"Hey, Brooklyn," Seth said. "I didn't realize you were back in London."
"I flew back today. I took some time off work and was planning to surprise Vincent." I recovered from my surprise and smiled again, but the hair on my nape prickled in warning.
That was ridiculous. This was Seth. Sweet, earnest Seth, who was the first to comfort someone if they were feeling down and the last to leave the building every night. He wouldn't hurt a fly…so why were my inner alarm bells ringing so loudly?
"I didn't know you had a key to the house," I said as casually as possible. "Are you meeting Vincent here?"
"Oh, yeah. He gave me a key so I can drop off some items for him when he needs them." Seth smiled back. "Sometimes he leaves stuff at the club. It's hard for him to drive all the way back, you know? He has more important stuff to do, so he entrusted me to do it for him. It's an important job."
"It is." The alarm bells were deafening now. Chills skittered down my spine as I took a small step back.
Seth's story didn't add up. There was no way in hell Vincent would give his key to anyone except me and family after the intruder situation. Plus, he wouldn't leave important items behind often enough to warrant giving the kit manager free access to his home. That wasn't part of Seth's job.
"How's Chicago?" Seth walked toward me.
My heart slammed against my ribcage. How had I never noticed how big he was? He had a baby face, but he was only an inch or so shorter than Vincent and packed with muscle. It was unsettling.
"It's good." I kept my attention fixed on him. I didn't want him out of my sight, and I didn't want to let on how nervous I was. "Colder than here, but not as rainy."
"Right. So why did you come back to surprise Vincent again?" Seth stopped a few feet from me. The kitchen counter pressed against my lower back as every muscle tensed.
"Because he's my boyfriend and I haven't seen him in two months," I said somewhat pointedly.
Seth's head bobbed up and down. He wore a thoughtful expression.
I wanted out of this conversation as soon as possible, but he was blocking my path to the exit. I couldn't leave without passing him.
I didn't know why Seth was really here, but I had to keep him calm until Vincent and Spike came home. My instincts told me he was a hair trigger away from going off the rails.
"You know, Vincent was my favorite footballer growing up," he said in an apparent non-sequitur. "I had posters of him plastered all over my walls. I convinced my parents to take me to all of his matches, even the ones abroad. I even applied to work at Blackcastle because of him."
"That's…great." I glanced discreetly over Seth's shoulder. Where the hell were Vincent and Spike? It shouldn't take them this long if they were coming straight from the club.
"I've met a lot of celebrities, and they're often disappointing in person," Seth continued. "They're either rude, standoffish, or just not the person I built them up to be in my mind. They never appreciate their fans enough. Vincent's the only one I've met who's lived up to my expectations. I'm not just the kit man—I'm part of his inner circle. He invites me out with the team, he brought me to his birthday in Hungary, and he gives me advice when I need it. No one else would do that for me. No one else sees me the way he does."
A horrible foreboding crept over me. Seth didn't sound like a regular fan; he sounded obsessed. He also had access to Vincent's house and the Blackcastle facilities. Was he…?
No. It can't be. If he was the intruder, we would've spotted the red flags earlier. Right?
"He's my best friend, so I don't appreciate anyone who fucks him over." Seth's face hardened. "Like you."noveldrama
My foreboding sharpened into a dagger of fear. Goosebumps pebbled my flesh, and my pulse hammered against my veins with painful intensity. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I saw you," Seth growled. His hands clenched into fists at his side. "You were having tea with another man this afternoon, near the club. You said you came home to surprise Vincent, but that's the first thing you do after you land? Cheat on him?"
"I wasn't cheating on him. I—"
"I saw you!" His words turned shrill, almost deranged. "Don't lie to me!"
I quickly scanned the kitchen for potential weapons. The knife block was only two feet away, but I couldn't reach it without tipping him off first. My phone was in my purse, which I'd placed on a stool on the other side of the island, and everything else was either fixed in place or too light to do much damage.
Bile rose in my throat.
"Do you know devastated Vincent will be when he finds out? He's been pining after you all this time! Missing you! Messing up at training and getting yelled at by Coach because of you! He's even thinking of leaving Blackcastle and moving to Chicago for you!" Spittle flew out of Seth's mouth. He was completely unrecognizable from the mild-mannered man I'd known all these months. His eyes were wide, his face rapidly morphing from red to purple as he gesticulated wildly. "He thinks you're his soulmate, but he couldn't be more wrong. A soulmate wouldn't make him suffer like this."
He was bonkers. Absolutely, totally, out of his mind delusional.
I tried to keep the conversation going and stall for time. "I promise, I wasn't cheating on him. I ran into an old acquaintance and—"
"I told you to stop lying." There were genuine tears in Seth's eyes. "You left Blackcastle. Then you left for Chicago. You've never once considered his feelings when making those decisions. You don't deserve him."
My jaw clenched, but I forced myself to remain calm. "He was the one who told me to take the Chicago job. We made the decision together."
"No." Seth shook his head. "That's another lie. Why would he tell you to move away when he's so devastated over it? I can't let him follow you. I won't let him ruin his career over a lying, selfish bitch. He doesn't see the truth yet because he's under your spell, but a good friend will save him from himself. I just need to get rid of you first. As long as you're around, he'll never be free."
My fight-or-flight kicked in before he finished speaking. I lunged for the knife block, hoping the surprise from my sudden movement would slow him down. My heart beat so fast I could scarcely breathe, and my fingertips grazed one of the knives' handle before a violent tug on my hair yanked my head backward.
I cried out. Seth shoved me to the floor, and pain exploded when I hit the tile with a hard thud. I scrambled to my feet, my movements clumsy with terror, but Seth grabbed me from behind again before I could make it two steps. A cold blade pressed against my throat and cut my second scream short.
"I didn't want to do this." His breath was hot against my cheek. "I don't like hurting people, but you hurt him first. I just wanted to show my appreciation for him with the doll, the photo…I never wanted him to forget that there's someone out there rooting for him. But you convinced him I was out to get him. I should've known then that you were bad news."
Dots danced in front of my vision. I could barely think; all my attention was focused on the sharp knife nicking my skin. One quick slash, and I was as good as dead.
The taste of copper filled my mouth.
No. I won't die. I refuse.
I had too much to live for and too much I hadn't done yet. I wasn't going to let some deluded boy with a sick, parasocial obsession murder me before I saw my friends get married or hit the peak of my career or told Vincent I loved him.
The realization tore through me as surely as a bullet through the chest.
I loved him. I loved him. If the painful longing of the past two months hadn't made that clear, standing at death's door did. Vincent was the only thing on my mind. If I died, he would be my biggest regret; if I lived, he would be my biggest reward.
We hadn't come this far only to make it this far.
I was going to get out of this. Somehow.
"If you don't want him to hurt, you wouldn't do this," I said. The blade scraped against my skin with every syllable, but I forced myself to continue. "He'll never forgive you."
"He'll be upset in the short run, but he'll understand in the long run. He'll thank me for saving him when no one else would do it."
"No, he won't." My hand slowly inched up. Keep him distracted. "You said yourself he was willing to transfer to Chicago for me. That means giving up the Premier League. If he's willing to turn his back on the most important thing in his life to be with me, do you think he'll ever forgive you for taking me away forever? You won't be his friend anymore. You'll be his enemy."
"Shut up," Seth snapped. "I know what you're doing. It won't work."
But I could hear a trace of doubt in his voice, and his hold wavered for a fraction of a second.
I didn't think. I acted on pure instinct and jammed my elbow into his solar plexus as hard as I could. At the same time, I stomped on his foot, turned, and punched him in the face.
The punch was unnecessary, but it was satisfying as hell.
Seth howled. His knife clattered to the ground, and I kicked it under the counter, out of his reach, before I ran toward the exit. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, narrowing my vision to the rectangular doorway.
All I had to do was make it past the living room and through the entryway. Once I was outside, I could find help.
Almost there. Almost—
A hand grabbed my ankle. I stumbled and managed to brace myself with my elbows before I could smash face first into the floor, but I didn't get a chance to reorient myself before Seth was on me again, more pissed than ever.
"You bitch," he snarled, pressing his forearm across my throat.
A lightheaded rush mixed with icy tendrils of terror. "Help!" I screamed. The sound was thin and choked, but I was beyond caring. "Someone, help—"
A heavy hand clapped over my mouth. His arm pressed tighter. Dark spots danced in front of my eyes, and the world dimmed as I fought for air.
Tears blurred my vision.
This was it. I'd tried my best, but this was how it was going to end.
I love you.
I sent the thought out to the universe, hoping Vincent would receive it somehow. I'd been so afraid of rejection that I'd held off on admitting it even to myself, and now, I'd never get a chance to say it to him.
The tears slipped down and scalded my cheeks. If only I hadn't been in denial for so long. If only I had a little more time, and—
Something, or someone, knocked Seth's weight off me. Another cry filled the kitchen, followed by a sickening crunch of bone and a high-pitched scream of pain.
I coughed and gasped for air. My lungs burned from the sudden influx of oxygen, and I was so dizzy that I didn't notice anyone else approach until strong arms wrapped around me. A hand cradled the back of my head, and a voice cut through the fog, panicked yet heartbreakingly familiar.
"It's okay. I'm here. I got you." Vincent pressed his mouth to my forehead, his breaths ragged. "You're okay. It's okay." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was me.
He's here. I was alive, and he was here, and I…and he…
A sob tore loose from my throat. I remained on the floor but clung to him, too drained to do anything except hold on like he was the only thing keeping me afloat.
"She's cheating on you!" Seth shouted. Spike had pinned him to the ground, and based on the earlier crunch and his grimace of pain, the guard must've broken at least one of his bones in the process. "I saw—she was—Vincent, you can't let her fool you. She'll ruin your life. I'm your best friend. You have to trust me!"
"We are not best friends." The abrupt shift in Vincent's voice chilled me to the bone. It was low and venomous, filled with raw, cold fury. "You're nothing but a parasite. And if you ever fucking come near Brooklyn again—if you even look at or think about her—I'll kill you myself."
Seth's eyes widened. He gaped at Vincent as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm trying to help you."
"I don't need you to help me. I need you behind bars for the rest of your fucking life."
The boy's face turned a mottled red. His body trembled, but instead of yelling or lashing out, he retreated into a shell of glassy-eyed silence. He didn't speak or move again until the police arrived minutes later.
Detective Smith was the first on the scene. He handcuffed Seth, who let Smith yank him to the police car without protest. Vincent's harshness seemed to have broken something inside him. He passed by us, his head down and his shoulders hunched.
Even though he'd literally tried to kill me, I felt a twinge of empathy. Seth was deranged, but how lonely and neglected must he have been for him to take the small kindnesses Vincent had shown him and blow them so out of proportion?
Nevertheless, I was glad we'd caught him. The nightmare was finally over—well, almost.
The police had plenty of questions for Vincent, Spike, and me. I told them what happened so many times I got sick of hearing my own voice, but eventually, they were satisfied and left us alone. The paramedics also examined me. Thankfully, I was fine except for some cuts and bruises.
"Just so you know, this wasn't the reunion I'd imagined," I said when the EMT left to fill out some paperwork. "I'm dramatic, but not this dramatic."
Vincent let out a strangled laugh, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He hadn't let me go once since he found me, not even for the paramedic's checkup. "We heard the noise as soon as we came in, but when I got to the kitchen and saw you, I thought he—I couldn't—if anything happened to you—" His voice broke.
He rarely lost his cool, and the sight of his undisguised fear made my heart squeeze.
"It didn't. I'm fine." I cupped his face with my hands, my chest swelling with so much love and relief, it almost hurt. "I also think I broke his nose during our little scuffle, so I'm very proud."
Another laugh, this one more genuine. "Little' scuffle, huh?"
"Yep. I've been through worse. You weren't there for the Black Friday brawl of 2010. Pre-teen me was vicious."
Vincent shook his head. "You're something else."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is." He kissed me softly, and when he spoke again, my breath caught in my throat. "Welcome home, sweetheart."