Good Boy Gone Bad

96 ➵ Ash

♞ Ash ♞

Sofia and I have been following that car for ten minutes and with each passing traffic light, my stomach cramps tighter.

"When you offered to teach me how to drive manual, I didn't imagine you'd also teach me how to stalk people," Sofia mutters.

She slows a little, and Danielle and Felix turn left.

"Follow that car damnit," I yell. The thumping of my heart is a constant reminder of how shit things could turn out if we're even a second too late.

"Okay what the hell is going on, Ash?" she says but picks up her pace and turns left.

"That guy – fuck. That guy is the reason I moved here."

"What do you mean? The guy driving Danielle?"

"Yes. He was obsessed with me. Stalked me for two years. Tried to become me. Dyed his hair. Wore contacts. Used to write me creepy letters, take photos of me, follow me everywhere. He broke into my house. Multiple times." I take a deep breath. "They arrested him. Then I moved here and I figured – I thought it was over but... He must've found me." 

"Those weird notes you got – the paparazzi. You didn't think to tell any of us this earlier!?" she exclaims, and the sudden urgency is evident in her heavy lead foot on the pedal.

"I thought I was being paranoid. He's meant to be in prison."

She makes a small gasping sound. "What is he going to do to Danielle?"

"I don't fucking know." I bite down on my lip hard.

"Why her and not me?"

"He must've known it was fake. He's been watching... He knows I care about –" I care about Danielle. As much as I fucking try to deny it. "He was my friend before he became obsessed. He knows me too fucking well. He knows I care about her."

"I'm lowkey offended."

"Are you fucking serious? I'll tell him next time he wants to torment me to kidnap you instead, yeah?"

"Pfft," she says as we turn the corner onto Danielle's street. "Is he the one who... set her house on fire?"

"Pull over!" I yell. 

Sofia slams down the breaks and my BMW screeches to a deafening halt.

"What are you going to do – Ash!" she yells after me but I'm already out of the car running.

Felix's volvo is not even a fifty-metre sprint ahead of me. I don't stop until I'm at his window, breaking it at its weakest point with my elbow. Glass shatters and spills onto the grass. I grab him by the scruff of his collar to drag him out in one fluid and furious movement.

My fist collides with his head twice before he slumps down to the ground. I want to hit him again and again and again.

Dani.

I dump him there, in a crumpled ball on the pavement in front of Danielle's house. I snatch the keys from the ignition and jump over the hood to the passenger side. By the time I unlock the door, Sofia has finally caught up to me.

Out of breath, she says, "Where... did you learn... that?"

I ignore her. "Check the boot. I think Charles might be in there."

Sofia runs to the back of the car, paling like a frozen corpse. "Oh my God," she says, confirming my suspicions.

I open the car door and find Danielle passed out in the front seat.