The Ghost of a Chance by Vivien Natalie

Author:Vivien, Natalie [Vivien, Natalie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2013-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

At midmorning, when I stroll back through the falling snow to the house, the unopened package clutched in my arms, there are no cars in the driveway besides Alis’ and mine, but I notice a fresh trail of footprints pointed first toward the house and then away—aiming for the back of the house. For the back door.

And then Alis screams.

My spiked heels trip over the snowy porch boards and then slip on the tiled entryway as I rush back into the house and fling open the dining room door. Alis isn’t there, though, so I wheel around the table to reach the door to the kitchen.

"I told you I’d kill you if you touched her." Jason’s nostrils flare as he clutches Alis against him, her face buried in his shoulder. The palms of her hands push against his chest, but his arms around her are too strong, and, as he glares at me from across the kitchen, his eyes spark with madness.

"She didn’t touch me," Alis whispers, and Jason tosses her down to the floor.

"Liar. I saw you in the woods."

I fall to Alis’ side, cradling her head in my arms. She turns toward me, her body wracked with sobs. My eyes rise to pierce Jason through. "Last night?" My voice surprises me: it’s steady, low, and furious. "You were there last night? You followed us into the woods?"

Jason scoffs, leering, spittle streaming from his mouth. "You stupid cows were too doe-eyed over each other to notice I was there. I could’ve run around screaming and you wouldn’t have heard me."

"That’s trespassing." I move Alis gently so that she’s resting against the cupboard below the sink, and then, with a barely suppressed growl, I rise to confront Jason eye to eye. He’s a small man, for all of his menace, and I stare at him until his gaze narrows with discomfort. "You’re trespassing now. You are not welcome in my home, and you’re frightening Alis. I’m calling the police."

He grabs hold of my wrists and squeezes, positioning his body near enough for me to smell the beer on his breath. "I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Miss Librarian."

"And I wouldn’t threaten me if I were you." I jerk my arms away from him and then push hard against his shoulders, shoving him back toward the door. While he’s stumbling, I throw open the silverware drawer and scrabble for a knife.

When Jason comes for me again, I hold up the long, sharp blade, and it catches the sunlight streaming through the windows, flashing bright silver.

His mouth curves into a sneer, and he almost laughs, but then his eyelids flutter with uncertainty. "Well…" he says, voice shaking. "Look at the tough lady with the knife. Hey, I never pulled any weapons on you—"

"And you never will. Get out."

"Alis, all I wanted was to talk—"

"You call that talking?" Alis hisses, scrubbing at her face before rising slowly, with a small cry of pain, to stand beside me. "No, Jason. We’re through talking.

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