Breathe (18 page)

Whoever he was, he was big. I could feel him behind me. His chest was big and he was strong. I was trying to kick and thrash to get away, but I got no leverage. He shoved me up against a tree. The side of my face dug into the bark. He kept himself behind me so I couldn’t see him at all. He had my ponytail wrapped up in his hand and was using it to hold my head in place against the tree.

Tears were pouring down my face. I knew I was supposed to be doing more, but I couldn’t think. The fear was so big it was choking me.

Just as I was starting to get dizzy from lack of oxygen, he loosened up his hold on my face a little.

“Breathe, Jasmine.” His voice was a low whisper. He had his mouth up close to my ear. I could feel his breath on my neck. He pushed his whole body up against the back of mine. “If you scream, I’ll have to knock you out sooner. You don’t want that, do you?”

I realized then who this was. It was him. I knew it. Terror ripped through me.

How was he here? How had he found us? I felt everything start to go black around the edges. I was going to faint.

He shook me hard.

“Stay with me here, Jasmine. I need you awake for the next few minutes so I can get my point across. Do you understand? Nod if you do.”

I nodded.

I was trying to breathe and stay focused, but I was starting to feel nauseated. I needed to think and not panic. I needed to remember everything, figure out how to get loose, get away.

“All right. Good girl. You know who I am, don’t you?” I nodded. “Smart girl. I knew you would catch on quickly. Let’s get straight to the point then. I have some instructions for you, and you will do them exactly, won’t you?”

I nodded again. I was trying hard not to vomit.

“See, I knew it would be easier dealing with you than it was with Daisy. Did you like my little serenade last night? I needed you in the correct frame of mind for today. Are you ready to hear my instructions?”

I nodded even thought it felt like my head was on fire.

“You will get rid of that guy you have been spending so much time with. You will tell him it’s over. I don’t like to share. I don’t want to see you talking to him or his annoying brother ever again. Do you understand me, Jasmine?”

I nodded again. He increased the pressure on my hair. It felt like it was coming out at the roots.

“This is not a joke.” His whisper turned harsh. He pushed me harder up against the tree. I felt the bile burning my throat. “If I see you so much as glance his way, I will kill him, his brother, and his favorite cousin, just for the inconvenience you are causing me. You belong to me, Jasmine. I saw you first, so he loses. Get rid of him, or you will have all of their deaths on your conscience. Do you want that?”

I tried to shake my head, but I couldn’t. He must have gotten the gist.

“Good, good. You may not go to the police. You may not tell anyone. If I see you or any of your family near the police, I will take Lily and you will never see her again. Are we clear?” I was nodding my head as much as I could without ripping out my hair. “We are almost done here. When I call you the next time, you will answer and you will come to me, won’t you?”

Tears were pouring out of my eyes again. Not Lily. I could never let that happen.

“Yes,” I whispered against his hand.

“Good girl. You’re mine, and I will come for you soon. Be ready.” Then all of sudden a piece of material was covering my face. I gagged. Everything went black.

I woke up with my face in the dirt. When I turned over and looked up, the trees were spinning. How long had I been here? Was he still here? I looked around and realized I was alone. This was why he knocked me out—so he could get away without me seeing him or what he looked like. My head was fuzzy. I tried to stand and almost fell over. I started to sob. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was gasping and trying to catch my breath, but it felt impossible to get control. My whole body was shaking, and I couldn’t stop it.

What do I do? He’s here. All this time, he had seemed like a character in a book or a movie. Not exactly real. More like a fairy tale you tell your children to keep them scared. Well, he was as real as it gets. And scarier than I thought possible. The one thing we had feared the most had come true.

I leaned over and vomited into the dirt. My stomach wouldn’t stop heaving. I finally drew a deep breath and wiped my mouth. I felt the shakes and the panic coming again and fought them back. No. I could not give in to that. The Monster was after my family again. He needed to be stopped. And now I knew what I was dealing with.

I had to pull myself together. Make a plan. It was the only way.

I tried to brush myself off, but not much was going to help how I looked. I wobbled toward where I thought the road was. It took me about five minutes to find it, but I got there. I knew I couldn’t run. My balance was still way off. I felt woozy and slow. I started back the way I came, thinking that would be shorter, since I hadn’t been halfway when he grabbed me.

As I got closer to the school, there seemed to be a lot of people running around and looking freaked out. Oh no. This couldn’t be about me. I saw what looked like most of the runners in a bunch standing by the finish line. Apparently, I had been out awhile. So, making up a sprained ankle was not going to work. I needed to think fast, but my head felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton. I couldn’t think straight.

I saw Easton at the top of the stairs in the front of the school. He was pacing back and forth while he was on the phone. I made it to the bottom of the steps. I saw Trenton standing off to the side, looking as white as a sheet. I was about to call out, when Trenton saw me.

“East, she’s here. She’s here!” He was running down the stairs toward me, when Easton’s head whipped around and he saw me. Trenton grabbed me and was shouting, “We’ve got her! We’ve got her! She’s here.”

All of sudden, there was a buzz of voices, and I heard Easton tell whoever was on the other end, “She’s here. No, she looks all right. I’ll see you in a minute.” He hung up, ran down the stairs, and practically ripped me out of Trenton’s hands.

“Are you okay? What happened?” He pulled me into a hug and then pushed me out again. He started rubbing his hands up and down my arms. “Are you hurt?” He was looking me up and down. I looked around, and people were starting to gather. People were shouting, but I couldn’t really hear what they were saying.

“I… um… I’m fine. What’s going on?”

Easton looked confused. “Jasmine, you’ve been missing. The meet is over, and you didn’t come in. Everyone has been looking for you. We didn’t know what happened to you.” Just then, I heard sirens in the distance. That was all bad. They could not come here. No police. He would know. The shakes were back, and I couldn’t stop them this time.

No, no. I just, I… I think I just fainted. I got overheated, so I went to stand in the shade. When I woke up, I got a little lost and couldn’t find the road.”

“Did you fall? You look scraped up.” He was checking my arms and face for injuries. “Did you hit your head?”

“No, I’m okay.” I was going to start crying if I didn’t pull it together soon. I could not do this now. “I’m sorry.” I looked up. The paramedics, fire department, and police were all pulling into the parking lot. In the car directly behind them was my mother.

The paramedics got there first with their gurney and insisted on checking me out. I didn’t want to do this. I wanted to go home. Easton stood right next to me while they asked me questions about what happened. As I told them the story, I knew it was thin, but they seemed to buy it. I watched my mother run from her car to where I was sitting with the paramedics. She grabbed me.

“Jasmine, you scared me to death! Are you all right?” I had a huge lump in my throat.

“I’m fine. I got overheated and must have passed out when I got into the shade. I’m so sorry.”

She was checking me over and asking questions of the paramedics. “Mom, really, I’m fine. I want to go home. Now.” I looked at her. “Please, Mom? We don’t have to talk to anyone, do we? I just want to go home.” I was begging now. I knew I sounded pathetic, but I needed to get her and myself out of there before the police decided to start asking questions. They were already talking to Coach Anderson. I couldn’t risk it.

“Okay, sweetie, drink that water and we’ll go.” My mom was still dividing her attention between me and the paramedics. She was in full nurse mode, asking them questions about my vital signs and whatever. Easton was practically glued to my side.

“Sugar, are you sure you’re all right?” He had this look on his face, like he wasn’t sure he believed me. Well, he was pretty smart, wasn’t he? He should never believe me. He should never believe me again. Well, he wouldn’t have to, would he? It was all for the best. I knew it now. I probably wasn’t going to make it. It had been so easy for the Monster to grab me. I had been fooling myself all this time. Thinking the calls, texts, and flowers were nothing. He could easily get to me and anyone I loved. He was a killer, and he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. I had to get away from Easton and his family. I had no choice now.

Everything seemed like it was coming at me from the other end of a long tunnel. Like I wasn’t even a part of what was happening around me.

“I want to go home.” I couldn’t look at him, so I looked down at my shoes. They were totally scuffed from when the Monster had dragged me through the trees. Huh. Weird. I didn’t even feel scared anymore.

“I’m really tired.” I must have laid down on the gurney, because the next thing I knew, I was on my way to the hospital in the ambulance. Honestly, I didn’t care. I was so tired, I closed my eyes again.

The next time I opened them, I was in a hospital room with the machines beeping, and it was dark outside. My mom was asleep in the chair, and Easton was standing at the window looking out.

“Hey,” I tried to say, but it came out more like a weird frog croak. He turned his head and smiled at me. He came over to the side of the bed and sat down on it.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. I was going to try to kiss you awake, but I thought your momma might object,” he whispered. I grinned at him, and then everything came rushing back and it turned into a frown.

“Why am I here? I don’t remember exactly. I know I wanted to go home, but I was so tired.”

He was still smiling, but his eyes clouded over. “Well, you fell asleep on the gurney, so they decided it would be best to keep you for observation.”

I nodded. “Wait, if my mom is here, where are Caedan and Lily?” I started to sit up. They couldn’t be left alone. The Monster could change his mind and decide to take Lily, and he could hurt Caedan in the process. “She didn’t leave them alone, did she?”

He looked perplexed. “No, no they’re fine. Lily’s at Abby’s house, and Caedan’s at Finn’s. They’re fine. Relax. It’s all okay, sugar.” He pushed me back down on the bed. “Besides, if you aren’t quiet, you will wake your momma, and she just fell asleep a bit ago.”

“What time is it?”

He looked at his watch. “Two thirty.”

I gaped at him. Where had all that time gone? What had been on that fabric? Was that why I was so tired? I didn’t need to be sleepy. I needed to think. I needed to make a plan. I was the only one who could stop the Monster. He needed to be caught. I would do this because I had no other choice. But I knew first that I had to end my relationship with this beautiful boy who owned my heart.

I felt like my chest was being squeezed in a vise. I loved him more than I had even known up to this moment. Now that I knew I would have to give him up, it was so clear to me. He was it for me. This must be what love is. I wanted to curl in on myself and sob my heart out. But I didn’t have time for that now.

I didn’t know how I was going to do this, but it had to be. I couldn’t risk being seen talking to him ever again. The Monster would kill him without hesitation—and sweet Trenton and Whitney’s Chase. I didn’t have the power or ability to protect them all, and the Monster knew it. I could not even think of the heartache it would cause in so many lives. It was too horrible to contemplate. I, more than anyone, knew the horrendous things this murderer was capable of. Their beautiful family would be destroyed like mine was. And then I would not be able to live with myself.

They could not die because of me. I could prevent it, so I would.

The question was how to make breaking up with him believable? It didn’t matter that I was breaking my promise never to lie to him if I was ending things, I guess. I took a deep breath.
Please God, let him believe me
. I know it will be a lie, but is it wrong if it saves his life? God must have been listening because I got the perfect opening.

“Jasmine, you really scared me today. You need to take your personal safety more seriously. I don’t know how else to express to you how important you are to me. You scared everyone.” He looked serious.

“Easton, we’re going to have to talk,” I started. “I know I told you I wanted to be your girlfriend and all that the other day, but after today, I think I changed my mind.” He looked stunned. I had to ignore him, so I looked at my blankets. “I realized that I’m not ready to be as serious as you are. I don’t really want to answer to you—or anybody, for that matter.”

I took a breath and poured on the gas. I looked right at him and said, “I mean, having to answer to my mom is enough. You are such a nice guy.” Ah, the kiss of death. “I just don’t think it’s working. I’m really sorry if I led you on.”