Page 14 of Slaying for Sloan
Marcus, cocky as hell, steps forward. The idiot’s trying to play it off like I’m just some pissed-off bystander, not someone who knows exactly what they’ve been doing.
“You’re really following us, man?” he sneers, folding his arms. “What? You think you’re some kinda hero? This isn’t your fight.”
I let out a low chuckle, the kind that doesn’t reach my eyes. “You two were so fucking worried about chasing tail you’ll never touch, you didn’t even notice I’ve been trailing you since the café,” I say, the words laced with venom. I take another step forward, my presence closing in on them. “You think you’re slick? That you’re low-key? Idiots. I saw every move you made, heard every fucking word that slipped from your disgusting mouths.”
The taller one snorts, his chest puffing up, trying to act like he’s not rattled. “Yeah? And what? You think you’re some big bad hero now, huh? You’re just another fucking punk hiding behind a mask. I don’t see a cape, do you?”
Marcus laughs, his grin twisted with arrogance. “Oh shit, you’ve been following us? What? Are you trying to play protector? Get over yourself, man. We’re just having some fun.Don’t make it more than it is.” He leans in, throwing a mocking glance at me. “You’re really gonna try and play the tough guy in front of us? Cute.”
I sneer at them, the words dripping with disdain. “Of course you would think you can just take whatever you want.Touchwhatever you feel like; I’m sure your mommy and daddy raised you to be just like that. Because the world didn’t have enough entitled pieces of shit. Well, you’re in my world now, and in my world, the villain’s the one you need to fear, not the hero.”
Marcus looks at me like I’m the one in the wrong, like I’m ruining his fun. “Fuck you, man. What’s it matter to you? If it’s that big of a deal you can have her when we’ve both-”
I don’t give him a chance to finish. Before he can blink, I’m on him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the metal railing by the pond. His head hits with a satisfying crack, and he wheezes as I tighten my grip, pushing him harder into the cold iron.
“You think you can talk like that about her?” I growl, my voice dark and thick with rage. “Think you can follow her around like some fucking animal and then touch her? You’re nothing but a filthy piece of shit.”
His hands claw at my wrist, gasping for air, but he can’t get free. The taller guy hesitates, taking a step forward, but I don’t even look at him. Instead, I pull the knife from my pocket, flashing it in the dim light. It catches the glow of the Christmas lights, the blade wicked and cold. The coward freezes in place.
“You want a turn?” I ask, my tone cold, barely glancing at him. “One more step, and I’ll carve you open like a Christmas turkey.”
He swallows hard and backs off, terrified. That’s what I thought.
Marcus, though, doesn’t learn his lesson. “You think this makes you tough?” he manages, his voice hoarse and weak. “Youdon’t even know her. You’re just some wannabe tough guy, trying to play pretend.”
I can’t help but laugh. It’s bitter and filled with venom. “Tough guy? You think I’m playing some kind of game here? I don’t need to ‘play’ anything. I’m just pissed off that I have to waste my time on assholes like you.”
I slam him against the railing again, harder this time. His eyes bulge in panic, and I can feel his body go limp in my grip. He can’t handle this. None of these creeps ever can.
“You think I don’t know who you are?” I spit, my words dripping with contempt. “Marcus fucking Keller. The rich little prick who thinks he can do whatever the fuck he wants. Where’s your daddy’s money now, though, huh? It can’t fucking save you. Not from me.”
His eyes flicker with fear, his bravado slipping away. “I—I didn’t mean it,” he gasps, choking. “It was just a joke, man. We didn’t mean to—”
I cut him off by slamming him into the railing again, this time with everything I’ve got. His head bounces off the cold steel, and I can feel the rage surge in me. “A joke? You think this is funny?” I spit on the ground. “You think it’s funny to follow her? To plan to touch her like she’s some fucking toy for you to use at your convenience?”
His lips quiver, but he’s too fucking scared to speak. His hands paw uselessly at my wrist, and I’m not done yet.
“Hey, man, chill,” his friend starts, raising his hands. “We didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I snap my head toward him, and he freezes. “You’ve got five seconds to walk away before I take that fucking cigarette and shove it so far down your throat you choke on it.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. He bolts, slipping on the snow as he disappears into the woods, leaving his friend to fend for himself.
Marcus continues struggling under my grip, his breath coming out in panicked, shallow gasps. He tries to fight, squirming, but the icy railing cuts into his back as he pushes against it, his hands slapping uselessly at my forearm.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. I press harder, watching as fear floods his eyes. His bravado is gone, replaced with the realization that he’s not in control anymore. Not now, notever.
“Come on, man,” he stammers, his voice cracking. “We weren’t gonna do anything, I swear.”
“Do I look like I believe you?” I press the knife against his throat, hard enough to make him wince. “You’re a fucking joke, Marcus. Always were. Following other people around like a lost dog, begging for scraps. You think that makes you a man? You think that makes you good enough to even look at her?”
“She’s just some stupid bitch, man. A fucking tourist!” he blurts out, panic flooding his voice. “She’d have been gone after the holiday, no harm done.”
I don’t waste a second. Grabbing him by the collar, I drag him off the railing, throwing him down onto the frozen pond with a sickening thud. The moment his body hits the ice, it cracks beneath us, the sound like thunder in the dead of night. His yelp is drowned out by the groaning of the ice as it starts to split and fracture.
“You’re fucking crazy!” he yells, his voice high and panicked.
“Crazy enough to make sure you never see Christmas morning.”