Naked Edge (25 page)

“Care to elaborate?” I really hope all the spy crap Wade and Derek installed in here is working.

She waves the broken bottle back and forth as she creeps closer. “Adding a little powdered drain cleaner to your Advair dispenser is one of my favorites.”

My stomach clenches.

“Do you have any idea what that would feel like?” Anna’s smile is pure evil. “The burn as it sticks to the soft, moist tissues in the back of your throat. The agony as it eats through your vocal chords. You wouldn’t even be able to scream.”

“Stop.” If she continues, I’m going to hurl.

“You’re looking a little green around the mouth. Feeling a bit woozy?”

If I puke, I won’t be able to defend myself or run.

“I’ll bet you can almost taste the blood as it leaks from your ulcerated trachea, can’t you?”

I press my lips together and breathe through my nose.

“I wonder how long it would take for you to drown in your blood?” She takes another step closer. “Cutting your throat won’t be nearly as entertaining, but the results will be the same.”

My back is already pressed against the wall, but that doesn’t stop me from pushing harder, as if I can squeeze myself into the sheetrock. “Stay away from me.”

Anna swings the broken bottle as she lunges at me.
 

I block it with the pillow, saving my throat, but the jagged edge slices the back of my hand. It takes a second for the pain to register. Then another for the blood to flow. It pours down my forearm then drips off my elbow.

Anna licks her lips and shivers as if the sight of my blood is turning her on. Maybe it is. She’s a sick, twisted piece of work.
 

I don’t dare take my eyes off her to check the injury. The
splat, splat, splat
of blood hitting the hardwood floor makes me dizzy.

I need to get some distance between us. Rowdy’s bedside light is a cheap floor lamp on a lightweight metal stand, but it’s the only thing close enough for me to grab. I edge to the left and wait for Anna to strike again. When she does, I dodge to the right, grab the lamp and yank it hard enough to pull the plug out of the wall. The base is heavier than it looks. I use the momentum to swing it up in an arc, hoping Anna will back up.

But instead of trying to avoid the weighted base, she lunges at me again. It catches her under the chin, snapping her head back. She slams into the floor with a room shaking thud, but doesn’t so much as whimper.
 

I keep my gaze locked on her limp body as I crawl back over Rowdy’s bed, dragging the lamp with me. A pool of blood spreads out from beneath Anna. Oh shit. Did I kill her? I was only trying to defend myself.
 

I pull my new phone out of my skirt pocket and dial nine-one-one.

~***~

The cut on the back of my hand isn’t as bad as I thought, but it hurts like hell. I run to the main house and bang on the door. “Derek, open up! It’s an emergency.”

He opens the door, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. His mouth and chin are smeared red. At first, I think he’s injured too, but it’s only lipstick.

I rush inside and slam the door behind me. My knees refuse to support my weight. I slide down the door, but Derek grabs me before I hit the floor and guides me to the kitchen.

“What the fuck happened?” He hands me a wad of paper towels.

I press them against the back of my hand. Blood soaks through all of them in a matter of seconds. “Anna.”

Derek’s normally ruddy complexion turns to chalk. He lifts the hem of my tank and scans my bare stomach. “Are you okay? Any other injuries?”

“No. Just this.” I keep pressure on my hand as I lift it above my heart. The throbbing lessens.

“Where’s Anna?”

“In Rowdy’s room.” Tears fill my eyes. “I think I killed her.”

Derek looks over his shoulder and yells, “Call nine-one-one.”

His bedroom door swings open. A girl with smeared makeup and messy, red hair leans her head and shoulders into the hall. It’s obvious she’s naked. “What happened?”

“Just do it!”

“It’s okay. I already called it in.” I lower my bloody hands and drop my new phone on the table. I forgot that I was still holding it. I hope all the blood didn’t ruin it.

Derek closes his eyes for a moment and sighs. “What did you say when you called emergency services?”

“I think I said ‘Anna is trying to kill me, I need help.’”

“That’s all?”

“My phone died. I think some blood got inside it.”

The girl disappears back into Derek’s room then emerges a few minutes later, fully dressed. She pulls her hair into a ponytail as she edges around the kitchen’s perimeter, towards the front door. “I um…need to go.”

“In a minute. Keep an eye on Skylar while I get dressed.”

“Sorry.” She gives me an apologetic glance then darts out the door.

“Shit.” Derek pulls out a chair and sits beside me.

“I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not. Keep pressure on that.” He nods at my hand. “And keep it above heart level.”

He watches me for a couple minutes then goes to the sink and grabs a pair of dish gloves and more paper towels then wipes my phone off.
 

“What are you doing?” My first thought is that he’s trying to get rid of my fingerprints but that doesn’t make sense.

He shrugs. “Mine’s back in my bedroom and I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“I told you I’m fine.” The tremor in my voice and violent shaking of my body aren’t very convincing.

“Your phone’s not working. I’m going to go grab mine. I’ll be right back.”
 

“Grab some pants while you’re at it.”

Derek returns with his phone, still wearing nothing but his underwear.
 

“What’s up, man? I’m at work.”
 

The sound of Rowdy’s voice, even through the tiny speaker on Derek’s phone, calms me.

“Anna attacked Skylar.”

“What the fuck? Goddamnit. Is she okay?”

“She’s got a nasty cut on the back of her hand, but other than that, she’s fine.”

“Does she need an ambulance?”

I lean in closer to the phone. “I’m fine, Rowdy. But…” My voice cracks. “I think I killed Anna.”

“I’ll be right there, babe. Don’t say a word to the cops. Understand?”

“Yeah.”

Derek lowers his voice. “It went down in your room so the whole thing’s recorded.”
 

There’s a long, silent pause before Rowdy speaks.
“Is that a good thing?”

“Don’t know yet.” Derek puts a gloved hand on my shoulder. “I’ll see that Skylar protects all her rights.”

“Are you asking if it was self-defense?” My voice is shrill with disbelief.

“No, babe. I know it was without even asking. But sometimes what shows up on a video doesn’t quite match reality.”

Derek says, “I’ll go grab my laptop right now so we can look at the video.”

“Are you okay with that Sky? Or would you rather have Derek stay with you?”

“I’m fine. But I don’t want to watch the video.” I’ve already got the whole thing burned into my brain.

“I understand. But I think it’s important for Derek to see it before the cops get there.”

“I agree.”
 

Derek gives me a quick dip of his head then jogs down the hall and disappears into his room.

I tell Rowdy everything that happened while Derek’s gone. I’m just wrapping it up when the front door bursts open. My heart stops. Time stands still. My blood runs cold. It’s Anna.

~***~

“Derek? Anna’s here.” My voice sounds amazingly calm as if I’m announcing the arrival of a guest instead of a psycho intent on killing me.

He tears down the hall and darts in front of me, nearly knocking me out of the chair. He takes a wide stance and holds his arms out at a forty-five degree angle, fingers splayed. “Stay back, Anna.”

“Or what?” Her words are slurred and hard to understand.

I stand up and look over Derek’s shoulder.
 

Anna’s jaw hangs open one side lower than the other. Blood and spit leak out of both corners of her mouth. A trail of bloody footprints stains the floor behind her. And she’s still got that damn broken bottle. She swings it around as she talks like she’s directing an invisible orchestra. “Get out of the way, asshole.”

“I’m not going to let you hurt Skylar.”

She limps forward. “Then I guess I’ll just have to hurt you first.”

Derek reaches behind his back and pushes me towards the hall. “Go lock yourself in my room.”

“No. Two against one are better odds. Besides, the cops will be here any second.” The sound of distant sirens floats through the open door. “Do you hear it?”
 

Anna holds the broken bottle in front of her and kicks the door shut. Time moves in slow motion as the sirens grow louder. They’re getting closer. Red and blue lights flash through the window, but they don’t stop at the house. They don’t even slow down.
 

Anna’s grin is horribly lopsided, as if she’s had a stroke. “What’d you do? Give them the wrong address?”

My stomach falls to my feet. I didn’t give them any address at all. The phone died before I got the chance. I was only on the line for a few seconds. That must not have been enough time for them to get my exact location.
 

“They won’t get here in time.” Blood and spit dribble out of the corner of Anna’s mouth.

“Anna!”
Rowdy’s voice blares out of Derek’s phone.
“Don’t do anything stupid. I’m almost there.”

She blinks and cocks her head to the side. “Rowdy?”

“If you hurt Skylar or Derek, they’ll put you in jail and we can’t be together. We won’t be able to get married.”

“It’s too late. I’ve already hurt her.”

“No!”
His anguished cry breaks my heart.

“I’m okay, Rowdy. She’s just talking about the cut on my hand.”

His ragged breathing is loud and uneven.
“Anna, please, I’m begging you. Put down the weapon.”

“You still love her.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“I… love you more.”
I know he’s lying and only trying to save my life, but it still hurts to hear him say it.
 

His headlights fill the window, casting long shadows across the floor. Anna drops the bottle then jerks the door open.
 

Rowdy tackles her and slams her against the wall, pinning her arms to her side.

“What are you doing?” Anna uses her little girl voice.

Derek runs to Rowdy and tries in vain to pry him off Anna. “She’s unarmed. You need to back off before the cops get here.”

I try to turn Rowdy’s head towards me, but he doesn’t budge. It’s as if he’s carved out of stone. His eyes are glassy and dilated. He wraps his fingers around Anna’s neck. “You aren’t ever going to hurt Skylar again.”

I wedge a hand between Rowdy’s and Anna’s bodies as Derek wraps his arms around Rowdy’s waist.

Rowdy screams. It’s a raw, primal sound. “Your father killed my mother. I’m not going to let you kill Skylar.”

“Rowdy, let go.” I dig my fingernails into his bicep. “If you hurt Anna, they’ll put you in jail. I need you.”

He shakes his head in rapid, jerky movements then blinks and looks at me.

I heave a huge sigh of relief. “Let go of Anna and hold me.”

He drops her like a sack of potatoes then wraps his arms around my waist and jerks me against his chest.
 

Anna slides to the floor and whimpers. Her eyes roll into the back of her head as she falls over sideways.

Rowdy and I hold each other as the sirens get closer. Derek puts a hand on my back. “Go ahead and give your statement tonight but don’t answer any questions about the original attack. And don’t say anything about the surveillance in Rowdy’s room.”

“Why not?” I went to a lot of trouble, not to mention personal risk, to get Anna’s confession on video.
 

“I don’t think we’ll need the extra evidence. You mentioned the knife Anna’s using for blackmail.”

“So?”

“Instead of reporting the attack after it happened, you claimed amnesia. It’s just simpler if we focus on what happened tonight. If we need the videos, we’ll use them.”
 

Blue and red lights flash through the window and open door. The sirens stop.
 

Derek leans in closer. “Anna left a trail of blood from the garage to the house so expect them to come in with guns drawn. Don’t make any sudden moves.”

Rowdy clings to me when they try to separate us. The sheriff and his deputies call him by name and treat him gently, but it’s obvious they’re losing patience with him. I tell him the only thing I can think of that might convince him to let go. “My hand needs stitches.”

Works like a charm. He loosens his grip then slides his hands down my arms. I take half a step back and am immediately escorted outside to an ambulance where I once again refuse treatment and transport. Rowdy can take me when we’re done.
 

The sheriff takes my statement. He doesn’t mention the original attack and neither do I.
 

The EMTs roll Anna— arms flailing, legs kicking, head thrashing— past me on the way to the ambulance. It’s a good thing she’s secured to the sides of the gurney with restraints. She lifts her head and screams at me. Her words are nearly unintelligible but I can fill in the gaps. “Stay away from Rowdy or I’m going to kill you.”

~***~

Rowdy’s chest presses against my butt as we climb the rope ladder to the tree house. It’s the only way for me to do it one handed. He keeps his arms locked on either side of me as an extra safety measure. It took fourteen stitches to close the gash on the back of my hand but there was no damage to tendons or nerves. It’s a small price to pay for getting rid of Anna.
 

“Are you sure this can’t wait until you have full use of both hands?” He’s such a worrier.
 

“Nope.” I’m done waiting.
 

Rowdy and I were so exhausted last night when we got home from the ER that we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit my pillow. Rowdy hit the snooze icon on his phone alarm twice this morning before rolling out of bed. He gave me a pain pill and a kiss then left for work without breakfast.