Page 1 of Their Cruel Play
CHAPTER 1
The Nightwalker
Luke
A scream wakes me up, and I tighten my arms around Harper, but she’s not the one screaming. We’re in the guest bedroom where I carried her in the middle of the night.
“Let me go, Luke.” She pries at my hands. “Kenz.”
I release her and roll out of bed. Alert and needing to keep Harper safe, I say, “Stay here.”
Opening the door, I glance down the hall and see the door to Harper’s bedroom that I closed stands open. Harper touches my back. Of course she followed me. Fuck.
“Get the fuck out of here!” Kenz yells. A dull thud follows, and someone grunts.
I don’t have time to force Harper to return to the room. When I rush to her doorway, someone dressed all in black with a ski mask turns to me. I’m between him and the stairs, so he charges me.
I shift back and press Harper into the wall to keep the guy from accidentally running into her, and he tears down the stairs.
I turn, and Harper’s wide eyes meet mine. “Get in your room. Lock the door.”
She grabs my arm before I can take off. “What are you going to do?”
We need to know who this fucker is. I kiss her before pushing her toward her room. “I’m going after him.”
The guy has a lead on me, but I’m conditioned to run. As I hit the ground level, the back door hangs open in the kitchen, but I hesitate to rush out of it. He could still be in the house and just waiting for me to leave so he’ll have another chance at the girls.
I’m also only in my boxer briefs with no shoes. Running outside would be stupid and dangerous. I pause and listen. There’s a slight sound in the kitchen. I inch that way.
A small creak behind me makes me spin and push the person against the wall.
Harper bites her lip to stop from making a noise. Fuck, I could have hurt her. I lean in close to her ear.
“Go back upstairs,” I whisper harshly. My heart thumps in my ears.
When she shakes her head, I press my forehead against hers. Fuck. There’s no time to argue with her.
She holds up a stick with ribbons on it and narrows her eyes on me. What the fuck does she think she’s going to do with that? Help me?
Another foot shuffle sounds. I mouth, “Stay here.”
Waiting, I glare into her eyes until she nods.
This time hopefully she listens to me. I move towards the door frame. Her warmth huddles behind me. Not listening to a word I say. Fuck, I won’t have time to figure out who’s in the house. I need to get him out. Protecting Harper is my priority.
Breathing in, I duck as I enter the room and feel the whiff of something above me. Grabbing the middle of the guy, I push him into the island, away from us. He’s solid, whoever he is.
When he straightens, he brandishes an umbrella in his hand, holding it out like a sword. I want to fight him, but not when Harper isn’t safe. I can’t risk her.
“The girls are calling the police, asshole. You might want to run.”
He throws the umbrella at me before fleeing out the door. I knock the umbrella to the floor and charge after him. As I get out the door, he takes off into the darkness behind the house. He’s moving fast, but I stop and reassess.
I’m barefoot in just underwear. The girls are alone in the house, and if I leave, he could circle back around. Shaking my head, I walk back into the house. I shut and lock the door.
“You can come out, princess.” I rest my hand against the door. I need to figure out how that asshole got in. The entire house will need to be looked over.
I can’t call the guys. One, I’m not supposed to be here. Two, everyone was already out, and we can’t afford to lose tomorrow’s game. Not if we want to play college ball.
