"Bec, do you know how late it is?" I muttered as I cradled my phone between my ear and shoulder as I moved around my bedroom to get ready for bed.
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But I think you'd want to know this," she said. I paused when I caught the trembling in her voice.
"Is something wrong?"
"So, remember when I told you that I'd asked Donovan to keep me updated on cases that were similar to Josh and Tyler's death?" she started.
"Yeah, and?" I asked. My heart raced in my chest. If she was calling me this late—and back to back at that—then I already had a feeling as to what she was about to tell me.
"They just found Hunter's body," she exclaimed, slight panic and fear lacing her voice.
I nearly dropped my phone at the news. I rushed over to flip on the light switch and moved to look at my calendar. I'd marked their deaths on my calendar when Tyler was killed, mostly to try to convince myself that it wasn't a coincidence and that they were random murders. I looked at the names I'd written in pencil and the dates I'd written them in:
April 1 - Josh C.
April 8 - Tyler F.
April 15 - Hunter Y. ?
I'd told myself after Tyler’s death that the fact that Tyler was killed seven days after Josh felt like a sign of some sort. My parents, therapists and friends told me that I was being paranoid as they usually did whenever I expressed my fear about something happening to me. But as I looked at my calendar, I couldn't shake the thought that I'd been right all along, especially after Hunter's death.
Which happened yesterday, on April 15th, just as I'd assumed it would if my theory was right.
"Sevyn?" Rebecca called out, breaking into my thoughts.
"Y-yeah, I'm still here," I stammered, tearing my gaze away from the calendar. "Um, does he know what happened?"
"It's bad. It's so, so bad," she said and sighed. "Donovan said Hunter was literally ripped apart. Like his arms and legs were torn from his body."
"Jesus," I murmured, anxiety creeping over me as I ran my hand through my wet hair.
"Yeah. He said this one was one of the most brutal scenes so far."
"I seriously think it's Luther," I blurted out.
"Sevyn, we've been through this—"
"You guys don't get it," I snapped. "Isn't this a little too coincidental? I mean, hello, last month was the month where I was found not guilty for my part in what led to Logan's suicide seven years ago. And now seven years later, all three guys who raped Logan are now dead and were killed seven days apart. Does that not sound like some kind of warning or sign?"
"You sound like one of those Youtube conspiracy theorists," Rebecca mused, which pissed me off to no end. "No one has seen Luther in years. He's even rumored to be dead. Besides, Josh, Tyler, and Hunter weren't the nicest people and it's probably some asshole that they pissed off that did this."
"Rebecca, as brutal as their murders were, it was definitely personal and done by someone with a shit ton of pent up rage. This isn't something that randomly happens to people to settle a score. I don't even think the mafia does anything like that!"
"I don't know, Sevyn. Even if your theory was to be considered, that would mean whoever killed them is coming for us soon. I don't know about you, but that's not something I want to think about."
But then I remembered Luther's wink back in court. I was unfinished business; we all were. Every single one of us who got off on our charges with a slap on the wrist were unfinished business.
"Bec?" I slowly said.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember what we used to call Luther when we were kids?"
She was quiet for a moment. "You're really starting to scare me, Sevyn."
"I really think it's him. You need to tell Donovan to at least look into Luther," I said as I sat on the side of my bed.
"No one's seen Luther in years, Sevyn," she said again. "The only person that's worried about him is you."
I sighed deeply and pursed my lips. This wasn't a battle I'd win with anyone. Ever since I had my breakdown years ago, everyone spent so much time trying to tell me that everything I was afraid of was only in my head, as if they weren't legitimate. It was pointless talking to anyone about it because they all said the same thing. No one's going to hurt you, Sevyn. Your fear is creating scenarios in your mind that aren't true. Are you taking your meds as you're supposed to? The meds should've stopped those delusions.
"I guess you're right," I finally said, no longer wanting to talk. "I have to go."
"Sevyn—"
"Night, Bec," I said and hung up the phone. I flopped back on the bed with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. Regardless of what anyone else said, I already knew who was behind it and it was only a matter of time before he got to me.
I unlocked my phone screen and called my mom, continuing to stare at the ceiling until she answered.
"Sevyn?" she said sleepily. "It's very late—"
"Hunter was killed last night," I blurted out.
My mom released a soft sigh, the shuffling on her end of the line signaling that she was sitting up in bed. "I'm sorry. Was this a friend of yours?"
"He was one of the guys that raped Logan," I forced myself to say. "Along with Josh and Tyler, the other guys murdered recently."
"That's terrible." She was quiet for a moment. "Do you need to come here? Or should we come to you? I don't want you to spiral again."
"I think it's best if I come to you. I don't feel safe being alone right now," I murmured, tears burning my eyes.
"No one is going to hurt you. I understand you're scared, but you're safe. Whether or not Luther is alive, there's still a restraining order against him. The private investigator is still searching for his whereabouts as well."
That's what makes him so dangerous, I bitterly thought. The fact that no one knew where he was made this whole situation even more frightening. He could pop up at any moment and at any place and no one would be prepared for him.
"Well, for my peace of mind, I don't feel comfortable being alone tonight," I finally said after a short bout of silence.
"Of course. You know your father and I are here for you whenever you need us."
"Thanks, Mom. I'll be there in a few."
"I'll get a room made up for you. Call me when you're on your way."
"I will. See you in a bit," I said and hung up with a sigh. An unfamiliar ringtone sounded from somewhere under my bed, setting me on edge.
I slowly moved down to the floor practically holding my breath but sighed in relief when I saw that it was just Marco's phone.
"Great. Now I have to see him well before I want to," I muttered, just as a heavy knock sounded on my front door. "Perfect timing."
I quickly pulled on panties and a long purple t-shirt that stopped in the middle of my thighs. Picking up his phone, I padded across the heated wooden floors through my condo and unlocked the door. "I literally just found your—"
My words ceased to exist as I looked up into Luther's angry eyes. He still looked as he did seven years ago. Dangerously handsome, clean shaven, athletically built. His dark brown eyes were hard on me as he took a step forward.
"Long time, no see, Sevyn," he stated, his menacing voice making my skin crawl with fear.
"You're not supposed to be here," I whispered. My brain screamed for me to try to close the door, but I couldn't get my body to follow through.
"And you're not supposed to be a free woman, yet here you are," he taunted. "My sister's in the ground and you're treated to an ocean view condo downtown and living a lavish life. Must be nice."
"I...I...I..."
"You...what?" He took another step forward, now making it impossible to close the door. "You're sorry now?'
"Yes," I whispered. My body involuntarily trembled as his gaze slid along my form, his eyes softening when he met my eyes.
"I've waited seven years to hear you say that," he murmured, the earlier anger dissolving from him. His shoulders sag as he bowed his head. "It
was bad enough to see everyone get away with what they'd done; it was even worse that you didn't even appear remorseful about it."
"I was," I said, my voice finally coming back to me. "I didn't want that for her, Luther. I swear to you, I didn't think things were that bad for her."
"You didn't think things were that bad?" he repeated, frowning. "A video of her rape was posted on the school's forum and she was expelled for it while the guys got away with it for being 'exceptional athletes with potential' and you don't think that was bad?"
I swallowed the lump of guilt in my throat. "You're right," I murmured. "I should've stopped it and I didn't."
"Of course you didn't. You only fanned the flames and made it worse," he said, his voice flat. After a few moments, he sighed. "But anger won't bring Logan back. All I can do is forgive you and move on."
My eyes widened at his words. "I...thank you," I stammered. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness—"
"You don't," he interrupted. "But despite everything you did to her, Logan wrote in her suicide note that she forgave you. You were the reason she felt her life was no longer worth living and yet she forgave you."
Tears burned my eyes as I looked at him. That definitely sounded like something Logan would do. Always gorgeous, always naive. She always saw the good in people, regardless of how they treated her or others, claiming that everyone had a story that made them the way they were. You had to be a special kind of evil to hurt someone as kind, pure, and loving as her. And since I was the one that initiated the entire situation, it made me the worst of all.
"Did you kill the guys?" I forced myself to ask, my heart hammering in my chest. He shook his head.
"No. I only just heard about it when I came back to town yesterday, but I wish I had," he ground out, a dark look passing over his face before it disappeared again. "Anyway, I have to go. Sorry it was so late."
"It's fine," I said, giving him a small smile. "If you ever want to talk, you can stop by or whatever."
He smirked at me. "I'm not even technically supposed to be here, remember?"
"Oh yeah. The restraining order," I murmured. "I suppose I can't hug you either, huh?"
"Why would you want to?"
I shrugged. "You look like you need one, I guess," I said. He stared at me for a long moment, so long that I started to feel uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."
"No, you're right," he said and ran a hand down his tired face. It was then that I saw the extent of what Logan's death had done to him. He looked weary, probably from years of anger, grief, and loss—all of which I caused. "Maybe I do need one."
I closed the space between us and slowly wrapped my arms around his neck. He tensed under my touch at first before he stiffly brought one arm around me. His cologne smelled of cedar wood and cinnamon, reminding me of times I'd spent with my first and only love.
"You know what I always admired about you, Sevyn?" Luther murmured as his arm around my waist tightened.
"Hmm?"
"How gullible you are," he whispered just as a sharp pain pierced my side. I gasped in shock and let him go, looking down to see blood seeping through my nightshirt. "Did you think I came here for some kind of fucked up forgiveness pow wow?"
I stumbled backwards, clutching my side. Luther calmly closed and locked the door before stalking toward me. With the condo still dark, I stumbled into furniture as I walked backwards, never taking my eyes off of him.
"Alexa, turn on the lights," I panted. The lights clicked on in the living room, revealing the bloody box cutter he held in his hand.
"Did you think I'd never come for you?" he asked, a sly grin on his lips. "I promised my sister that I'd make everyone responsible pay for what they did to her."
"So, you killed them," I ground out, my side burning like crazy.
He shrugged. "Wasn't it obvious?" he replied and charged toward me. I squeaked and took off running into my bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind me. Luther banged on the door a few times before everything ceased. I pushed my dresser in front of the door, wincing in pain as my side throbbed at the exertion. Once it was in place, I grabbed my phone from the bed and quickly called 911.
"One...two...Luther's coming for you..." he sang outside the door.
"911, what's your emergency?" a bored operator said upon answering.
"Y-yes, I need help," I rushed out, panic strangling my voice.
"Three...four...gonna skin a whore," he continued.
"What's the problem, ma'am?" the operator asked.
"Five...six...you're last on my list..."
"A man I have a restraining order on is in my house. I've been stabbed," I said, tears rolling down my cheek.
"Seven...eight...time to meet your fate...."
"What's your address, ma'am?" the operator said. I quickly gave her my address, listening hard for Luther but no longer heard him singing. "Police and an ambulance are on the way to you, ma'am."
"Thank you," I said, just as my front door slammed shut. Everything was silent for a long moment. My bedroom lights were still off, the living room lights still on, but I didn't dare move the dresser in case he was actually still in the house. My heart hammered so hard in my chest that I could almost hear it beating in the silence that surrounded me. I forced myself to the bathroom, lifting my shirt to see my bloody wound. I grabbed a box of gauze from under the sink and went to work trying to clean it as best as I could. Sirens sounded in the distance, relief flooding me as I held gauze against my wound to stop the bleeding. I put the peroxide and extra gauze back under the sink and stood upright, a firm hand covering my mouth and a strong arm across my neck.
"Nine, ten, now you'll die my friend," he whispered in my ear. The balcony door. He went through the balcony door of my living room and entered through the door leading to my bedroom. I met his eyes in the mirror, fear paralyzing me as I watched him slit my throat. He let go of me and I fell to the floor with a thud. The last thing I saw was him looking down at me, a satisfied grin on his lips.
"See you in hell, bitch."
I jumped awake with a scream, falling onto the floor. My heart pounded in my chest so hard that it hurt. I felt my neck and checked my body for injuries, only to find that I was still wrapped in my towel from last night. I ran a hand through my tangled, dry hair and rested my head against the bed.
"It was just a dream, Sevyn. Just a fucked up dream," I murmured to myself as I willed my heart rate to go down. I reached back and felt around for my phone, opening my call log. I'd talked to Rebecca, but I never called my mom. I must've fallen asleep staring at the ceiling.
I pulled my knees to my chest. Whether it was a dream or not, I knew one thing.
Luther Evans was coming for me and no one would be able to save me from him.
LUTHER
I sat in my Jeep as I watched Sevyn look both ways before rushing across the street. The sheer panic in her eyes as she looked around brought a grin to my lips. I wouldn't doubt that she sensed I was near. With the way she ran into the mental health clinic, I was sure last night's news sent her running to her therapist.
My phone rang in the cup holder, pulling my eyes away from the building Sevyn entered. My mom's picture showed on the screen, her signature ring tone of chimes filling the space of the car.
"Hi, Mom," I said upon answering.
"Hi, my darling. I just wanted to see if you were stopping by for dinner tonight. I know you've been busy lately, but I'd really love to see you."
It wasn't completely the fact that I'd been busy; it'd just been hard to be in the house since Logan died. There was always an eerie feeling anytime I passed her bedroom to go to the bathroom, almost as if I could still feel her presence within the house. I almost felt as if I couldn't be in the house until all of her tormentors paid for what they did, but I knew that wasn't realistic. It still didn't stop me from trying to anyway.
I sighed inwardly. I knew I couldn't avoid my parents forever, as my mother would just keep asking until
I finally agreed to come. "Yeah, I'll be there."
"Perfect! I'm even making your favorite just in case you were coming," she said. The excitement in her voice made me smile. Ever since Logan died, my parents weren't the same. They ended up getting a divorce two years after Logan's death and it was hard to hear the sadness in my mother's voice every time I spoke to her. While my father easily moved on, my mother had to deal with the death of her only daughter and the destruction that loss and grief caused for her marriage. So, to hear her excited just at the mention of me having dinner with her was a nice change.
"You didn't have to do all of that, Mom. We can't eat a whole pot roast by ourselves," I said.
"Oh, nonsense, darling." She was silent for a few moments before she sighed. "I, um, I also invited your father. I thought it would be nice to have a dinner as a family again."
"Mom—"
"I know things have been rocky between you and your father since he and I got divorced, but it's okay. I just want a nice dinner with my family. With the anniversary of Logan's passing coming up..."
I sighed deeply. "I know. And I understand." I ran a hand down my face. "Well, I'll be there. Do you need me to bring anything?"
"No, I think I have everything I need. Dinner will start at 6:30. Please be on time," she mentioned.
I chuckled. "When am I ever late?"
"You've been late to everything you were ever supposed to attend, Luther," she said and giggled.
"Okay, okay. I'll be there at 6:30."
"Perfect. I'll see you soon. I love you, son."
"Love you, too, Mom. See you soon," I said and hung up, putting the phone back in the cup holder and looking back to the building Sevyn disappeared in. After having Paul, my tech best friend from college hack into the phones of Sevyn and her friends, I now could track where everyone was, which was perfect for the plans I had for them all soon.
The Destruction of Sevyn (The Vengeance of Luther Book 1) Page 3
