by Drake, J. L.
I cursed as Emily pulled back and fixed her shirt.
“Hey, Travis,” she whispered and tried to regain her composure. She started to move off me, but I held her in place.
“I was just heading home and wanted to say thanks for the invite.” He glanced at me. Well, it was actually a bit of a glare.
Emily smiled. “Of course, anytime.”
He waved over his head as he walked back to the tree line. I watched Travis until he disappeared into the darkness.
Emily shoved my shoulder, but I grabbed her tightly as I stood and lifted her with me. “Now, where were we?”
“Nothing like a late night workout.” Pete grinned from the doorway. Shit! Emily shook her head like she wanted him to shut up. “What?” Pete grinned at me. “All I need is a cig and stiff drink.”
I looked over his shoulder and saw Philly fix his pants. “Such a man whore,” I muttered and sat Emily on her feet. “I should go talk to Nicholas before he leaves. I’ll see you in a minute.” I tapped her ass before I left.
Pete licked a finger as I walked by. “Mmm…yummy.” I heard him yelp behind me, and I was sure Emily punched him.
***
Avery
Flowers, check.
Panties, check.
Package, check.
Letter, check.
I continued through my list three times and made sure everything was in perfect order. The scratching noise from the patio door had me reaching for a steak knife. I had to talk myself down and remember why I still had the fucking mutt. I glanced at the calendar and saw I would only have him for a few more weeks, then he wouldn’t be my fucking responsibility anymore. I dumped the shit-smelling food into a dish, slid it outside, and slammed the door in his face. Fuck, his eyes always freaked me out. You would have thought after all this time I’d be over them, but I wasn’t. I wondered if they still haunted Emily’s dreams. Oh, that thought spread a lovely warmth through me. I made one more quick call, then called it a night. I needed some sleep since, happily, tomorrow I had decided to step up my game a bit.
I showered, changed, washed my hands, and then slid into bed, delighted with the feel of the sheets that were tucked in tightly and the blanket neatly folded so it was snugged under the sheet flap at the top. I stared up at the ceiling, silently enjoying the shadows that bounced over it as the wind played outside. I closed my eyes and remembered.
“So this is it?” I looked over at Jims, who checked the address again.
“Yeah,” he squinted into the sun, “24 Victoria Drive.”
The house was huge and sat at the end of a lane. We watched as a little blonde girl chatted with an elderly lady who looked to be the housemaid. I could see the look on Jims’s face, and I knew what he was thinking. He had money, lots and lots of money.
“But he’s only here about ten times a year. His office is in San Fran.” Jims pulled out a camera and snapped a few photos of the house and the little girl. “Let’s go check out the city.”
We drove around a bit and ended up at a nearby beach, where a group of women were in the middle of a yoga class. Jims pulled out a bottle of Jack and continued to drink while the women bent, flexed, and stretched for our enjoyment.
I felt him twitch when he spotted a sexy blonde in conversation with a brunette. Jims quickly held his camera to his right eye and started to snap photos of her.
We spent the next few hours in the chilly car, and Jims watched her every move. He couldn’t seem to focus on anything else.
He made me follow her the next day while he made a pickup. I really wished he would lay off the blow. I turned the heat up and sipped my coffee while I watched her return to her car with her date. She seemed annoyed with him. The guy had the balls to grab her head and start kissing her. I didn’t feel any compulsion to help, but it was fun to watch what happened. I knew I was probably missing the ‘empathy’ gene, but whatever. I leaned back in my seat and settled in and hoped for a good show.
Suddenly, her attacker was ripped off of her and thrown to the ground like he was weightless. I sat forward; this was getting interesting. Her rescuer was blond and looked huge as he shielded her with his body, and he made the other guy leave quickly. She didn’t seem that scared and was okay about chatting with the blond guy. I could tell by her expression she was relieved, and she was smiling. He led her to his car…wait…I snatched up the camera and zoomed in on his face. “What the hell?”
My fingers felt around the seat for the phone and press redial.
“What?” Jims barked across the line. He hated it when I bothered him when he was high. He got pissed at my disapproving tone.
“She’s with him.”
“You mean she’s with the cop? Are you sure?”
I snapped a few pictures. “Yeah, she’s with him, Jack’s son.”
There was a moment of silence. “Well, well, well, this just got a bit more interesting for us, didn’t it?”
The sun shone through my window and woke me instantly. I hurried to the shower, excited to see my plans fall into place and delighted to think how strange the world really was. I was almost giddy when I arrived at work. I saw Riley glance at me funny. I knew I was normally the quiet, aloof white man in the room, the man people should statistically fear, but they didn’t. Because I had the ability to play many roles, I could play the ‘loss of my partner’ role almost perfectly. No one had any idea I was the one who ended his life. Sometimes I surprised myself at how talented I really was. Jims may have been bat shit crazy, but at the end, I controlled him too. Though I missed my brother dearly, I didn’t miss cleaning up his mess. He got sloppy toward the end, and that was why they caught him. But I was a mastermind. I didn’t make mistakes. I almost chuckled. Maybe I’d better watch myself, then.
I checked my phone and saw the flowers would arrive at the right time. Perfect. I tucked the last piece of my plan into a folder and tossed my jacket on top of it on the back seat as I saw Riley walking my way.
“Ready?” I beamed at Riley.
He nodded and sipped his coffee as he slid into the front seat. I knew he didn’t like me, and that was fine. I’d rather not make nice with him either. I’d already placed him; he was nothing but my shield.
Our shift went by fast, and the sergeant asked us to swing by Davis’s sister’s place in Fullerton since he was MIA now for a few weeks. I nearly laughed out loud at the irony in this, but I pulled on my concerned cop face as we headed on over.
Knock, knock. My fist met with the cool steel. I waited with Riley, who snapped his gum like a fourth grader. Fuck me upright, I wanted to take that little shit out back and deal with him ‘Old Yeller’ style.
A tall woman opened the door. She looked confused. “Can I help you, officers?”
I gave my very best comforting smile and placed my hand on Riley’s shoulder. “Hi, Gloria, I’m Officer Avery, this is my partner Officer Riley. We’re with Orange PD and are friends of your brother’s. He has been out of touch lately with the station. Ah, that is to say, he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, actually. We’re worried about him, so we were hoping to ask you a few questions.”
She studied our badges, saying nothing, then waved us in.
I needed a goddamn drink after that conversation. Who would have thought the chatty Davis would have such a dull sister? If I was alone, I would have offed her myself.
“So, after a three hour conversation, we learned nothing, but she doesn’t see her brother all that much and she likes cats.” Riley sighed and sagged into his seat.
I turned the corner and spotted a man smashing in a window on a BMW. Riley called it in as I switched on the lights. As predicted, the man took one look at us and bolted down the alley. I slammed the car in park and we both jumped out and split up to cut the guy off in the front.
Most officers’ hearts sped up at this point. The chase, the hunt, it was always fun, but my adrenaline rush wasn’t for the same reason. It was just the exercise, more practice than anything, really. The echo fr
om my boots bounced off the brick walls and filled my ears, which made it hard to hear the guy’s footsteps. I stopped and listened hard and heard a fence rattle. I ran toward the sound, only to find myself face to face with a dead end. The guy was running full speed on the other side of the nine-foot fence.
I cursed and thought there was no way I would climb that fence. I wasn’t that invested. I made my way back to the squad car where I found Riley leaning against his door drinking a bottle of water.
“Good?” I asked with my best friendly face.
He glanced over at me and clicked his seatbelt. He was a moody bugger, so I ignored him and headed back to our beat.
I decided to shower at the station instead of The Brick. I didn’t have much time, and I needed a quick fix before I enjoyed the shit storm tonight.
Footsteps caught my attention, and I looked around the corner and freed my towel from the hook. I headed out to the lockers where I heard someone moving about. I hid behind the scale and saw Campbell with a little tool trying to pick the lock on my locker. What the hell? He quickly went through my things, checked my phone and papers. I squinted as the anger rushed through me. Who did he think he was? He quickly closed the locker and left. I see I may have to change some of my plans.
My eyes were glued to the rearview mirror. I was certain I had seen Campbell’s pickup truck. Though I was sure I lost him, I knew he couldn’t be far. My hands rubbed along my jeans. I didn’t like the paranoid feeling. I didn’t enjoy the role of prey. I was the predator. After a mini pep talk with myself, I parked and headed to the front desk.
“You look happy.” I grunted and felt a headache coming on.
She rolled her eyes but looked me up and down. “What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s been a day.” A car door closed, and I moved back to the window. She leaned over the desk and pushed her breasts up. She knew she was pretty, but she should know it wouldn’t work with me.
“Well, she’s waiting.” She shrugged and pretended not to be hurt by me not paying more attention to her.
I scanned the parking lot and saw no one. I gave a small wave as I headed inside.
***
“Alexander,” she called out as I was about to leave. My back stiffened, as I didn’t like that name anymore. I turned to find her looking worried. “Avery,” she corrected herself. “Someone came in asking questions about you.”
“Tall, dark hair, big, beefy-looking guy?” She nodded as I came closer. I stopped in front of her and grabbed her chin. “Tell me everything.”
“He just wanted to know what this place was and how long you normally stay.”
“And?” My grip tightened.
Her eyes watered and her breathing picked up, but her eyes stayed locked with mine. “I said nothing, Avery.” She stepped back and tore her face from my grip. Her hands were shaky as they smoothed her skirt. I sighed and realized I went too far. I started to move toward her, but she held up a hand. “Just go.”
“Fuck.” I couldn’t deal with her right now, so I hurried outside. I had something bigger to deal with.
CHAPTER SIX
Emily
“You don’t think that was a little extreme?” she barked at me from the other side of the world. I jammed the laundry into the drier and slammed the door so she would hear it. “Don’t get angry with me, Emily Grace. What you did set me back a month!”
“Mother, your belongings are at Gary’s office. If you have any problems, take it up with them. As for the buyer, you can tell her that my lawyer will be getting in contact with her, letting her know that it is being illegally sold, as I am the rightful owner. As for us, we’re finished. I want nothing to do with you anymore. If you do decide to return, I will get a restraining order. If you try to communicate with me in any way, I will get a restraining order. In other words, Mother, goodbye.” My finger trembled as I hit the end button.
I sank against the counter. To say I was exhausted was an understatement, but I promised myself no more Jenny. My nerves couldn’t take it. I closed my eyes. I just needed a moment to clear my head. A knock at the door forced a string of curse words out of my mouth.
“Good evening, miss,” the delivery man said, standing there with a bouquet of twelve red roses. He handed them to me and asked for my ‘autograph’ on the dotted line. I thanked him as I brought them into the kitchen. Nestled inside the flowers, I found a card. Just what I needed right now. I grinned like a fool. Seth had never bought me flowers before. He claimed he did when I stayed at Pete’s, but I never saw them.
Last night was amazing.
I’m glad you changed your mind.
Ronnie
I hardly heard him when he walked into the kitchen. He spoke, but I wasn’t listening. My eyes were glued to the table, trying to think of a way to ask without freaking out at him.
He cracked open a beer and leaned against the fridge as he eyed the flowers. “Who are those from?”
I pushed the anger down. “Well, they’re not from you.”
His bottle was tilted up when my words hit him, and he quickly rounded the table and plucked the card from my grasp. His expression was scary. It looked like he was going to explode as he grabbed the flowers and tossed them into the trash, vase and all. He hurried upstairs and left me to wonder exactly what I missed.
***
Avery
This was not how I had my night planned. As it was, I missed Emily getting her flowers. Though I knew she might not fall for it, it would still plant a seed and piss Seth off further. It really was all rather entertaining.
I waited for Campbell to leave the market and head home. I beat him there and slipped in through an open window on the second floor.
I cringed at the deer heads that were mounted on the walls. Camouflage vests hung on hooks, and a compound bow rested in the corner. I never saw the appeal in that sport. Where was the fun in killing animals when there were humans to be hunted? At least humans had a delicious reaction to fear.
I traveled down the stairs and into the small closet, where I waited for Campbell to appear. He did, with a load of groceries. He dropped them on the kitchen table, moved about, and tossed things in cabinets. He turned on the stove and started to prepare dinner.
The sound of the leather as it flexed over my knuckles, now that did make my adrenaline pump for all the right reasons. I loved this part. I pulled my mask down and pushed on the door so it made a tiny creak. I stepped into the light of the kitchen right behind him. He sensed something. I could see it in his shoulders.
“What do you want?” Campbell asked. His voice was brave, but I knew him too well. I pulled out a thin cord and wrapped it around my gloved knuckles in a flash, whipped it around his neck, and twisted hard. Campbell was a big man, but I was much stronger. I balanced my weight as he jumped around, fighting to break free. Campbell suddenly leaned back and tossed his weight into me, which sent me into the island. My grip loosened as he sprang to his feet, twisted, and kicked his foot into my ribs. I grabbed his ankle, bucked to the side, and kicked his knee, and he went down hard. Shit! I scrambled to get on top of him and managed to block a punch he sent my way, but another came fast, and I missed it. My ears rang and my vision blurred momentarily. My head bounced off the floor as he tried to catch his breath.
A scream from the doorway had me on my feet and my hand in my pocket for my knife. I slashed out at him.
“Campbell!” Vanessa shouted.
“Run! Call 911!” he screamed and covered his bloody neck. Her horrified expression moved to me, then she ran back upstairs. I was torn, but decided I should finish what I came here to do. I saw him stand and hold the wall for support, and his face suddenly dropped as he squinted at me. Then it clicked. My hand flew to the mask that had shifted from our struggle. I glanced at a framed photo and saw my reflection in the glass. My mouth was showing. Fuck me. I quickly fixed it, but I couldn’t tell if he knew it was me or not. My attention was pulled to a loud click behind me. My eyes focused on his
reflection, and I saw him pointing a shotgun in my direction.
Shit…
***
Seth
I was jolted awake by the wind as it scraped a branch against the window. Emily was tangled all around me, just the way I loved her to be. Mind you, it took a bit to convince her to come to bed with me after those fucking flowers were delivered. Of course Ronnie denied sending them, and the flower company said it was purchased with a prepaid gift card ordered from some random email address.
I rolled Emily on to her side and buried my nose into her neck. She stirred a little and wiggled her greedy hips. She was always interested, even when she was dead asleep. Just as my hand was about to dip between her legs, my phone started to vibrate.
Garrett: Get dressed! Be outside in ten. It’s Campbell.
I didn’t question it. If he sent me a text at three in the morning, it was something important. I kissed Emily one more time and headed for the shower.
“Baby,” I whispered, and her eyes fluttered open. I heard the sound of Garrett’s Jeep already pulling up, and I cursed. “I have to go. Something happened, but I’ll call you when I’m on my way home.”
She nodded and rolled over on her back. “Be safe.”
“Always.”
I met Garrett in the driveway and jumped into the front seat. He didn’t say a word until we pulled onto the main road, which had a sheen from the morning dew. “Campbell was attacked in his home tonight. He’s alive, but the attacker made a mess of his neck.”
My head was in a spin. Who would want to hurt Campbell? “Does he have any idea who it was?”
Garrett looked at me funny before he focused back at the road. “He saw his mouth at one point, but…” He stopped as if he were deep in thought. “He was wearing a mask.”
“Okay?”