by W L Knightly
Jo didn’t know what she was saying. She only knew she needed to get the girl. If she could build a case against her brother, one where she could lock him up for good, she might just save his life. It was what her father would have wanted. She had to bring him to justice, and maybe if she were lucky, he’d lead her to Madden too. Kyle could die in prison of old age for all she cared, but she wanted to be the one to put him away.
As they sped across town, Lang cheered like a wild man, the force keeping Jo pressed to her seat. “Slow down, or I’m telling Jake.”
“You’re no fun. I thought you wanted fast.” He was having a bit too much fun for her liking.
“I had no idea she went this fast.” She eased up a bit as Lang slowed down and took the next exit.
“We’re getting close to her house anyway. Damn, a ride like that gives me a stiffy every time.”
Jo frowned. “I don’t need to know that.” Lang was such a sleaze bag. “Why did Dannie confide all of this in you anyway?”
“She’s hot for me. We’ve been banging. She asks me questions mostly.” His expression changed. “Shit, she’s been using me for information.” He looked over, giving Jo a paranoid look. “I mean, I didn’t tell her anything too weird. Just crime scene stuff. Fuck, I thought she really liked me.”
“I’m sure she did, stud.” Jo gave him a sarcastic look as he slowed the car again and stopped on the street.
“There’s someone there.” Lang pointed toward the driveway up the road. “See those two cars. One of them might be his.”
“If that’s the case, we’re going to have to go in armed.” She realized she’d left her gun in her car, and it was at Jake’s. She knew he had one in the car, but when she opened the glove box, it was empty. “Take me around the block. I have to search the car.”
Chapter 27
Kyle
Dannie had come back to drink her wine, but it had taken her nearly an hour to drink all of it. But now as the night had fallen, so had she. But only after they’d made out and discussed her dream wedding.
For a moment, Kyle had even pretended that he liked the topic of discussion and wondered what his life would be like, going legit and staying clean. Could he really be a good husband and father? It all sounded so boring to him. Falling into a routine with one person for the rest of your life? No thanks. Especially someone like Dannie. Sure, she was hot enough, but she was stupid and self-centered. There was only room enough for one narcissist in their relationship, and that was him.
He glanced over at her as he put the finishing touches on his setup. The effects of the drugs were working, and he had already had enough time to search her house and run to his car for everything he needed.
Her basement sofa, the old one she’d told him she put down there to sit on while she did her laundry, was the perfect place to take her while he prepared the space. And she hadn’t moved a muscle.
He walked over and gripped her face. Her head lolled like a ragdoll’s, and he leaned down and kissed her lips.
“Be a good girl, my darling wife.” He chuckled. “Dodging that bullet.”
He put his hand in front of her nose to see if she was still breathing, and when he found she was, he continued. It would suck for her to knock off early. Then he wouldn’t be able to have his fun.
A cold body wasn’t to his liking. He liked the feel of fresh, warm blood and the way it slipped all over his naked flesh. He wanted to take enough time to bathe in Dannie’s. He had running water right upstairs, and the cops would be so busy looking down in the fucking basement that they wouldn’t bother looking in a clean tub, where he would have no trouble rinsing her off of him.
He stepped back and turned to his setup. So far, he had the chair and pulley system in place. Using her exposed beams was going to make things much easier, and he was proud of what he’d accomplished so far.
He heard a faint whimper and walked over to the sofa. “No, don’t wake up just yet, princess. I haven’t even begun to have my fun with you.” He looked down at her naked body and felt the pulse in her wrist.
She opened one eye, but he could tell she was still out of it. “I had hoped to wait a while, but now I see you give me no choice. I think it’s time to play.” He stripped off his shirt and then straddled her legs. “Let’s see how many times I can cut you that you don’t feel it.”
He took the blade from the back of his pants and looked down at her body. He could cut her breasts, but there was a little dip in her stomach just below her ribs that was calling his name.
His cock was growing hard again in his pants, and this was turning him on much more than the blow job she’d given him earlier. After, she’d rode him hard, and he was fairly certain he’d planted a good seed inside of her.
He wondered if it had found an egg and if they had conceived. “Sorry, no baby for you. Kendra is the only woman I thought I could give a child to, and now she’s betrayed me too. Do you think I’d give a lying little bitch like you my offspring?” He dragged the blade across her flesh very lightly, letting the blood trickle to the surface.
“Fuck, that’s hot.” He dragged his finger through her blood and smeared it. The smell of it made him crave more, but when he wondered what it would taste like, he found he had no desire for it. No, his bloodlust wasn’t for tasting. It was for the feel and thrill of knowing that power over her. When it turned cold, the thrill was gone, and he would want more.
Dannie was just practice for Kendra. He couldn’t wait to feel her power, her life, draining out of her.
He looked at the cut and laughed. “Damn, I’ve done it now. I guess there’s no sense in holding back. But oh, to savor the moment.”
He would not allow himself to rush. The longer he kept her alive, drugged, and bleeding it was like edging an orgasm. Euphoric.
And no matter who it was, he had always pictured Alyssa Madden’s face.
He held the blade to her shoulder. “I’m going to cut you here,” he said, pulling the blade across her arm. When the blood welled up, he gathered it up again, feeling the warmth of it between his fingers. She was still so limp, so lifeless. He wished he could hear her scream.
He slapped her face. “Come on. Give me some reaction, Dannie.”
She whimpered and stayed out, but then, he thought he heard a noise from upstairs. “Be right back, princess. I think we have company. I’m going to cut you deeper when I come back. Feel your warm blood on my cock. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He reached up and gripped her chin to make her nod. “That’s a good girl.”
Tonight, he was taking things to a whole new level. But first, he had to make sure the place was secure. He walked up the stairs, knowing she was still too out of it and would be for hours to go anywhere.
When he got to the top, he checked all the doors, turned off the lights, and then walked over and glanced out of the window. There weren’t any neighbors coming or going, and he wasn’t sure they were even home across the street. There were no cars with lights on and no one driving down the road.
He looked over at the glass of wine and took it to the kitchen, knowing he didn’t want it to be left. If the cops saw anything out of place, they might realize they should search the rest of the house and find his blood somewhere it didn’t belong.
He didn’t think they’d even be focused on him, not with the Hangman still out there doing his worst to people, and he’d have a good head start to get to Kendra. If everything went according to plans, he would be able to take her and kill her before anyone, including his father or his stupid sister, came looking for him. The only thing that could fuck him up was if they caught Madden, but he didn’t think that would happen.
Her brought the glasses to the sink and washed them. Then he put them back in the cabinet and took the wine with him as he walked around the house.
He wondered if she had any money hidden. He should probably take it when it was time to go.
He went to her panty drawer, where he’d always heard of people stashing s
tuff, and found two crisp hundred-dollar bills. He put them in his wallet and then kept digging, looking through her jewelry box for something he could hock if times got tough. In the shallow drawer right next to what looked like a diamond engagement ring, there was a small vial of cocaine.
“And to think I hid my habit,” he said, giving it a taste. “Merry Fucking Christmas and Happy Birthday to me.”
He tucked he vial in his pocket, along with the ring, and then he went back downstairs to find her still where he left her, the bottle of wine still clutched in his own hands. He took a long pull.
“I think it’s time we have a little more fun. I made sure the doors were all locked, and there is no one out and about, lurking around to find us.”
He took his knife and dragged it through her flesh right across the top of her breasts, and suddenly, as the blood flowed and he ran his hands in it, she squealed in pain. “That’s right. Be my little stuck piggy.” He laughed.
She began moving her arms, her body still paralyzed from the drugs. “Where am I?” she cried.
“Shh. You’re with me, darling fiancée.” He laughed. “Just lie still and let me take care of you. Shh. Shh.”
But the drugs were wearing off much quicker than he expected them to, or at least, she was moving much more than he expected.
“I’m hurt,” she said. “Help me.” Her words were lazy, and tears formed in her eyes.
“No, no. You’re okay. It’s just a little blood.” His plan was falling apart. He was desperate, so he struck her across the face, and she went limp beneath him. “That could have gone differently.”
He realized he might have woken her up more.
But it was his lucky night. He looked at her flesh where the blood was already beginning to clot along the shallow slices in her torso, and he needed more.
He turned the blade back to her and sliced again. This time, he cut much deeper. The blood came out like an eruption, and there was seemingly no end to it in sight. “Oh, yeah.”
He loved the blood, but it wasn’t the same. And he knew why. Most of the fun was his victim’s reactions. He was going to have to make her wake up enough to play along, but he needed her helpless at the same time.
“Dammit. Why does it have to be so complicated?” His cock shriveled in his pants, and he growled with frustration. “You aren’t any fun.”
He got up and walked to the washing machine. He turned on the water and then captured some as if filled the basin. He splashed it on her face, but it was no use.
“Come on.” He slapped her face. “Fucking wake up. Wake up!”
He struck her again, and this time, her eyes went wide, and she screamed.
Her limbs were still useless, but she cried out in fear as her eyes met hers. “Kyle?” she mumbled.
“No, I’m not Kyle. I’m the devil.” He chuckled and then showed her the knife. “And it’s time to pay for your sins.”
She screamed and tried to move, her body doing nothing more than wiggling, helpless to fight him off even though he could tell she wanted to.
“I’m going to make you bleed for me,” he whispered, and he cut her again. This time, the blood came out like before. He looked into her eyes while he touched it, seeing the power he had over her and delighting in her fear. “That’s a good girl. Now, that’s more like it. You’re actually a bit more fun.”
“It hurts,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“It’s supposed to hurt. I’m killing you.”
She cried out in horror, her scream piercing his ears, and instead of holding them, he touched himself, putting his hands down his pants.
“Yes, Dannie. That’s it. Scream for me. You know how much I like devious things.” He pushed his hand into her stomach, watching the blood puddle at the surface as he dragged his hand through it. He looked into her terror-filled eyes. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
Chapter 28
Jo
After searching the car from down the street, she finally found what she needed. “Let’s hope this piece is in good shape. It’s loaded, so I guess that’s all that matters.”
The thing was as old as she was, and she wasn’t sure the last time it had been cleaned, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
“Why didn’t you have your gun?” asked Lang. “As a matter of fact, when you and Jake arrived, your hair was wet and you were together. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you two were already together.”
“Shut up. It’s not anyone’s business.” Jo couldn’t believe his nerve. She’d known he was the type to put his foot in his mouth—that was clear from the first time she met him—but to suspect her and Jake, even if it was true, was just rude.
Lang chuckled. “Take it easy. It’s been part of the betting pool at the office since you got hired on and we found out Jake wasn’t leaving. I put twenty on it myself. However, most of us figured it would have already happened.”
“You’ve been taking bets on us? Did Jake know about this?” She stood by the car with her hand on her hip. Had she been some kind of bet? Did he really care about her at all?
“Shit, Jake doesn’t know. He’d kill us if he found out we were betting on his love life. Believe it or not, but I heard he was a real hard ass before you came along. The boys say you made him human.”
“He wasn’t that bad. Maybe he was misunderstood.” She remembered when she first met him. He wasn’t as friendly, and her first impression was she didn’t really like him at all either. “Let’s get this done.”
She and Lang took off on foot toward the house.
“Go to the door, and I’ll go around back,” she said. “With any luck, it’s not him.”
Lang nodded, but as they walked up to the house, he pulled her back. “Something’s wrong. I already know it.”
“I don’t have time for your gut feelings. We need to get to her. I need solid proof to get my brother put away.” She couldn’t believe she was there with Lang and not Jake.
“You don’t understand,” he said with a pointed look. “It’s the lights. They’re all out. Dannie doesn’t ever turn them all out. She lives alone. She wouldn’t do that. She even told me so. She always leaves the living room light on, no matter what.”
“Maybe she didn’t mean literally all the time.” Jo urged him to go for it. “Just knock. Maybe the bulb burned out.”
“Wait up. If she doesn’t answer, we’ll knock the door down.” He knocked on the door, but there wasn’t any noise from inside.
“Before you go nuts, let’s call Sam. He’s been around a bit. Maybe he knows a way in instead of busting a door down.” She didn’t want to alert anyone if there was something going down inside. She took out her phone and found Sam’s number.
It took three rings for him to answer. “Jo? Hey, we’re almost done. Is Jake not answering his phone?”
“No, listen. Don’t tell him anything, but Lang and I are outside of Dannie’s house. We think there’s something wrong. She’s been seeing my brother, and he’s been lying to her about being a writer and convinced her to give him information. I can’t explain everything, but I think he’s the one who killed Bodin.”
“What? When did you go there? Jo, it’s dangerous. Jake and I should come.”
“Dammit, I need you to look out for my father, and I don’t even know if there’s anything wrong. We’ve got this. Just tell me if you know another way in.” She didn’t have time to argue with him, and she was really hoping that Dannie wasn’t fucking around too.
Sam let out a sound of frustration. “Fine, but you call for backup if you need it. Then you call me.”
“Lang and I are together, and we’ll be fine.”
“That’s what worries me.” His tone was full of sarcasm. “Go around back. To the back doormat. The key unlocks the back door. Dannie keeps it there in case of emergencies.”
“Does she own a gun?” She needed to know what she was walking into.
Sam huffed. “No, she’s too afraid of them.”
“Well, I guess that’s good to know. At least I won’t get shot.” She hated that they had to go in without knowing where Dannie was. But considering what she’d learned, she really felt that it was necessary.
“So when did you two take off on this wild adventure?” he asked.
She hoped that he was going to keep his word and not tell Jake.
“About a half hour ago.” She was surprised that they hadn’t missed them yet. “Listen, I need to get in her house. I’ll call you back when I find her.” She hung up with Sam. “There’s a key under the back doormat.”
Lang nodded. “I’ll find it. And I’ll come through and let you in.” He took off.
Jo wasn’t going to argue. She waited at the door and watched as he went around to the back. She kept the gun she found in Jake’s car ready to fire and hoped that Lang was overreacting about the light.
Soon, she saw him through the window. He tiptoed around the house and turned on a couple of lights. Then he walked to the front door and unlocked it. He opened it and stepped aside for Jo to come in. “I don’t know where she is. The house seems empty. I peeked into her room, and she’s not in bed.”
Jo gave a sound of frustration. “See? She’s not home, and we’re in here for no reason.”
Lang walked over and turned on the living-room light. “At least we know the bulb works,” he said. “I don’t think she’d leave and not leave it on.”
Jo believed him. Something wasn’t adding up. “You should try to call her again.” He had tried while she searched the car, with no luck.
Lang took out his phone to try again. This time when he called, the phone rang in the kitchen. Jo and Lang exchanged a look. “She wouldn’t leave without her phone,” said Lang. “I don’t like this.”
Jo didn’t either. She thought about calling backup, but she still wasn’t sure that there was anything going on.
“She’s gotta be here.” She took a deep breath and decided to yell in case she was in the bathroom or doing something in the attic. “Dannie?” There was no response, so she did it again. “Dannie!” She yelled as loud as she could. “It’s Jo, Dannie. Answer if you can hear me?”