Page 4 of Slaying for Sloan
“Get the fuck away from me,” I say, desperation seeping into my voice.
Asher laughs a dark, hollow sound that echoes around us. “Don’t you see, little brother—it doesn’t matter what you do, you’ll never be good enough. You’ll never beperfect. Not in their eyes or the pathetic god you all bow to.”
My breath quickens, panic clawing at my chest. “You’re sick, Asher. You need help.”
He steps even closer, the knife gleaming ominously in the moonlight. “Help? They didn’t want to help me; they wanted to control me. Just like they’re controlling you.”
“Stop it! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” I shout, trying to summon some strength, but my body feels like a sack of stones.
With a surge of adrenaline, I try to push myself up, but he kicks me in the ribs, and I crash back to the ground, gasping for breath.
“Maybe this is what you need—a little reality check,” he snarls, raising the knife, and I feel my heart drop.
“Please, Asher!” I scream, fear and regret flooding through me. “We can work this out! I’m sorry for how things went down, but this isn’t the way!”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it anymore,” he sneers, his voice low and thick with contempt. He inches closer, a wicked grin curling his lips. “You really shouldn’t be scared, Alex. Not if you’ve managed to play the perfect son, the model subject. After all, you’re destined for heaven with the god you worship. But if you’ve let a little sin slip through your fingers…” He lets the words linger, a sinister echo in the frozen air, sending a shiver racing down my spine. “Then maybe fear is exactly what you should be feeling. What would Mommy and Daddy think? How does spending eternity with the devil sound to you?”
I swallow hard, my throat dry. His words cut deeper than the blade in his hand ever could, twisting the knife of my childhood insecurities. “Asher, don’t do this,” I plead, desperation clawing at my insides. “You’re better than this!”
“Better?” he echoes, his laughter tinged with madness. “You think I want to be better? I’m tired of pretending, Alex. You were my brother. My fuckingtwin. If anyone was supposed to have my back, it was you, and I’m tired of you thinking you can walk away from what you’ve done.”
The darkness closes in around us, heavy and suffocating, as if the night itself is eager to swallow me whole. My twin’s twisted smile is the last thing I see before he lunges forward, the blade glinting coldly in the light. I feel a sharp, searing pain slice through my abdomen, a brutal intrusion that steals the breath from my lungs.
I gasp, a strangled cry escaping my lips, but it’s drowned out by the icy wind that howls around us. My vision blurs, colors and twinkling lights swirling as I struggle to process the reality of what’s happening. This can’t be how it ends.
Lowering my trembling hand to my stomach, the blood seeps through my fingers, warm and sticky, contrasting against the cold. Pain radiates from the wound, sharp and consuming, likefire coursing through my veins. I can feel my strength draining away, the darkness creeping closer, pulling me under.
“Guess all those prayers didn’t mean a damn thing,” he sneers, his voice low and venomous. “Tell me, Alex—where’s your God now?”
With those words echoing in my ears, the edges of my vision darken, and everything goes black.
Chapter Three
SLOAN
Islept like absolute shit, and I spent the strong majority of the night tossing and turning while I waited for Alex to come back, but he never did. This cabin isn’t insulated very well and I couldn’t figure out how to get the fire started without the risk of burning down the place, so I froze while I drifted in and out of sleep.
A friendly old man from a rideshare brought me to the cabin last night after the fight Alex and I had. I knew he’d need time and space to cool off. And to be honest, I needed that too. In hindsight, it’s possible that I let myself get too into my head over dinner, and that I may have directed too much of my anger at Alex when it was his parents I should have been frustrated with. I only have to see them a few times a year. If I want things to work with Alex, I have to accept the fact that it’s well within my best interest to be on good behavior and keep my lips sealed when I’m with them, even if they’re assholes.
Last night as I walked through the streets of Holly Grove, I quickly noticed people staring at me, whispering amongst themselves as I passed. It was a reminder that word travels fast in these small towns. At least one person had seen Alex hit me,and now that it’s the following morning, I’m sure the entire town knows.
Rolling over, I grab my phone, lighting up the screen as I tap it with my index finger. I groan, rolling my eyes when the first thing I see is a text from Alex’s mom.
I expect you and Alex will meet me for lunch to discuss the altercation which occurred in town last night. We need to get ahead of it before the town has more time to change the narrative. 12:00 pm sharp - Alex knows the restaurant.
Of course, Alex knows the restaurant. There are only a handful of places to eat in Holly Grove and Alex told me most of them wouldn’t pass a health inspection if the owners weren’t so closely knit with the one and only inspector.
The next ten or so minutes are spent scrolling through my various social media apps and responding to “Merry Christmas Eve” texts from friends and family. I’m already trying to mentally prepare myself for all of the engagement posts I’ll see later this evening. Alex and I are nowhere near ready for a commitment that large, but a small part of me dies inside every time I see someone else from high school posting their engagement or pregnancy announcement photos. I didn’t think I’d be approaching twenty eight with no engagement in sight. Most of the people I went to high school with are married with kids. I thought that would be me too, but it hasn’t been in the cards for me yet.
Throwing the blankets off my legs, I shiver as the cool air rushes in around me, stealing the body heat I desperately tried to keep all night long. But I need coffee, so I sigh as I pad across the icy floors, heading straight for the cozy kitchen. Ittakes me a minute to find everything, but I eventually have all I need to make coffee. After pouring the dark roast grounds into the filter, I close the coffee machine up and press the button to begin the brew cycle. Steam immediately rises from the top of the tank, spitting small beads of scalding water into the air. The hot coffee begins pouring down from the drip, making my eyes instinctually flutter closed with delight, and I let my shoulders drop while I inhale the rich scent.
Ineedthis. There isn’t enough caffeine to get me through Christmas with Alex’s family, but I’ll still consume my weight in it.
A small black box placed in the center of the kitchen table catches my eye. Leaving the coffee machine, I approach it, looking around the room for Alex. I hadn’t heard him come in, but this box wasn’t here when I came in last night. I sat at the table for over an hour before I crawled into bed. I would have noticed it.
There’s a silky onyx ribbon wrapped neatly around the matte box, making it appear luxurious. Picking it up with one hand, I glance around the room one more time before deciding to open it. The ribbon unravels easily as I pull it. Opening the lid, I find a piece of paper that has been folded and tucked inside the box. I pluck it from the box, revealing a giant wad of cash and a brass key. My eyes widen as I realize just how thick the stack of cash is. There’seasilyseveral thousand dollars here. Unfolding the note, I begin to read it.
Let me show you what it’s like to be cherished. I have a few things to take care of before I meet you this evening, so please take this cashand spend the day shopping. Buy yourself something nice while you wait for me.