Chapter 4
"Hello Anna."
His cool low voice struck her hard.
The man held a striking resemblance to him, only- his hair was brown, and he had a short stubble. Anna could have almost doubted herself.
But then she saw the bright color of his eyes. And that very, very familiar gaze.
Please no. No fucking way please.
Anna suddenly felt her world spinning. She tried to turn away, without so much as a word out of her mouth. But her sudden movements caused her to wobble. Dizzy.
"Careful." The man eased her up when she bent forward. She looked at him once more. And the second time, made everything clear as crystal. She shrugged him off.
"What the fuck..." Anna hissed. From an outsider's point of view, one would have dismissed her as tired and miffed. But inside her head, she was seething. Anna looked around and saw a beer bottle standing on a table. She grabbed it by the neck and swung it at the man that followed behind her.
Obviously, she missed.
The man simply dodged her swing and grabbed the bottle from her hand. He held her arm, and they looked at each other- one incredibly angrier than the other, more ready to kill at the smallest provocation. And it wasn't her.
"Oh my God! Anna!" As though on cue, Margot arrived. Anna felt a pang of terror seeing her cousin approach her and this man. This killer.
"There you are? Are you okay?!" Margot was a bit frantic. But judging by what she saw, she deemed her cousin to be fine. Her stare fell on the man who had quickly released his hold on Anna.
"Who's this?" Margot said with curiosity. She looked at her cousin, back turned from the man. Anna looked at Margot then at David.
He looked simply feral.
It was the same awful look he had when they were both alone in her old bedroom. That dark stare that lingered, and had her insides twisted in terror and utter helplessness. Anna felt her eyes water as the memories flooded back. Fear and anger rolled together in one.
"I don't know." It was a wonder her voice didn't crack under the pressure.
Just like that, his expression changed to that of approval and the mood lifted. And yet, it stung her like a scar being cut opened.
"Your friend here was having a little bit too much fun with that guy over there..." He pointed to the drunken mass on the floor who trying to pick himself up. "...Things had gotten aggressive, so I helped her out."
Anna just stared at him helplessly. She didn't bother to think about the British accent he spoke in, or how damn perfect it sounded.
Like a cruel joke, the world let Margot believe that every word was true. Although, she was just slightly more sober than Anna at the moment. And it was a club. And this man was nothing short of gorgeous. She nodded thoughtfully in response.
"..Thank you." Margot smiled at him and offered her hand, which he gladly took in his.
"Who are you?" The question was out.
Anna felt like she could just pass out.
With a charming grin, and the feeling of impending doom, the man she knew as David replied.
"Kale Parker."
...
Anna woke up with a head ache the next day in the bedroom she shared with Luke. She woke up surprisingly early, considering that they had went home at three in the morning. Even her brother was still fast asleep on the twin bed beside hers. It was a quarter to eight.
She remembered the night before. They were out with friends, they went drinking, and then dancing, she had gotten drunk, made out with a total stranger... had almost gotten molested... and...
And.
It washed over her like cold water. And it was indeed, a very cold morning.
Her world spun. Anna plopped back down on her bed, trying to make sense of it all. It almost felt real. But she couldn't decide if it was.
His face, his eyes, his strong grip.
Anna's left hand wandered down to her right arm, feeling her wrist and the sensation that the memory brought. It couldn't have been true. She had too much to drink. And to be honest with herself, the rest of the night was rather hazy. She vaguely remembered her and Margot being driven here by one of her cousin's friends. John. Yes. He drove them here.
Anna desperately hoped that that was all just a terrible dream. She took a deep breath and prayed, for all the crazy things that happened to her, that it was.
Tiredly, she dragged herself out of her bed, and went down the single flight of stairs that led to the living room and kitchen.
Edgar and Martha had left early for the shop. It was a weekend so she was off. Margot was gone too. It had just occurred to her that the family were morning people.
She went past the living room and entered the kitchen. There was coffee left on the kitchen counter. She grabbed a mug near the sink. She was still a little dizzy.
Anna didn't realize she wasn't alone in the kitchen.
She turned around.
With a huge start, she dropped her mug and it shattered at her feet. She would have screamed if it weren't for how terrified she was, to the point where she was frozen speechless.
Sitting in the dining table, was the last person she wished to ever see again.
David grinned, elbows resting on the table and fingers laced together, contemplatively.
He could change his hair and his get up. But she knew that grin and that stare, anywhere.
Holy Shit.
"You passed out last night after I introduced myself to Margot. I'll be honest, it was almost hilarious." He had that damn smug way of talking- which not only scared her, but also began to pissed her off.
"How did you find us?" She croaked. As much as she warned to look strong, Anna sounded utterly broken.
"You probably don't remember. But none of you were sober enough to drive. I did you and your cousin a favor." He flashed a dashing smile, danger just beneath the surface.
"You didn't answer my question." Her voice cracked, her eyes were became watery.
"I had a really good conversation with Margot and her parents this morning. I don't want to assume but I have a feeling that they like me." His calm tone would have soothed anyone else. But it had the exact opposite effect on her.
"I asked, how the fuck did you manage to find us? We're in Europe for fuck's sake." Anna all but yelled. She was losing her patience. She didn't care that a coffee maker was the first thing she could grab. She was very tempted to throw it at him.
David casually smirked at her impatience, then leaned forward.
"You could have been hiding in North Korea, and I'd still find you." He said in a dangerously low voice.
Anna gaped at him for a few seconds.
"...How?" David stared at her quietly.
"You shouldn't ask questions to answers you wouldn't want to hear." She immediately understood what he meant.
"You've killed people." David didn't answer but quietly stood up. By pure instinct, she backed away, only slightly.
"How many?" She firmly demanded, despite herself. David approached her. His aura was cool but undeniably lethal. The palpable tension beneath that tight smile. It was restraint. And it left him with a shaky breath.
"Like I said-"
"How. Many?" She repeated, with sheer emphasis. He stopped a meter away. David steadied his breathing, calming himself. He paused to gain back control.
"I don't keep count." He said almost nonchalantly. Anna averted her gaze, mumbling under her breath.
"Oh my God..."
David stared at her critically, noting the obvious disbelief in her voice. "Should it matter to you?" He asked, with a tilt of his chin. This time, he walked over to her.
"All I had ever done was for you and your family..." Anna was even more surprised by this than by his earlier response. She was appalled.
"No."
He smiled.
She wanted to throw herself at him and strangle the man.
"No?" He echoed wryly. "Let's review the facts, shall we? I became your dad's best friend- helped him get rid of competition. He was going to be very rich." David paused, smiling fondly- looking rather pleased with himself and his handiwork.
"Your mom. I was like the son she had lost- filled the gap and got her to stop crying all the time." She winced at the memory. That part had hurt. Nevertheless, David disregarded her expression and continued.
"Luke. I taught him how to fight. Which did back fire, but never mind that. Still. He learned to stand up for himself." At this, he smirked. That was one thing he was genuinely proud of. But Anna was beginning to feel the sting of her tears as she held them back. He paused, and took a step forward. She took one step back, and felt the edge of the kitchen counter pressed again her waist. Personal space had become non-existent.
"And you." His gaze focused on her.
"I got rid of the people that were dragging you down. Mind you, you had very bad tastes in friends."
Anna felt as though she had been slapped by his insult. He was downgrading her- implying that she wasn't good enough as a person. Who the fuck was he to decide? Fortunately, he had eased off a bit, allowing more breathing room between them. But his grin made everything all the more unnerving.
"So as you can see, I was making your lives fucking swell."
"Yeah… And then you killed my parents, killed my friends. And ruined our lives." She rasped- a near whisper. Tears streamed down her face. She was a mess of feelings. Anger, fear and sorrow. But David didn't mind at all. He had the audacity to smile like it was a joke. A joke.
"Ruined? Look at you. You'll be in college in a few months. Just like you wanted. Don't you think your life is a lot better now?"
That was it.
To decide for her what was what, was the tipping point of all the emotions that had bottle up inside. Anna cried out, as she lashed at him. He failed to see that she had been holding a small knife behind her back. The blade had nearly struck his cheek, but his superhuman reflexes captured the blade in his right hand. Anna had a firm grip on the handle. But he was bigger and stronger. Her eyes widened as he held the blade tighter, blood seeping out of his curled hand. David didn't do so much as flinch. Nor wince at the pain. But his expression had now turned from smug to kill.
"I wouldn't do that again." He said quietly.
With the blade still in his grip, he yanked the knife from her hand. Anna felt her heart beating wildly, as he examined the cut on his hand, and held the knife in the other.
He looked at her, that dangerous glint in his eyes becoming apparent. He pointed the knife at her face. Anna leaned away, but could no longer move any further, caged between him and the counter. Blood stained the blade. He leaned closer, placed the edge to her cheek.
"I hate to break it to you. But you played your part in the game." Languidly, he slid the blade along her jaw, wiping his blood on her skin. Anna flinched but remained where she was, nervously watching the knife dance. Her worst fears were standing right in front of her, in the form of a serial killer and expert tracker.
"Maybe if you had kept your mouth shut, you and I would be in very different circumstances right now." He said huskily, his breath, ghosting her lips. She shivered, and by no means was it in a good way.
Anna did not know what to do. She froze. Terrified, and unknowing. He could kill her right then and there. And yet, he could spare her life.
David withdrew, taking a few steps back. Anna felt the air return to her, along with her sanity. David placed the knife on the dining table. He took a nearby kitchen towel and wiped his hand on it.
"I just came by to see how you were doing." He said coolly.
He walked out of the kitchen. Anna didn't move from the spot until he had gone. She followed him to the living room. There, he turned around to look at her. His cheeky demeanor had returned, and he smiled.
"I'll see you around. And don't call me David. We wouldn't want my cover being blown."
He looked up at the flight of stairs to see a very stunned Luke who had woken up from the small commotion.
The boy paled, his eyes wide awake. The man's smile widened.
"Oh hey Luke. Nice haircut."
David walked out of the house, leaving behind two confused and traumatized children.
And the fun begins. Yay. David is a psycho. Let's face it. He will always want to scare the shit out of her and Luke.
Hope y'all like this chapter. Honestly, I feel like this is where the story actually begins. Still considering smut for later on. Is it wrong that I'm partly motivated by that? :P Guilty pleasure. You know you want some David. That's why you're here. lol jk