Prologue
He waited, wrapped in the protective cloak of the darkness, for her to come out. As he waited, he thought of the first time he ever laid eyes on her.
She was gorgeous. She had long, caramel blonde hair, with eyes like emeralds. Her skin was a luscious light brown, and her smile...
She was everything he wanted.
But he couldn't have her. She was only thirteen. He was thirty.
Now, after suffering in silence for three years, he was finally ready.
The door to the house suddenly swung open, and David almost jumped. Luckily, Eve didn't seem to notice.
He could hear the music pulsating through the open door before it shut again, muffling the noise.
Eve walked to her car with keys in her hands. David could hear the clicking of her heels on the concrete. She fumbled with the keys, completely unaware of the danger lurking behind her, creeping closer with every breath she took.
"Ack!"
She exclaimed, dropping the keys.
"Dang it!"
She bent to pick them up, and caught the sight of someone directly behind her. She straightened up quickly, spinning around to face the mysterious figure.
Her eyes widened.
"You?"
He smiled.
"Evie, my love, the time has come at last for us to be together," he said, stepping forward and holding his arms out to the terrified girl in front of him.
Headlights suddenly washed across the scene, the squealing of the brakes echoed in the deafening silence.
"Get away from her, you asshole!"
Alyssa climbed out of her car, furious, gripping her shoe as a makeshift weapon.
David, startled, sprang into action before his mind could fully process the threat.
He charged.
Without thinking, Eve rushed in front of Alyssa, protecting her best friend.
"Don't you dare touch her."
The steely calm in her voice and angry look on her face rooted him to the spot. The only thing that betrayed her false sense of confidence was the slight quiver in her voice.
Nothing much, just a slight dip in pitch, but it gave David the upper hand.
He smiled sickeningly at Eve.
"Babe, you don't have to pretend with me. I know what you want," he said, stepping forward.
Eve had never wanted to slap someone more in her life.
"One more step and you'll be lying on the ground bawling like a child," she warned.
He smirked and opened his mouth to reply when his face became slack, and his knees gave out as he crumpled to the pavement, unconscious.
Behind him, holding a baseball bat, stood a furious Kyle Garrett.
