Ready or Not (Aspen Ridge Holiday Novellas)
12. Lily
67%
Chapter Twelve
LILY
I hesitate for a split second before turning out of Wes’ hold and walking quickly through the crowd of people to the old crumbling stairs that lead to the second floor. Run. His voice echoes in my mind, a steady, ominous command. My mind struggles to catch up with reality. I can’t believe this is happening. I thought the tension between Wes and I was all in my head, that it was one-sided, even though my body felt like he was interested. Maybe tonight is the same for him, just one night a year that he lets himself be free to enjoy whatever he wants, no matter how wrong or off-limits that may be.
There’s a part of me that knows I should be running for help, running to my car at least, but the other part of me—a larger part of me that I can’t ignore—wants this. I want him to chase me, to see what he’ll do once he finds me. I want to be hunted. I need him to expose the dark side of me.
Goosebumps scatter across my skin as the feeling of being watched returns. I know he can see me as I carefully climb the steps, watching for holes in the slabs of rotting wood. Once I’m at the top, I turn right around a large, broken banister, and the moment I know I’m out of sight, I run. My heels echo off the ground with each step, and I race around a corner, where the space opens into an old recreation room. Tables are flipped, chairs on their sides, paper scattered everywhere, but there isn’t a place to hide.
With my heart hammering in my chest, I race through the open room to another hallway filled with doors, turning into the first open one. I quickly realize I’m standing in one of the patient rooms. The walls are covered in graffiti, with dirt and grime coating every inch of the room. A dirty, stained mattress lays on the floor, the metal spring frame against one of the walls. I scurry behind the door, making myself as small as possible as I sink to the floor and pull my knees up to my chest, doing everything I can to steady my heartbeat.
Wes is an animal hunting, and I’m his prey, my fear a palpable signal leading him right to me. There’s nothing else I can do but wait.