Chasing Redemption (Book 2 of Chasing Series)

Twenty-Five | Vanishing Darkly

I wake in the middle of the night to a sound. 

No one else is beside me in bed. Everyone must have left the room once I'd fallen asleep. The TV is switched off, and the room is bathed in complete darkness. 

I can't remember watching the movie's end, but I can still smell the aroma of pizza in the air. It had been a moment of reprieve, just relaxing with my closest friends and brother.

I hear the noise again. It sounds like the creaking of floorboards.

I rub my eyes, half asleep. I blink a few times to adjust to the dark room before blindly reaching for the bedside lamp on my side table. It fills the room with bright yellow light, causing me to grimace. 

It takes me a second before I open my eyes again. I blink a few times before I realise that I'm not dreaming about the man that sits in the corner of my room.

"Rise and shine, Rhea. Today is a very big day."

Charlie Bryor.

He's squatting in the corner of my room beside the TV. I wonder how long he's been watching me sleep, crouched uncomfortably on his knees, hands wrapped around his legs. 

He stands suddenly, and his presence becomes larger than my room. He fills the space with menacing force, like an object ready to barrel anything in its path. 

"Why exactly are you watching me in the dark like a creep?"

The level in my voice surprises me. It doesn't match the beating of my erratic heart. My instinct is to run towards my door. I need to make sure he hasn't touched Layla or Maia. I don't even know if Dean stayed over like the girls said they would.

Charlie laughs heartedly, and I recoil from the sound. It's as sinister as they come.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm only here because you are, for some odd reason, treasured by the Patrdiges. I wouldn't give you the light of day otherwise. But, seems like you're hot property."

He steps closer to my bed, and I try not to fidget at our proximity. It makes me shiver even being in the same presence as this man. I know exactly what he's capable of. Not too long ago did he try to kill me. 

I scan him for weapons, but none are in plain sight. He could have them anywhere, though. One in his black boots or one tucked into the back of his jeans. 

I'm sure death would be the easier alternative when it came to dealing with Charlie. I know this isn't going to end well for me, and I don't see a way out of it. If he keeps me alive, I can only imagine what I'll have to endure.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here," he says.

"Not really," I remark. 

He rolls his eyes, taking another step closer as he examines his hands. "I'm not going to kill you, Rhea. No, that would be too easy. Especially since I've come to the realisation that a certain someone has decided to rise from the dead."

I wonder how long he's known that Brax is alive and whether this is one of the reasons he returned. I wish I'd given him a chance to speak, but I've always been stubborn. Besides, I can't say all this in hindsight.

"Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"I want to know that you've left my friends out of this first."

He holds up a finger to silence me, and I grit my teeth.

"If you had just let me finish," he sighs. "You would know that I could have answered your question without it needing to be asked." 

He takes a dramatic pause, and I wonder for a second whether he's on drugs. He wasn't acting too calmly for a man filled with so much rage.

"Your friends are both sleeping soundlessly on the couch. However, if you do decide to create a scene on your way out with me, I have two of my most creative men, ready to take special care of them."

I'm unable to hold back my shiver now. My mind begins to race through all the things that could happen to Lay and Maia. It makes my stomach tighten. 

"I won't make a sound, as long as you can promise they won't be harmed." 

He tuts, shaking his head. "I'm not about killing innocent people, Rhea. Just the ones that deserve it." 

"And I'm one of those deserving people?"

"Well, not really. Although, it is your own fault for involving yourself with a bunch of terrible people. Now that, that is definitely something you should have thought of first before trying to weasel your way out of problems."

I rise from the bed slowly, my hands in fists. "Haven't you done enough?  What about Casey, huh? He was a kid, and you had him killed."

He frowns, wiping at his jumper. "Well, I didn't have anyone sent there with the intention to kill Casey. That was all about you, he just decided to open his silly little mouth. Besides, he was far from innocent. If you're going to blame anyone, blame the family for raising him that way."

"Fuck you," I spit. "You're worse than that entire family combined. You could have chosen to stop this at any point, but you just can't, can you? You're a relentless little fuck who deserves nothing good in this world."

The power of his palm hitting my cheek knocks me sideways. I land back on my bed, slightly stunned by the force. The extent of his strength shouldn't surprise me. He's killed more people in his lifetime than I could ever try to count.

"You better keep your mouth shut now, Rhea. All it takes is one text to the men downstairs, and your friends could end up in spots right next to dear Casey Patridge."

It takes everything in me not to tell him to take Casey's name out of his mouth. He didn't deserve to talk about a boy lost to the evils of this world. A boy with a smile that could change anyone's mood. 

"Why don't you pack a small bag of your things? Leave your phone right where I can see it, though. You won't be needing that."

"Where are you taking me?" 

He grins wickedly at me, and for the first time tonight, I feel the full force of my fear beginning to consume me. I wonder if he spots it, too because the malice within his expression only deepens until I see him transform before me.

Gone is the man acting so calm. In his place stands a beast, a force of nature reading to reign havoc all around. 

"To the pits of hell, honey."