Jack In The Box

I laughed, but Jackson’s expressions hadn’t changed. He was still having that intense look in his whiskey colored eyes. “Me? Marry you?”

His brows arched up. “Why not?”

“What type weed have you been smoking today?”

Ignoring my question, he dipped the spoon back into the lasagna and took another bite. “I do want to marry you, Riley. Just think about it. You wouldn’t have to worry about bills or about keeping a job for that matter.”

I laughed again. Because it was so funny. “And what about the police, Jackson? I don’t have to worry about that either? Should we live our life looking behind our backs? What would I tell ”our" future children? That their father is a psychotic killer?”

“Here I’m talking about marriage and you’re talking about future children.” He sniggered. “You have it all planned out ahead of you.”

I rubbed my temples in frustration, watching him gobble down half of the lasagne. “You have to let me go, Jack. The police are going to start looking for me, and you’re going to be in far more trouble than you think.”

He stopped eating like a caveman and patter his mouth with a towel, turning his full attention towards me. “You’ve been missing for the past forty-eight hours. Do you think the police and the Asylum authorities are sitting ducks? Obviously, they’ve torn down every other place they think they can find me.” He said, guzzling down an entire bottle of chilled water. “As for you, you can try begging and groveling at my feet. My decision won’t change. You are staying here with me. That’s final.”

I leaned closer and took his hands in mine. “If you keep me here, it’s going to be a double offense. Instead, we can go to the police together, you can confess your crimes and I’ll make sure you don’t get jail time. I’ll be your alibi. I won’t even mention the kidnapping. The most you would get is a few years in the mental facility.”

Jackson laughed, the kind of laugher that was downright mocking like I’d recited the best joke out of the joke book. “Riley, do you even know who I am?”

I swallowed. “I do know what they have all told me, the fact that I should be careful around you, that you’re not someone to be trusted.”

He smiled in the same devilish way. “Well, since you don’t know who I really am, I think I’d like to continue being your mystery man.”

That made me really curious and I kind of wished I’d listened to Maddy and googled him. I’d been too adamant to look at Jackson as anything but a patient assigned to me and now it was biting me in the ass.

“I’ll find out one way or the other.” I promised him.

He sniggered. “I hope you do, but I should also add that whatever you read online is hardly ever the truth.”

“Give me the television remote control.” I raised my hand towards him, palm up.

All the humor had left Jackson’s face, he stared at me expressionless.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the television remote lying on the couch, I lunged for it. Jackson was too late, the remote was already in my hand.

He stood at the side staring intently at me. “Riley, please.”

Before he could say anything, I switched on the huge television and continued to switch channels until I had the right one on.

psychotic killer Jackson Wolfe to be involved with it. Since the suspect, Jackson has escaped the asylum, it

Accomplice.

the blood rushed to my ears, and I suspected to look as white as a sheet

Jackson was a Multi-Millionaire?

image of a nurse flashed on the screen. Her body was mutilated

ward boy who stumbled upon the gruesome scene. The police have refused to

the wall of WoodVille asylum’s abandoned wing. The words were smeared

is

bask in a dead silence. My hands

look at it because I knew you would

kill

I did

And you got her killed!” I climbed to my feet, stumbled against the coffee table and backed away from

do it, Riley.” He said with such conviction that anyone would

asked. “The ghost of Jeffrey Dahmer?” My hand flew to my mouth.

pounded his hand against the glass coffee table so hard that it

You’re a liar and a manipulator. You killed Roxy because she knew something about you that you feared she would tell everyone and so you killed her.

his head. “That’s exactly what the killer wants you to think. He’s targeting the people connected to

go straight to the police. You will tell them the truth about how you didn’t kill her or David.” I reasoned with

on this face. “I wish everything was that simple, Cotton-Candy,

that means you actually did it.” I said. “You’re guilty of

He snarled so loud that I flinched

of the crackling fireplace was the only sound in the room, I could hear my own breathing, and I hated how scared I was of him. I wanted to be strong, I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t

is hiding a lot of things that you’re not aware of.” He said finally. “He cannot

and I trust him more

Jackson asked, his expressions challenging

of

apart from me and Aaron

“I don’t know...”

do you think the

blood turned to

my mind. “Aaron gave the information to the police. I guarantee you he even showed them the footage

explain anything!”

“It does.”

say anything, he continued. “Think about it. Aaron is betraying your trust.

night. I’d been crying to myself, disturbed with the images of Roxy’s brutally murdered