Read Online Death by Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson - Free Book Online Page B

think I would forgive him and continue on as we always had. When that didn’t happen, he started stalking me, calling me on the phone, using secret accounts to contact me on Facebook.
    And now he was here, in Pine Hills, at a party that was supposed to be by invite only.
    â€œWe really need to talk, Krissy,” he said.
    â€œNo, we really don’t.” I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm again.
    â€œDon’t walk away from me.”
    I fought down the urge to kick him right between the legs. The man deserved it in more ways than one, but I managed to restrain myself. No sense making too big of a scene, at least not yet. If he put his hands on me again, then he’d be picking my shoelaces out of his teeth.
    â€œWhat do you want, Robert?” I asked, putting as much venom in my voice as I could. “You shouldn’t be here. How did you get here?”
    He chuckled and let me go, allowing me to step back away from him. “I was invited.”
    I snorted. “Sure you were.”
    â€œSeriously! I was.” I could hear the pride in his voice. If there was one thing Robert was full of, other than you-know-what, it was pride.
    â€œWho would invite you here?” I asked. It was more likely he snuck his way in.
    â€œSome girl I met at a bar in town.”
    I raised my eyebrows at him.
    â€œWhen you blocked me on Facebook a few months back, I decided to see if I could figure out where you were hiding.”
    â€œI wasn’t hiding, Robert. I moved on.”
    â€œWhatever.” He adjusted his mask. “When I figured it out, I made plans to pay you a visit. It took me some time, but I managed.” I figure it was money he needed. He’d never been one to save. “When I got here, I realized I still wasn’t sure where to find you, so I went to a bar to think about it.”
    I rolled my eyes. The only thinking he ever did at a bar was whether or not he thought he could pick up any of the girls, and what it might cost him. It was more likely he’d seen it on the way in and stopped by for a little pick-me-up before heading in to make my life miserable.
    â€œI met her there.”
    â€œReally?” I said, still not buying it. “If you met someone who invited you here, why aren’t you with her?”
    He shrugged. “She’s busy. The chick is loaded. When she invited me to the party, I thought we’d go to some lame frat party and have a few drinks before heading back to her place, but instead . . .” He shook his head. “Wow. I never expected this.”
    I crossed my arms over my chest, unimpressed. It was likely the girl he’d met had just been dumped or was out to annoy Mom and Dad by bringing a loser to the biggest party of the year. I seriously doubted Robert of all people would be able to hook a girl with enough money to be invited to a place like this.
    â€œYou really should go hang out with your new girlfriend,” I said. “I’m busy. Besides, she might get jealous if she sees you with me.”
    He laughed. “I doubt that. She’s too hot to be jealous of you.”
    It says a lot about our relationship that I wasn’t offended by the comment. It was the sort of thing that came out of Robert’s mouth all of the time.
    â€œRobert,” I said calmly. “Would you please just leave me alone?”
    â€œNot until we talk.”
    â€œThere is nothing to talk about!” Some of my calm broke. How many times did I have to tell him I wanted nothing to do with him before he got the point? “You screwed up. I left. It’s the end of the story.”
    â€œNah,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I know you. You still need me.”
    I sighed. “If you believe that, Robert, you are more delusional than I thought.”
    â€œCome on, Krissy. You’re the one who needs me. Look at you. It’s obvious.”
    My left eye twitched. He was about three seconds