Boxed Set Page 11

  "I think it's time for you to leave, Jacob."

  He stalked back to her. She lurched desperately for the lamp on her desk. Her trembling hands knocked it over as she clumsily grasped at it. "Oh God," she cried in frustration as it tumbled to the floor and broke in half.

  He grabbed hold of her arm and spun her around. She screamed as he lifted her up and flung her onto the bed. The force of it knocked the breath out of her, but she somehow managed to find the strength to scramble back. He grabbed her leg and jerked her toward him.

  "No!" she screamed as she kicked crazily at him. "Get away from me!"

  He pulled her across the bed and climbed on top of her. Sitting on her legs, he grabbed hold of her hands and pinned them above her head. She screamed again, bucking wildly as she tried to rip her hands free. He squeezed her wrists as he shifted both of her wrists into one hand and placed his other hand over her mouth. Tears of frustration rolled down her face as she fought to get free.

  Liam stood by Mike as the next group passed them. "There are only two groups left. Then we can go party. Or, at least I can." The wolfman mask covered Mike's face, but Liam knew he was grinning beneath it. "Then again, I'd rather be at your party."

  Liam shook his head. "I'm sure you'll find your own."

  Mike laughed as he pulled the mask off. "God, this thing is hot. I need a beer."

  Liam winced as screams from children echoed through the halls. He was beginning to get a headache from all the high-pitched shrieks. Glancing at his watch, he discovered it was only quarter after nine. He rubbed at his pounding temples. He couldn't wait to end these tours. His throat was sore; he was hungry and tired. He had led ten groups of screaming children and their parents through already. He wanted to get out of here and see Sera. It was the only thing keeping him going.

  Mike began talking again, but Liam had stopped listening to him. A knot worked its way into his belly. He frowned as he tried to figure out where it was coming from. Becoming completely still, he used his mind to probe the area around him as he scented the air for the source of the unexplained fear. He turned into himself, searching for anything that would explain it.

  Then he realized the fear was coming from Sera.

  "I have to go," he blurted, cutting Mike off in mid-sentence.

  "What?" Mike asked dully.

  "I have to go. Find someone else to do the last tour."

  "You can't just leave Liam."

  "I have to. Get my car and meet me at Sera's dorm."

  "Liam, wait!" Mike grabbed hold of his arm and swung him around. "What is it? What's wrong?"

  "Let go!" he ripped his arm free. "It's Sera; she's in trouble, just meet me there."

  Mike gawked at him, but Liam didn't wait for a response as he turned to run. Liam burst through the front door as the next group was getting ready to come through. They stared at him in astonishment, but he barely noticed as he started to run toward her dorm.

  "I hear you have a new boyfriend," Jacob's mouth hovered near her ear. Sera squirmed beneath him as she tried to turn her head away. "Are you giving it up to him?"

  Sera choked against his hand. He smiled chillingly as he licked her ear. Bile rose in her throat, and it took everything she had to shove it back down. She would probably choke to death if she threw up now.

  "I'm going to take my hand away so you can answer me. If you scream again, I'm going to gag you, understand?" he asked.

  She nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. She hated herself for the sign of weakness, but she couldn't stop it. He eased his hand away, and she felt something cold press against her throat. She tried to retreat further from him, but it was impossible as he smiled down at her.

  "Yes, it's a knife,” he said. “Now, answer me."

  Her heart hammered in her chest, and she couldn't stop shaking. "Are you sleeping with him?" he demanded, his face twisting into a sneer.

  A wave of defiance washed over her as she tilted her chin. "Yes, I am."

  He smiled coldly as he leaned down to kiss her. She turned her head away in a desperate attempt to get away from his repugnant touch. His hand twisted cruelly in her hair as the knife pressed more firmly against her throat. "That's what your friend said."

  Revulsion swamped her, and it took everything she had not to vomit as he ran his hands over her body. "Stop it." She tried to squirm away from him, but he pressed the knife more firmly against her throat. "What friend?" she asked as his words registered.

  "Your girlfriend called me. She told me where you were. I decided to visit you to finish what we started."

  With a violent jerk, he ripped open her shirt. Sera cried out in distress and horror as his hand ran down to the edge of her jeans. Tears spilled from her eyes as she bucked crazily in an attempt to dislodge him. "I'll slit your throat, you bitch!" he spat. "Stop moving!"

  Sera whimpered as his hand cruelly squeezed her breast.

  "You feel good," he purred as he licked her ear.

  A knock on the door froze his movements. "Are you expecting anyone?" he asked in a low voice.

  "No," she answered honestly.

  "Get rid of them." The knife cut into her flesh. She could feel blood running down her throat. She froze, unable to move, unable to breathe as she fully realized he would kill her. "Now!"

  She inhaled sharply. "Who is it?" she called.

  "It's me, open the door," Liam replied.

  Her heart gave a little skip of hope that quickly faded. Liam was big, but Jacob was bigger and obviously crazy. She didn't want Liam to hurt, and Jacob would kill him... or her. Hopelessness filled her as she resigned herself to what she had to do. Jacob would hurt her, but she wasn't going to let him hurt Liam too.

  "I'm not feeling well," she called out.

  "Sera, open the door!" he yelled.

  The annoyance in his voice puzzled her, but she didn't have time to figure it out, and right now she didn't care. "Just go away, Liam." Her voice cracked as tears spilled down her face. "I can't see you tonight."

  Jacob gripped her hair painfully and dug the knife in a little deeper.

  "I don't want to talk to you! I... uh... I just need to be alone. I have to study!"

  Silence came from the other side of the door, and she held her breath as she prayed he would stay there all night. "Fine," he finally said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

  She almost screamed for him to help her, but she kept her mouth closed as tears flowed freely and her hope vanished. Jacob's eyes sparkled with malice. She closed her eyes, unable to look at him anymore, unable to think anymore.

  The loud crash startled her eyes open. Jacob gasped as he was ripped off her. The knife sliced her as she was thrown to the floor. She cried out as she fumbled at her injured neck. Blood spilled between her fingers, ran down her arm, and dripped onto the ground. She sat numbly, barely hearing the crashes around her, and the grunts of a fight.

  She stared dazedly at her bloody fingers as her mind spun in directions she didn't understand. She couldn't grasp a single thought. Liam was suddenly before her, his face pinched, and blood streaked his mouth and cheek.

  "Are you all right?" he demanded. "Sera, are you all right?"

  She was unable to answer.

  He gingerly explored her wound. "Don't move."

  He swiftly strode over, shut the battered door, and slid the chain lock into place. She watched his legs as he walked to the other side of the room in search of something. He came back with a towel he put against her neck. She winced in response.

  "You'll be okay," he whispered. "It's not deep. Just hold this on your neck."

  He took her trembling hand and placed it on the towel, forcing her to hold it. He brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back, okay?"

  She watched as he walked away. She wondered where Jacob was, but she couldn't seem to ask the question out loud. She heard him shuffling around on the other side of the bed. Loud music gradually began to register, and she dimly recalled the Halloween party going on dow
nstairs. That was why no one had heard her, why no one came sooner.

  "Sera, do you know who this is?" Her hand fluttered up to clutch her torn shirt together as shivers racked her body. The blood was drying on her fingers, but she could feel more seeping into the towel. "Sera," he said more firmly. "Do you know who this is?"

  "Is he still here?" she croaked, the words sounding alien to her ears.

  "Yes. Do you know who he is?" She nodded as her hand fell into her lap. "Who is he, Sera?"

  "Jacob."

  A sneer curved his mouth as he looked down at his feet. "Jacob?"

  Sera started to cry as blood spilled onto her lap and seeped into her jeans. "He said I ruined his life!" she sobbed, her body shaking. He climbed over the bed and grabbed the towel. He pressed it against her neck as he wrapped his arms around her. "He said it was my fault. That I asked for it. I didn't though. I didn't."

  He rocked her back and forth as sobs tore from her throat. "I know you didn't," he whispered. "You didn't. How did he know you were here?"

  She tried to stifle her sobs, but tears continued to roll down her face. "I don't know. He said a girlfriend of mine called him, but Kathleen wouldn't do that. I know she wouldn't!"

  Liam's muscles became locked. "What about Michelle?" he grated.

  Sera shook her head as her trembling hands clutched at his shirt. Her tears soaked his shirt and wet his skin. He hated her tears, hated seeing her so tormented, but he didn't know how to take it away from her. "I never told Michelle, and Kathleen wouldn't tell her." she choked out.

  "Would she tell anyone else?"

  "No."

  Kathleen wouldn't have told anyone else; he knew that. He’d bet money Michelle was somehow involved in this. He kissed Sera’s bent head as her sobs eased.

  "I need you to listen to me," he said in a mellow tone. "You need to keep this towel against your throat. I'm going to take you down to the bathroom. You're going to take a shower, you're going to change, and you're going to come right back here. You can't let anyone see you though, okay?"

  "Okay," she muttered.

  He disentangled himself from her and stood uncertainly. Her knees were drawn up against her chest. Blood had soaked into the towel and seeped down her neck to stain her torn shirt and jeans. Rage and helplessness battled through him in alternating waves. He should have been here to stop this from happening, but he'd been too late, and she had suffered even more because of it.

  He forced himself to turn away from her before he couldn't. Before he scooped her up, carried her from this building, and took her where no one could harm her again. He moved around the room, gathering the stuff he would need. When he finished, he went back and helped her stand. He led her to the doorway and pulled the chain off. Her legs suddenly buckled as she slumped against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her up as he shoved the battered door aside.

  Mike stood on the other side with his hand raised to knock. His hand fell limply to his side as he took in Sera. "What happened?" he demanded.

  "Go inside, I'll be right back," Liam ordered briskly.

  Mike nodded as he slipped past Liam. He led her down the hall to the bathroom, flicked the light on, and walked her in. Opening one of the glass doors of the shower, he turned the water on and adjusted the temperature. He stripped her clothes and held her at arm's length. She tilted her head back to look at him through glazed eyes.

  "Sera, you need to do this for me, do you understand?"

  "Yes," she whispered.

  "I'm going to leave clean clothes on the sink. There's a bandage with them. You need to put it on your throat when you get out, all right?"

  "Yes," she whispered.

  He kissed her forehead. "Meet me in the room when you're done."

  She bowed her head as he led her into the shower. The fog in her mind began to lift as she ducked her head under the stinging needles of water. He watched her raptly from the doorway. "I'll be all right," she assured him.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes."

  He squeezed her arm and closed the door. She stood under the water, letting it pound against her as it eased some of the tension in her sore muscles. Blood pooled around her feet and flowed down the drain. She picked up the bar of soap and began to scrub herself vigorously. She slumped weakly against the wall as she started to cry again.

  Chapter Nine

  "What happened?" Mike demanded the minute Liam entered the room.

  "Don't," he said coldly.

  "Don't! Are you kidding me? Liam, he's dead!"

  "I know that!"

  Mike took a deep breath to calm himself. "What happened?"

  Liam stared dispassionately at Jacob's corpse. If he weren't already dead, Liam would kill him all over again. He had finally met Jacob and done what he’d wanted to do, but it suddenly didn't seem like enough. He wished he could bring the bastard back to life so he could destroy him all over again.

  "He was attacking her," he grated.

  Mike ran a hand through his hair. "Who is he?"

  "Jacob."

  "Who is Jacob?"

  "I don't have time to explain now. We have to get him out of here before Sera comes back."

  "She doesn't know he's dead?"

  "In case you didn't notice, she's in shock. Now help me get rid of him."

  "Fine, but I better get a full explanation later," Mike said.

  "You will."

  Mike helped him strip the sheets from Sera's bed and wrap Jacob in them. "Your car's out back, in the alley."

  "Can you take him down by yourself?"

  Mike lifted him and flung him over his shoulder. "Yeah. I'll meet you down there."

  "Is Michelle at the house?" he asked, stopping Mike in the doorway.

  "I don't know."

  Liam nodded as Mike strode out the door. He instantly busied himself with cleaning up the mess in the room. He sopped up Sera's blood, and the little bit of Jacob's, with towels he tossed into a plastic bag. She'd been in the bathroom for a while, but he could still hear the shower. He had one more thing to do before he could make sure she was all right. He crossed the room, picked up the phone, and dialed the house number. His eyes searched the room for anything he might have missed, but the room appeared to be spotless.

  "Is Kathleen there?" he yelled into the phone the minute someone answered.

  "Who?" someone drunkenly shouted above the music, and the distinct chant of, "Strip, strip, strip!"

  "Kathleen! Little blonde, big chest!"

  "Oh, yeah, hold on."

  The harsh clatter of the phone dropping made him flinch. "Hello!" Kathleen called into the phone.

  "Kathleen, it’s Liam."

  "Hey! Whassup?" she asked drunkenly. "You comin ta join the party?"

  "Kathleen, sober up!" he snapped.

  The sounds of the party began to fade. "What's wrong?" she asked, no longer having to scream into the phone.

  "I just need to ask you a question."

  "Is Sera okay? What's wrong?" Her voice raised an octave with every word.

  "She's fine; everything is fine. I was just wondering if you had told someone about Jacob?"

  "Jacob who? Wait a minute... oh, the ass?"

  "Yes."

  "No, of course not! Why? Don't tell me he tried to contact her. Bastard! No, I never told anyone. I wouldn't do that. She doesn't think I did, does she?" she asked in a shrill rush.

  "No, no," he assured her. "Nobody thinks you did; I just had to make sure."

  "What did he say to her?"

  "Nothing, don't worry about it right now."

  "Of course I'm going to worry about it. I'll be right there."

  "No. Stay there; we're coming over."

  "Are you sure? Does she need me? Are you sure she's okay?" Kathleen demanded.

  "I'm positive. Just stay there. Is Michelle there?"

  "Yeah, she's here. Where else would she be?"

  "I'll be right there."

  "Okay."

  Liam h
ung up the phone and walked over to the door. He fiddled with the latch and put the screws back in as he fixed it to the best of his ability. There was nothing he could do about the splintered jam, but he didn't care. He looked into the hall as Sera emerged from the bathroom with a towel draped over her arm. Her hair hung wetly around her shoulders; her clothes were wrinkled and damp. The bandage was placed securely against the wound in her neck, a fact he was incredibly grateful for.

  He stepped away from the door as she walked into the room. Her eyes still looked a little dazed, but she seemed calmer. Her skin was a livid red. His teeth ground together as he realized she’d scrubbed herself raw. "Feeling better?" he asked.

  She looked around the room before focusing on him. "Yeah."

  "I need to go to the frat house. I need to talk to Michelle."

  She looked at him questioningly as she dropped the towel on the floor. "Why?"

  He clasped hold of her arms. "I just do, and you're coming with me."

  "Okay," she mumbled.

  He was desperate to ease the lost look in her eyes, but he didn't know what to do to help her. He pulled her against him as he attempted to comfort her. "It'll be all right," he whispered. "He's never going to bother you again."

  "Where is he?"

  "He's gone."

  She didn't seem to know how to take this as her forehead furrowed. Taking hold of her arm, he led her out the door to the elevator. They descended, and he walked her out the back, avoiding the main lobby, and the party. His car was parked by the door. Mike was leaning against it; his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at them. Liam opened the door for Sera and helped settle her into the car. She sat numbly as he hurried to the other side and Mike slid into the back.

  He drove back to the frat house and pulled into the driveway. Throwing the car into park, he turned to look at her. "I need you to stay here."

  "Why don't I take her in?" Mike suggested.

  Liam shook his head as he squeezed her hand. "Will you be okay here?"

  "Yes."

  He kissed her as his hand lingered on her cheek. He hated to leave her, but he had to go inside and take care of this. "Stay with her," he ordered Mike.