by W L Knightly
Max’s eyes narrowed, and he clammed up as his mouth turned down in a frown.
Bay knew he had him. He’d accomplished what he wanted to, and now he could go. He got up and gave Max one last look. The piece of shit was going to get everything he deserved.
He had already made sure the other men were in place, and now the guard would lead him to his doom. Bay only wished he could see it, or better yet, that he could do it himself. He walked out of the room and gave Lawrence a nod.
As he walked out, he heard Max screaming. “Get back here, Collins! You sorry motherfucker! You’re going to pay!”
Bay kept walking, knowing it was all going to play out perfectly, with Max acting out. He calmly walked out of the building, making sure to sign out and not caring what that could mean. He walked to his car, thinking about Mia. She had been so scared the last few moments of her life, and now, he hoped that Max would have that same fear when he realized what would happen to him.
Bay went out to his car, hoping he’d soon have a call, but first, he had to go to his office and take care of some things before the end of the workday. He had been so busy with Mia and Lila that he had called to take a bit of time before his next big trial. Luckily, the case was not for another two months, and he would be ready and on his A-game when the time came. He’d have Mia’s ashes scattered by then, and Lila would be doing better and closer to delivering his son.
His son. He’d really gotten lucky with Lila. Maybe he had picked the right sister all along, but he wasn’t sure he believed in that “meant to be” bullshit anyway. Things were the way they were because of choices, and he would always take ownership of his decisions.
He pulled up at his office building and found his usual parking space, which was reserved just for him, and then went inside.
As always, he was greeted by his receptionist. “Good afternoon, Mr. Collins.”
He gave a nod and kept walking, making his way to the elevator. When he got inside, he leaned against the railing, which he never did, and one thought of his son had him standing firmly on two feet again. He had to remain strong, and he had come too far to falter with who he was.
He went straight to his desk, and as he settled in, he called downstairs for the checks to be sent up. Then he reached into his desk for his pen case and froze. The damned drawer was still full of Mia’s panties, and he stopped for a moment and looked at them. Then he pushed the drawer shut, not ready to get rid of them.
There was a knock on his door. “Mr. Collins?”
“Yes,” he said, “I’ll take those over here.” He wasn’t going to get up to get them, and the girl looked so afraid to come any closer. He hadn’t seen her before. “You’re new?”
“Yes, sir. I’m down in the accounting department.” The girl had big doe eyes and golden blonde hair that wasn’t quite the same color as Mia’s but very flattering to her complexion.
“Don’t bother being nervous. You’re welcome anytime.” He liked what he saw. The woman was not only pretty, but she had a nice sense of style and a love of short skirts, just like Mia.
“Thank you.” She pulled a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a shy smile as she walked into the room and placed the stack of checks on his desk. “Do you want me to wait while you sign them?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. You could make yourself comfortable if you want.” He put his hand on the small of her back. “The couch is quite soft.” He wondered how hard it would be to groom her. He would miss Mia being at work with him, and maybe this girl could take her place and fill that void.
He took his time signing his name and watched the girl closely. “What’s your name?” he asked as he signed the last check.
“Marlena.” She met his eyes with another smile, and he got up and walked over to her.
“Well, here you go, Marlena. Feel free to pop in anytime and use my couch.” He handed her the checks, and she got to her feet.
“Thank you, Mr. Collins.”
“Please, call me Bay.” As he extended his hand, he noticed a blinking light over her shoulder at the fax machine. He wanted to flirt, but he remembered the text and wondered if Kenneth Warner had ever sent anything over.
“Thank you, Bay. That’s a beautiful name.” She turned and headed toward the door. “I’ll take you up on that.”
As she left, Bay walked over and checked the machine. He took the stack of papers from the tray and thumbed through them. Mixed in with all the paperwork was a black and white photograph. The picture of a young girl, a dark-haired beauty who Bay recognized.
A slow smile spread his lips. “You sneaky fucking bitch.”
To be continued…
The Zodiac story concludes with Sagittarius
Coming Soon
About the Author
WL Knightly is a thriller/murder mystery co-writing pen name for USA Today Best Selling Authors Lexy Timms and Ali Parker.
When she’s not writing, Lexy can be found dealing in Antique Jewelry and hanging out with her awesome hubby and three kids.
Ali is a CPA turned fiction writer who is married to her best friend and travels the US as a nomad. She spends her days writing, traversing the city and chasing her last kiddo in the house, a teenage quipper with too much time on his hands!
The two friends met years ago when they both started writing and publishing in various young adult genres and needed a critique partner. The rest is history…
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Libra
Zodiac Killers #12
Copyright © 2018 by WL Knightly
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Art: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design