In My Skin

CH 57 || One Job

"You," he spat out as I scrambled away from him. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He talked as if... My blood ran cold. What had Killian said? Someone wanted me out of the apartment.

"You stalked me! You left me those letters and all that!"

I got to my feet, keeping the bed as a barrier between us. It was a small barrier. If he wanted he could probably just reach over it and still grab me.

"I tried to keep you out of this. You weren't supposed to be here." He seemed to hesitate before he rolled his shoulders and fixed me with a hard stare. "I didn't want to hurt you, but now you leave me no choice."

My back broke out in a cold sweat. Everything slowed. I felt as if I was taking in everything—my rapid breathing, my body tensing, his rambling, the way sweat slicked down his head.

Angie's dad cursed wildly, his chest heaving as he stared at me with narrowed eyes. "Angelica," he called over his shoulder, not leaving me out of his sight. "Get out here before I do something to your neighbor you'll regret for the rest of your life."

"Don't listen to him, Angie!" I shouted. "He's lying!"

A sick expression twisted his features. "Last warning, girl. Go to that door and tell her to open it."

And let this monster get to Angie? Hell no. No. This man had hurt Sofia. He'd hurt Angie before. I clenched my fists, and then I released them. He kept rambling, but the only thing I could hear was the blood rushing through my head. Everything slowed. My eyes darted around—over her small desk, her pillows, the stuffed animals, her bookshelf... books...

"No, Angie," I said, making my eyes wide, fixated on a point above his shoulder. "Don't listen to him."

He spun around, and I made a mad dash to the shelf, grabbed the closest book, and hurled it at his face. It bounced against his skull just as he faced me again. "Wrong choice."

With one stride, he was on top of me. I tried to smack him with another book, but he swatted my arm aside easily. The next second, a sharp pain shot through my head as my skull bounced against the wall. Stars filled my vision.

I tried to move my arms out of his grasp, but he was too strong. The fight ended as quickly as it started. As soon as he had a grip on me, it was over. His large hand wrapped around my neck and squeezed.

I couldn't budge him. He had to weigh twice as much as I did. There was no air. I couldn't breathe...

I blacked out.

When I came to, the first thing I felt was confusion. Why did everything hurt? Why was I lying in Angie's bed?

I wanted to close my eyes, but there were different sounds, muffled as if I was underwater. Screaming and low pounding, as if somebody was trying to kick a door in...

"Open the door, Angelica," a male voice threatened.

Wait a second.

I rolled over and pushed myself up—or tried to. Everything went in and out of focus. My hands shook. My arms shook. Somehow, even breathing hurt.

Angie's dad hammered against the bathroom door. Then a rattling noise echoed through the apartment.

Gritting my teeth, I braced myself against the mattress and somehow managed to push up to my feet. Just as I did, I saw him step back and throw his whole weight against the bathroom door. The frame shook. A few more times and he would be through. He would take Angie and go God knew where.

He could do anything to her.

I frantically looked around for anything to use as a weapon. My eyes fell onto the small umbrella. I waited for the perfect moment to strike, holding the umbrella tightly in my hand. The next time he threw himself forward, I moved.