by Chiah Wilder
The tightness in his pants brought him out of his reverie, reminding him that he had an unsuspecting victim at the end of the hallway. Anticipating her fear overwhelmed him, and he quickly made his way to her room.
From the hallway, he could hear the deep breaths of sleep, and he slowly entered her room. The full moon shone in through the sheer curtains, covering her body in a white glow. To him, she looked as though she were made of alabaster. It reminded him of the time he and his wife had gone to New Orleans. It was before the kids were born, and he remembered how frightened his wife was when he took her to the cemetery after dark. All the graves were above ground and many had ornate carvings and statues of angels, gargoyles, and human forms. His wife’s fear had been so great, he’d pushed her against a tomb and fucked her, loving every moment of her cries and protests. The louder she pleaded for him to stop, the harder he hammered into her until he was spent. It was the best sex he’d had with Trisha in the twelve years they’d been married.
He glanced at Nadine and smiled, thinking she looked like one of the white marble forms on the tombs. It was funny how something as inconsequential as moonlight basking over his prey could inspire such comparisons.
Then she bolted up. It was like she’d sensed him. All thoughts flew from his head. He was in predator mode.
“What do you want?” Nadine asked. The slight tremor in her voice hit him in the groin. He slowly walked to her, his gaze locked on her. As if trying to disappear, she pressed closer to the headboard, her fingers gripping the sheet she held up in front of her.
“Do as I say and I won’t kill you,” he hissed.
“Please don’t do anything to me. I have money in my purse. I have some jewelry. You can take whatever you want, but please don’t hurt me.” Her voice shook and fright spread across her face. She was exactly where he wanted her to be.
Grabbing her ankles, he pulled her down toward the edge of the bed. The blade of the knife caught the moonlight and gleamed in the dark.
“Please don’t do anything to me. Please,” she whispered as he cut her nightgown off. Her begging was an aphrodisiac to him, and the more she pleaded, the harder he became until he couldn’t stand it anymore. At that point, the monster was unleashed.
A few hours later, he removed her panties from her mouth. “Get up,” he ordered.
Groaning, she pushed her naked and bruised body up. Tangles of her hair covered her face as she stared vacantly. Grasping her arms, he dragged her to the bathroom and turned on the shower. “Get in and wash up.” He shoved her inside the stall and then leaned against the wall, watching her wash away all evidence of him. When she was done, he dragged her back into the bedroom. As he picked up her nightgown and shoved it in a black bag, she went over to the bed and lay down.
“Get up.”
For a brief second, determination burned in her eyes, but then she stood up and he gathered the sheets, placing them in the plastic bag. The way she stood, shoulders slumped, defeated, made him sloppy—something he would berate himself about later. Without warning, she rushed over to him; he caught it in his peripheral vision, but before he could react, she’d grabbed his ski mask and pulled it off.
Shock mixed with contempt and disgust washed over her face. “You? Why did you do this to me?” Without a word, he pulled her to him. “No, oh no, please. I won’t say anything. I promise.”
She struggled a bit, but it was hard to do when he was squeezing her trachea. It sounded a bit like Styrofoam peanuts crunching. Letting go, he took out his knife from his back pocket. Nadine didn’t scream, only yelped like a whipped dog. With one movement he slid the knife across her neck, watching the blood gush out, his penis harder than it had ever been. As he ejaculated, he watched her blood seep into the carpet, taking her life with it.
Throwing his head back, he breathed in and out as he tried to regain his composure. After several minutes, he went into the bathroom and took a quick shower, then stuffed his clothes and shoes in the plastic bag with the soiled bedsheets. Making sure to steer clear of Nadine’s bloody body, he stuffed whatever he thought could be used to trace him into the bag and took another look around the room.
Satisfied that he’d cleaned everything up, he went down the stairs and left the house. He’d burn everything he’d taken in one of the ash pits at an abandoned farm he’d discovered the year before. The farm was about thirty miles from Alina, and the inspectors never bothered to check out all the illegal burning of trash that was rampant in the rural area of the county. As he drove home, he replayed the scenario over and over in his mind, mad at himself for being sloppy and not securing his victim before he gathered the evidence.
The house was dark when he arrived home and entered the garage. That night, he had blood on his clothes. It felt funny driving home naked. He chuckled when he thought about what would’ve happened had he had a flat tire or been stopped by a cop. He slipped into the house and crept up the stairs, positive his wife would be fast asleep.
As he gazed up at the ceiling, he came to a startling revelation: the fear in his victim’s eyes right before he snuffed out her life had given him the biggest thrill of his life.
He was hooked.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Goldie sat at the bar watching two guys play pool at Balls and Holes pool hall. He’d had an hour to kill between appointments, and with Skull, Tattoo Mike, and Jimmy all at the shop, he figured they could handle any walk-ins. Weekdays could be slow, so an hour shooting the shit with Muerto and Crow seemed like a good way to break up his day.
“I heard you’re looking to get a new bike,” Goldie said as Muerto came over to him.
“Yeah. Ever since you got your new Road Glide Special, it’s been on my mind.”
“You gotta do it. My new bike just hums when I ride her. Just like a fine-tuned woman.”
“Damn. I gotta check them out. I wanted to wait for the rally and check out some of the bikes.”
Goldie felt his phone vibrate against him. A smile spread across his face when he saw Hailey’s name pop up.
Hailey: R u going 2 see ur grandma tonite?
Goldie: Ya. Probably bout 6.
Hailey: I missed u last nite.
Goldie: Had work. What u doing now?
Hailey: At the shop. Working.
Goldie: Send me a pic of ur nipple.
Hailey: R u serious?
Goldie: Ya. Want 2 see it up close.
Hailey: I’ll think about it. Customers. Gotta go.
Goldie laughed as he set his phone on the bar counter. “What?” he said to Muerto, who stared at him.
“That was a chick who was texting you.”
“So?”
“Chicks don’t text you. Remember your rule?” Muerto smiled.
“Are you trying to piss me off? I came in here for a beer and to relax, not to discuss my fuckin’ rules and chicks texting me.”
“Which chick’s texting you?” Crow asked as he came from the back room.
“None,” Goldie said.
“I just mentioned his rule about chicks texting him and he went apeshit,” Muerto said to Crow.
“Why’re you pissed about that?” Crow asked.
“Why the fuck are we still talking about this?” Goldie gulped down the last of his beer and slammed the bottle on the counter. “Later.” He marched out, anger pricking his skin as he heard the guffaws behind him. “Fuckin’ assholes,” he muttered under his breath as he headed back to the tattoo parlor.
The brothers were having a real heyday with him ever since they’d seen him and Hailey together at Cuervos a couple of months before. He couldn’t blame them; he’d done the same shit to Muerto, Diablo, and Steel when they were hung up on the women in their lives. Is that what I am? Hung up on Hailey? Never being serious about a woman, he was at a loss as to what the hell was going on with him in regard to Hailey. They’d been wanting to tear each other’s clothes off from the moment they’d seen each other, and they’d finally done it two nights before, but was
that something more than just lust?
Over the years, there were plenty of women he lusted after, but he didn’t consider their hookup as anything more than two people pleasuring each other. After it was done, he’d fuck ’em a couple of more times and then move on. Sometimes he was with a couple of women in the same day. It was a lot of fun, but it was no big deal.
Until now.
Hailey was something entirely different. If it was just lust between them, then why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? Why couldn’t he stop replaying their awesome coupling? Being with her wasn’t the same as being with the others; he wanted her all the damn time. Instead of being sated by their fucking, he just wanted more and more.
Liberty waved at him as he entered the tattoo shop, and he gave her a chin lift as he went to his office in the back. He sat down and pulled out his phone. Hailey had texted him but he hadn’t heard it. When he opened it, a shot of desire went straight to his dick. A picture of Hailey’s pink, round nipple teased him. It was hard to understand what happened to him when he saw her perfect buds, but something deep within him yearned to take them in his mouth, lavishing them with soft attention, and then bite, squeeze, and suck them until she cried out from pain and pleasure.
A loud ping.
Hailey: Is that what u wanted?
Goldie: Ya. Got a damn hard-on. Can u come over & fix it?
Hailey: Shop’s too busy. U’re the one who wanted the pic. ;)
Goldie: Smartass. That ass of urs needs a spanking.
Hailey: I’ve never been spanked.
Goldie: I’ll fix that.
The buzzer filled the room and Goldie pushed the intercom button. “What’s up?”
“We have a walk-in and all the other guys are busy. Can you take him?” Liberty asked.
Glancing at his stiff dick, he said, “Yeah, give me ten minutes.” He clicked off and opened Hailey’s text.
Hailey: That sounds wicked.
If I keep texting with her, I’ll never get rid of my boner.
Goldie: It is. I gotta go. I have a tat to do.
Hailey: K. See u later at Cherry Vale.
Goldie pulled out a technical book from the bookshelf and perused it, concentrating on the sentences and willing himself not to think about the delectable picture Hailey had sent him. After a while, the buzzer sounded again.
“The guy wants to know if you can do this. It’s been over fifteen minutes.
“Sure. I lost track of time. I’m coming out.”
The technical reading did the trick, and Goldie headed to the lobby to meet the client. Once he got to designing and coloring the tattoo, he’d have laser focus. He walked up to a man in his early twenties and led him to one of the rooms.
* * *
At six o’clock, Goldie went down the hallway to Patty’s room in search of Hailey. When he arrived, the only person he saw was Patty sitting by the window staring. He knocked softly on the door. Patty turned around, and he noticed her eyes were puffy and red, wet trails glistening on her cheeks. Tissue was balled up in her hand, and taking a corner of it, she wiped the corners of her eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Shaking her head, she looked down at her hands in her lap. “Do you want me to call anyone?”
“No. I’m just upset over Nadine. I just heard about it a little while ago. Why would anyone do something like that to such a sweet young woman?” The tears spilled down her face before she covered it with her hands.
Goldie shifted in place. “I don’t know who Nadine is. What happened to her?”
Patty lifted her head and wiped her cheeks with the palm of her hand. “You don’t know her? She’s one of the physical therapists here. I loved working with her. She was such a nice girl.”
“I may have seen her around. My grandma doesn’t do physical therapy. What happened to her?”
“She was brutally raped and murdered in her home last night. Isn’t that awful? How can someone do that? I never thought something like this could ever happen in our town. Now I’ve found out there’ve been several of these rapes. Another victim worked in the laundry here. It’s terrible. Something’s going on around here. There’ve been four deaths of patients and now this. I saw the sheriff and his deputies here last week. Something’s not right.”
Goldie walked in and sat on a straight-backed chair. “You may have something there. I thought something was fucked when the second person died. Now you’re saying it’s been four?”
“Yes. And Hailey thinks I’m being paranoid. I mean, she didn’t say that, but I could tell she was trying to humor me. And now this latest with the rapes. Nadine’s the only one he killed. Why did he have to kill her?”
“Maybe she figured out who he was.”
“Are you guys talking about poor Nadine? I read it in the paper an hour ago. How awful,” Hailey said as she rushed into the room, going over and giving her aunt a quick kiss on the cheek. She looked at Goldie through her lashes and smiled.
“Hey,” he said as his gaze slowly raked over her.
“Hey,” she whispered as she ran her fingers over the back of his neck.
“Garth agrees with me that something funny’s going on around here,” Patty said.
“Like what?”
“Like the patients dying, the rapes, and now Nadine’s murder.” Patty’s voice quivered.
Hailey glanced back at Goldie. “Do you really think they’re connected?”
“I’m always suspicious when there are too many coincidences. That’s just me and my world.”
“Knock, knock,” Dan said from the doorway. “I’m here to give you your pain pills, Patty. Do you think you need them?”
“I could use one for my nerves. I’m so upset about Nadine.”
“I know. It’s terrible. The staff is still in shock. She was so good with the patients. A real nice and sweet woman who loved her job.”
“I think everyone loved her,” Patty said as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
“Pretty much.” He held out his hand with a cup of water.
“Who didn’t?” Goldie asked.
Startled, Dan shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“I meant sometimes we have run-ins with the doctors because we may not agree with some of their advice. It can be like that sometimes because we spend a lot more time with the patients than the doctors or the administrators do.”
“Which doctor are we talking about here?” Goldie narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t like talking about the staff.”
“I’m not gonna tell anyone what you say. I don’t work that way.”
Dan stood for several seconds in the middle of the room as if trying to decide whether or not to say anything. Glancing at the door, he lowered his voice. “It’s really all of the doctors. They don’t like it when we ask questions. I know Nadine had a run-in with Dr. Rudman a couple of times, and Dr. Tyrell and Dr. Daniels can be bad about sharing information with physical therapy. Nadine and Thelma, the woman who works in the laundry who got raped, had run-ins with some of the CNAs, especially Kingsley, Hendricks, and Kevin. Nadine even wrote them up a few times. She found Hendricks smoking pot in one of the patient’s bathroom. He tried to disguise the smell with some strong pine air freshener, but it only made it worse.”
“Hendricks and Kingsley are usually my grandma’s CNAs. Did Hendricks ever smoke in her room?”
Dan chuckled. “No way. Everyone’s a bit afraid of you. They know you’re a member of the Night Rebels. They don’t want any problems.”
Goldie stood up. “You tell me if any shit goes down with my grandma. If I find out someone did something and you didn’t tell me, I’m gonna make sure you end up as a patient here.” He loomed over Dan, who quickly walked to the doorway.
“Enjoy the rest of your visit,” he mumbled, then scampered away.
“You love doing that shit, don’t you?” Hailey asked.
“What?”
“Scaring the
hell out of people.” She grazed his fingers with hers.
“Scaring means to frighten someone into doing something or make them worry. I just tell people how it’s going to go down. When I say something, it happens.” His jaw muscles twitched.
“You always were direct, Garth,” Patty said.
Goldie stayed for a while longer in Patty’s room, then went down to his grandma’s room and sat on the chair watching her as she slept in the bed. An hour later, Hailey came down and said she was taking off. He kissed his grandmother on her soft hair, then walked out with Hailey.
Intertwining his fingers with hers, he breathed the night air in deeply. It’d been so hot for the past week that the coolness of the breeze was a welcomed relief. Above, a carpet of stars glittered against the dark blue background. A sudden chill inched up his spine and he drew Hailey close to him, cocooning her in his arms. Lowering his head, he kissed her silky hair, the tropical scent filling his nostrils.
“You need to take care of yourself. There’s a real crazy fuck out there hurting women. I hate that you don’t have a garage.”
“I’m not going to lie to you and say I’m cool, because I hate that I don’t have a garage either. I have the feeling I’m being watched, or at least was being watched. It started when that guy came out of the bushes over a month ago. Then my window was unlocked. Remember?”
“Yeah. Have you seen anyone since we fixed all the locks?”