12. TrickTreat

October

The bitter, cold autumn breeze floats in through the windows of my car, shaking my entire body and making my teeth chatter. I'm not sure if it's the cold or the threat that lingers in the back of my mind, but I cannot shake the chill that has settled into my bones. That night with Nixon was supposed to be fun... It was, I mean, but what he said to me before I left wasn"t. I"m still unsure what to make of his message. Other than the men in the masks coming for me, what the fuck do they want?

Driving home from work, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what day it is. Halloween. I pull into Walmart"s parking lot, needing to grab a bag of candy for the trick-or-treaters, trying to forget everything Nixon told me that night about the men in the masks having plans for me. Even though we live in an apartment building, all the kids usually come to everyone"s doors, and I am completely unprepared. I am, however, prepared for Melanie and my Halloween party. I'm looking forward to returning to normalcy. I have some reservations about Melanie"s invitation to Riley, Nixon, and the brothers from the lake, especially in light of what Nixon recently revealed to me. Are those the friends he was referring to?

I keep my head down and mind my business as I navigate the aisles to find the candy, hoping there's still some left this close to Halloween. I'm such a procrastinator. But to be fair, I've had other things on my mind.

Scanning the limited shelves, my eyes are drawn to a four-pound bag of mixed candy—the last one—and I grab it before the other shoppers. But just as I reach for it to take it off the shelf, someone else reaches for it and refuses to let go. My eyes widen as I turn to confront the candy thief, and a slight but noticeable flush spreads across my cheeks.

"Oh, hi."

"Hey, Scarlett. Small world, huh?" Blade says, still holding onto the bag of candy.

"Not really since we live across from each other and this is the only Wal-Mart in town." Refusing to let go of the candy, I give him a sly response, still not sure how I feel about him yet.

"I hate to be that person, but I really need this candy."

"Oh, and why's that?" His dark eyes match the dark smirk curling on his lips.

"Because it's Halloween, and I need it for the kids in my building."

"Well, I need it for the kids in mine. It seems we"ve found ourselves in a little predicament, Scarlett." His tone is deep, and dangerous, but playful as he steps closer, still clutching the candy tightly.

"Please, can I have it?" I beg, giving him my best pouty lips and puppy dog eyes, making him grin even more.

"Tell you what; how about we buy the bag and split the cost and the candy? That way, we both get what we want."

"Hmm, I guess that'll work." Letting go of the candy, he tucks it in the corner of his arm and elbow like a football and walks with me out of the aisle toward the checkout.

Once the candy is paid for, we leave the store and walk through the parking lot, Blade still following me to my car.

"Can I get a ride back?"

"You didn"t drive?" I ask, unlocking my car.

"Nah, I walked since it"s just down the street."

"Yeah, sure." I smile at him and move into my seat as he moves into his, all the while casting a cunning glance my way. Nothing is said during the five-minute drive home, but a lot is going through my head. I wonder if he knows about Nixon. I curtly smile as I pretend not to notice the subtle glances he gives me from the corners of his eyes while maintaining my focus on the road. Pulling up in front of his building, I put the car in park and grabbed the bag of candy.

"Here"s your candy." Ripping it open, I dump half of it on my backseat, giving him the other half still in the bag.

"Thanks again for this," he says as he takes it, grinning dangerously wide that his eyes shine like stolen gems, making him so fucking bad that he should be illegal.

"Yeah, thank you too. So, are you coming to the party?" I ask hesitantly, not even wanting to bring it up.

"I am, actually. The four of us are; Melanie invited us," he says her name as if it burns his tongue, but his smile remains as wide as ever. There"s something about him that I can"t explain, but it makes a good girl want to do bad things for him…

"Yeah, she was in charge of the invites. She left me in charge of everything else," he opens the car door as I roll my eyes, his dark, predatory eyes scanning my body seductively.

"I"m sure it"ll turn out great, Scarlett," he gets out of the car and shuts the door, leaning his head against the open window.

"I"ll see you tonight. Happy Halloween…"

I shiver as he winks at me and slowly backs away from my car, licking his lips. With my heart racing and my panties soaked, I manage to drive away, pulling into the complex right across the street. He"s going to be trouble…

Melanie has the music blasting and Marilyn Manson busting from the surround sound we have set up in our apartment when I finally get upstairs, not giving a fuck about the landlord tonight. After putting the candy in the bowl by the door, I kick off my shoes and go look for her, assuming she is in her bedroom...

"Hey, you"re home!" She yells over the music, hopping into her tight leather pants.

"Yeah, I had to grab candy. Oh, and I ran into Blade at the store." She smiles mischievously as she buttons her pants, her brow arcing perfectly, albeit deviously.

"He"s got the hots for you!" She exclaimed in a whisper as if it were a secret. "Riley told me."

"Of course, he"s going to say that; they"re best friends and roommates," I scoff, attempting to ignore the pull I feel in my gut just thinking about him.

"It"s more than that," she continues. "Riley said he"s obsessed with you." She laughs, pulling on an even tighter shirt that exposes her tits.

"Just drop it, Mel. I"m not looking for anything like that. I"m just looking for a "one night stand" kind of thing."

Her jaw drops at my admission, given that I was always opposed to them before. Lately, I"ve been ready to have sex, but I"m not sure how to go about just "picking up a guy" for it.

"Girl, he"s the perfect one-night stand! And if you ever wanna fuck him again, he"s just right across the street!" She exclaims and claps her hands as though we have reached some sort of fucking milestone.

"You"re making a big deal out of nothing, Mel. Just forget I said anything. I"m going to get ready." She turns around to say something else, but I keep walking, replaying her words in my head.

"Riley said he"s obsessed with you."

I shiver, dazedly closing my bedroom door as I make my way to the closet, attempting to master the difficult task of selecting the perfect outfit for tonight.

I won"t lie... That"s kind of creepy, but Blade doesn"t seem creepy. At least not to me…

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