Page 72 (1/2)

But when she reached the kitchen, her back stiffened and her grip around the knife’s handle tightened reflexively She stood motionless as her eyes, still irritated from the imprint of burnt rubber, scanned the room

She didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t matter Violet knew she wasn’t alone

The back door stood wide open, and she tried to iine a scenario when it had ever blown open before, even during a windstorm She knew it had never happened

She opened herto call out, to see if maybe her parents had come home But her instincts told her to be still Silent So she waited

And then she saw it, and her throat tightened to the size of a needle,her breath come out on a painful wheeze

It was her purse, with its fa in the center of the kitchen table as if it had never beenat all As if she’d never dropped it in the first place

She thought of Ja calls Sara had received, but she kne that he had nothing to do with this

Each beat of her heart was palpable Each breath excruciating as she stood there, wondering where he was, suddenly understanding the prickling sensations Suddenly understanding why her hands and feet stung so violently, and wondering how she hadn’t caught on sooner She knew too why her eyes burned And she recognized another imprint, one she’d dismissed because it was overshadowed by the smell of charred rubberit was the bitter taste of rubbing alcohol

These weren’t Carl’s imprints; they were Caine’s These were the echoes of the dead girls he’d wanted to love

What happened next was so sudden Violet barely had time to blink From behind the kitchen counter there was a flash of move on her It was both lightning-fast and ood look at his face, to recognize what Rafe had irls wouldn’t be afraid of hiht just as he collided with her, knocking her flat on her back And before she could even breathe again, his knee jammed in her stomach and her eyes ide as she exhaled loudly, noisily, painfully

He didn’t speak to her In fact, he reazed down at her, his expression less than predatory If Violet hadn’t known better, she would have sworn she saw regret in his eyes

"Please Don’tdothis" Violet panted, gasping for breath beneath his weight

He didn’t respond to her, just continued to watch her with that saaze

If she could just make it to the door, she told herself These were her woods Even in the dark, she was sure she could lose him

With a sudden burst, Violet rolled swiftly and unexpectedly to her side She still had the knife in her hand, and even though her fingers shook, she knew she could use it if she had to And she was almost certain she would have to