Project Produce(87)

That was the closest I’d get to an apology, but there was no way I would work as a teacher’s assistant for him. “Thanks, but I’ve decided to major in Interior Design. I think that will be a much better fit for me.”

“You’re probably right.” He glanced around. “You look stranded. At least let me offer you a ride.”

Riding in a car with Butthead was not my idea of a good time, truce or not, but I was desperate. “Thanks. That would be great. I’m a little short.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“On cash,” I blurted. “Short on cash. No cab fare.”

“Hmmm,” was all he said as he led the way to his car.

“If you open the trunk, I’ll put my suitcase in the back,” I said.

“No!”

I blinked. Okay. “Why not?”

“It’s full.” He snatched my bag from me and put it in the back seat, then climbed in the driver’s side without another word.

What an odd little man. I wanted to sit in the back with my bag, but I didn’t think he’d appreciate being my chauffeur, so I slipped into the passenger seat in the front.

The door locks clicked, loud as a gunshot in the silence. He pulled away from the curb and drove without a word.

“Um, don’t you need the directions?” I asked.

“Yeah, sure.” He looked straight ahead.

I told him the way, but I couldn’t tell if he’d heard or not. He seemed to be in his own little world. So I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, thinking about what I would say to Dylan. How I would convince him to give me another chance. He meant so much more to me than a stupid project. I’d only said those things because the thought that he might actually love me just for who I am scared the crap out of me. It still did, but since I loved him more than I ever thought possible, the risk was insignificant. Besides, what fun would life be without a little fear?

“How’d you do it?”

“Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy,” I said with my eyes still closed. “But I found some fantastic research assistants to--”

“No one else has ever gotten the best of me.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him, but he stared forward with a faraway look on what I could see of his profile. “I got the best of you because I earned a good grade? I know you wanted me to fail, but I thought you were over that.”

“You think you’re so clever, but you’re not.” His voice took on a hard edge. “You’re just a whore, like all the others.”

I gasped. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t deny it, Callie. I know you slept with that Detective. Did you sleep with all your subjects?”

Butthead never called me by my first name. My skin prickled, but annoyance overrode my fear. “School’s out, Professor. Who I sleep with is none of your business. And how did you know Detective Cabrizzi was one of my subjects?”

He looked me in the eye, and I flinched over the blatant hatred I saw burning within him. “I know a lot of things about you, Callie.”

My stomach churned. As I glanced around, it suddenly dawned on me I didn’t have a clue where we were. Sweat slicked my palms. “Thanks for the ride, but you can let me out right here.”

“I don’t think so.”

Oh, God. Why was this happening to me? My heart pounded beneath my ribs, and my hands were dripping with sweat now. I had to do something, anything. Biting my lip, I reached for the door handle.

He picked up speed and said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Buildings flashed by and the sidewalk lines became blurred. “W-Why? What are you going to do to me?”

He chuckled. “Oh, I have plans for the two of us. Plans I never got to finish.”

“Finish?” I studied him closer. His eyes. There was something so familiar about them.

“Let me show you what I really want,” he said as he looked straight at me.

Something inside my brain clicked, and I froze. The beard and wig were gone, but the eyes were exactly the same. “Oh, my God, it’s you. You’re him. Y-You’re Flasher Freak.” How had I missed that?

“Not so much of a joke anymore, am I?” He smiled a sinister smile. “You’re smarter than you look, but not smart enough, I’m afraid. I’ve been waiting a long time for you to slip up. There’s no one baby-sitting you anymore, is there? You, my foolish girl, are finally mine.”

Something Oprah once said on her show hit me at that moment. Never let them take you to the other location. “Where are you taking me?”

“My place.”

Oh, God, the other location. “It’s broad daylight. You’ll never get away with this.”