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.

and psychotic killer Jackson Wolfe to be involved with it. Since the suspect,

Accomplice.

I suspected to look as white as

Jackson was a Multi-Millionaire?

horrified as a blurred image of a nurse flashed on the screen. Her

gruesome scene. The police have refused

the wall of WoodVille asylum’s abandoned

is

and switched off the tv. The room continued to bask in a dead silence. My hands were shaking, I threw an accusatory glare at Jackson. “Did you

didn’t want you to look at it

you kill Nurse

think I did it?” Jackson

was your assigned nurse before me! And you got her

it, Riley.” He said with such conviction that

“The ghost of Jeffrey Dahmer?” My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my god. For a moment,

He growled and pounded his hand against the glass coffee table so hard

that you manipulate people into thinking you’re innocent.” I said between crying. “I guess he was right all along. You’re a liar and a manipulator. You

the killer wants you to think.

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

this face. “I wish

it.” I said. “You’re

loud that I

could hear my own breathing, and I hated how scared I was of him.

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

and I

know him?” Jackson asked, his

of

apart from me and Aaron who knew about your

“I don’t know...”

you think the media

blood turned

nodded knowingly like he read my mind. “Aaron gave the information to the police. I guarantee you he

doesn’t explain

“It does.”

Aaron is betraying your trust.

confined myself in the bedroom at night. I’d been crying to myself, disturbed with the images of Roxy’s brutally murdered body. I wondered how