a suffocating amount of sunlight poured into the room almost blinding me.
I sat straight up and looked around.
Where was I?
The events of last night came back to flashes. Meeting Jackson. Talking briefly to him. Kissing him. Having the quarrel and lastly, getting drugged.
That's right. I'd been drugged before I was brought here.
A cabin.
I looked around to find him seated a few feet away. Clad in a tailored black suit, matched with a red tie, his dark hair ruffled. His long legs crossed in front of him, eyes assessing me. For a minute I didn't recognize him. His entire demeanor had changed to that of a powerful man.
His lips pulled back in a slow sensuous smile. "Welcome to my home, Cotton-Candy."
"Why did you bring me to your house?" I pinned him with a hard stare."As I have already mentioned, I did it to protect you." Jackson declared in a matter-of-fact way."By drugging and kidnapping me?" I yelled at him, having an urge to throw something at him, a brick or a stone would’ve sufficed.His eyes didn't waver as he maintained eye contact, those brown eyes with a speck of gold. He spoke with such authority that told me any further inquiry was not open for discussion. "I did what I thought was best. I trust you need to use the bathroom." He pointed towards a door on the right. "Help yourself. I went out of my way and bought some clothes that you can use during your stay here. There's enough food in the fridge, and the kitchen is all yours.""Oh, how very kind of you, Mr. Wolfe," I said sarcastically, appearing touched. "What a nice host you are, to drug me, kidnap me and buy me clothes to make my stay comfortable here. How would I ever repay
I laughed, but Jackson's expressions hadn't changed. He was still having that intense look in his whiskey-colored eyes. "Me? Marry you?"His brows arched up. "Why not?" "What type of weed have you been smoking today?" Ignoring my question, he dipped the spoon back into the lasagna and took another bite. "I do want to marry you, Riley. Just think about it. You wouldn't have to worry about bills or about keeping a job for that matter."I laughed again. Because it was so funny. “And what about the police, Jackson? I don't have to worry about that either? Should we live our lives looking behind our backs? What would I tell "our" future children? That their father is a psychotic killer?""Here I'm talking about marriage and you're talking about future children." He sniggered. "You have it all planned out ahead of you."I rubbed my temples in frustration, watching him gobble down half of the lasagna. "You have to
When I woke up the next morning, I noticed another tray of food placed at the edge of the bed with a badly cooked omelet, hash browns, sliced kiwi and a glass of OJ. Ritualistically, I brushed my teeth first, had a quick shower and pulled on a t-shirt from the wardrobe. I was actually starting to like Jackson's choice of clothes that he'd bought for me. I reached out for the tray of food before sniffing it. The omelet tasted alright, but a little on the saltier side. Jackson was a bad cook indeed. When I was done eating, I climbed out of bed reluctantly and made my way out of the bedroom to find Jackson sprawled on the couch with a book in his hand.I recalled all the events of the previous night and how I continued to accuse him even after he'd repeatedly told me he was innocent. I realized that lashing out on him wasn't going to get me anywhere. If anything, I had to stay calm and find another way.There was one thing that was clear, Jacks
"Do you know how to use a gun?" Jackson asked me as he pushed the curtains away to look outside the window. "No." "Obviously you can use a knife to save your life, right?" What the hell was with his rhymes? "Yeah. I guess." He opened the kitchen cabinets, the ones that were stocked with too many jars. He reached out for one and pulled out a gun from it. A gun out of a large empty cookie jar. I stared at him appalled. "What? I keep my guns where no one can find them." He handed me a butcher knife. "Take this, and go to my room. Stay hidden until I tell you otherwise." "But..." "If I don't come for you within ten minutes, stay hidden." He instructed. His expressions told me this was a serious matter. Whoever was outside the door could be dangerous. On second thought, Jackson had always been the king of threatening, killing and harassing people. How bad could be the person standing
"Mr. and Mrs. Miller?" I asked Jack in a mocking tone. "That's what popped in my mind at that moment," Jack said as he placed my bag and his on the carpeted floor. "Besides, I thought Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe would have been too suspicious in case the guy had checked the news." I threw open the bathroom door and was surprised to find it clean despite the fact that the Motel looked like it was a movie set out of a horror movie. I started to sit on the bed, "Wait!" Jack interrupted me before I sat down. He pulled the sheet off and checked the mattress after he'd thoroughly inspected it, he passed me a slow grin. "Just checking for bed bugs, you never know what type of creatures lurk in places like these." I snorted. He was right. And just like that, it hit me. There was only one Queen sized bed in the room and it was way smaller than the king-sized bed I occupied in Jack's cabin. Suddenly, I started to feel nervous about sleeping in one bed. N
I woke up in the morning to find myself nestled between Jack's arms. I brought my hand to his face and brushed the locks of dark silky hair and sighed. His caramel-colored skin glistened in the sunlight that streamed from the open drapes.When Jack opened his eyes, I was still staring at him. Amusement was clear on his features. In a sleepy, husky voice, he said. "I want to be inside you again."My heart thudded against my chest rapidly. "Shower first."He chuckled. "You didn't even pretend to decline this time."I gathered the bedsheet around my naked body and started walking towards the bathroom when one end of the cloth got stuck somewhere, I glanced back to see Jack holding it."Let go," I said.He grinned. "What's the point of hiding something that I've already seen?"My cheeks caught fire. I was blushing a lot this morning for someone who was encouraging and moaning his name. Last night was different, the room was dark. Now it w
I was feeling drowsy, and every part of my body was aching. I opened my eyes slowly to find myself in unfamiliar surroundings. It took me a while to realize where I was until the scent of disinfectant and medicines permeated the air. The walls were painted sky blue; an IV was attached to me. I was wearing a hospital gown. I hadn't even realized back then that I'd been injured too.There were flashes of the accident. We survived the accident and I was saved from being badly injured when Jack has wrapped his arms around me, cushioning me from the impact and taking the hit himself."Riley!""Jack, you're injured. We have to get you to the hospital immediately!"I hurried to the car that was now lodged into a tree and pulled out the First Aid kit and a shirt from my bag. I disinfected his wound as much as I could, tore the fabric and wrapped it tightly around his wound to stop the bleeding.As a nurse, I knew how to disin
I'd taken ample amount of rest that evening and when I woke up it was already dinner time. I was served white rice, boiled veggies and some gravy on the side.Any motivation I had about life had already left the building. I couldn't imagine how during the time I worked here, fed this particular dinner to patients and thought nothing of it. I felt sympathy for all those people I'd forced to eat it, day in and day out.I'd forced most of the food down my throat when Aaron entered the room. He had a worried expression on his face as he took a seat next to the bed. "How are you feeling now?" He asked."Better." I lied.He nodded. "The medicines will make you drowsy but it will help you with the pain."What about the pain stabbing in my heart? Will the medicines make that pain go away as well?"I hope so," I said, pushing the carrots back and forth in my plate.I didn’t appreciate the look that Aaron was giving me; it was filled with