Chapter 21
TYLER
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ari gave me a pointed look, but his bangs were poking his eyes, so he was forced to brush them to the side.
He had a blue beanie on his head and a matching scarf, and the image of wholesome winter antics was completed by his snug brown coat.
He was adorable, but I wasn’t game to tell him.
I wasn’t sure how he’d take the compliment.
I’d gone to his house after I was done at the mall, and when I’d explained the situation, he hadn’t hesitated to get onboard, especially because Jules was at work and Ari was bored.
A bored Ari was a scary Ari.
“As sure as I can be.” I rolled my shoulders and scrunched up my nose. “He’s my ex-stepfather, the one who did this.” I pointed at the scars on my face. “And he’ll keep messing with us until he’s dead. I should be asking you that question. You have no horse in this race.”
Ari rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall, gloved hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.
His gaze meandered to the door farther down on our left, where we were waiting for Chuck.
He always walked this way to get to his truck.
He was predictable when it came to his nights drinking at the bar.
“I have this urge, deep down in here.” He inclined his chin toward his chest. “Can’t explain it. Jules told me I should channel it, so I do. On bad people. Less chance of getting caught.”
“Are you a psychopath?” I asked for the first time since I’d met him.
He didn’t laugh, but his mouth twitched in amusement. “A psychologist said I have ASPD. Antisocial personality disorder. Guess it’s the nicer way of saying psychopath these days. So yeah, guess I am. I only know how to think the way I do, though. Don’t know any different. Not really.”
I had a thousand questions, but I didn’t want to be rude.
The door opened, and we shifted back farther into the shadows of the building, the bottle and cloth clutched firmly in my hand.
I waited, and the moment I caught Chuck’s narrow, cruel face in the streetlight near the front of the alleyway, I unscrewed the bottle’s lid as quietly as I could before pouring some liquid into the cloth.
The sweet scent tickled my nose, and I turned my head away as I passed the bottle to Ari to do the same. He was my backup.
Chuck stumbled as he turned, staggering into a trash can. The metal crashing onto the ground echoed through the alleyway. “Fucking bastard,” Chuck snapped, kicking the can for good measure.
Ari hummed happily. He’d said our plan would work better if Chuck was drunk because the chemical cocktail he’d unearthed from God only knew where would take effect faster. It was nice when things worked out.
Chuck was an ornery asshole to begin with, but when he got a few beers in him, his anger tripled and he traveled into terrifying territory. Hearing his voice and the depths of his fury sent a shiver of fear straight down my spine, the dread freezing my bones until I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
Chuck pitched forward and made his way down the alley.
His wobbly steps didn’t trick me. He might be unsteady on his feet, but he knew how to swing and brawl, even while trashed.
I’d seen him get into more than one fight after a night at the bar.
He always got away with it, of course. The perks of being a cop.
Chuck was muttering, but I couldn’t understand him, even as he drew closer to us. I pressed my back against the wall and tried not to think as I focused on my prey. He’d once said I was weak, that I couldn’t defend myself, and at the time he was right. But this wasn’t about me anymore.
He wasn’t getting anywhere near my Eddie.
I held my breath as he passed us, so consumed in his intoxication that he didn’t notice something odd in the shadows. Ari moved before I could, launching himself toward Chuck, a poised rattlesnake on the attack. He jumped on Chuck’s back, clamping the cloth over Chuck’s mouth and nose.
Chuck struggled as I took a step forward, shock coursing through me because I was supposed to go first. He grabbed Ari by the arm and yanked him over his shoulder, and Ari hit the ground hard in front of Chuck.
“Who the fuck do you think you’re messing with, little boy?” Chuck snarled, stomping in the direction of Ari’s face.
Ari darted out of the way before Chuck could strike his cheek.
He was quick and agile, and I was . . . me, standing here drowning in hesitation and panic.
Chuck hadn’t noticed me, and when he went to attack Ari again, I shot forward to jump on his back in the same way Ari had, but I wound my legs around his waist and locked my ankles to stop him from throwing me.
“Fuck!” Chuck twisted and tried to drag me off.
All at once, I felt terrible for anyone who’d ever been in a rodeo.
“Get him!” Ari snickered.
I jammed my cloth against Chuck’s mouth and nose, anxiety clawing my throat as the reality of what I was doing slammed down on me.
I was going to kill my ex-stepfather.
What the hell?
Chuck resisted by trying to grab my arms, but Ari was there to pin one of his wrists at his side, giving Chuck two attackers to fend off.
He threw his free arm back, his fist slamming straight into my jaw.
Pain echoed up my face, but I managed to keep attached to him like goddamned glue until his body slowed and the fight began to drain from him.
He crashed to his knees, wobbling. I hopped off before he went face first into the icy cement beneath him.
Crunch.
I winced. He had a broken nose, for sure, but that wouldn’t matter by the time we were done. Blood seeped out around his head.
“Come on, let’s move while he’s out.” Ari sprinted to our spot against the wall and grabbed some rope he’d left there before he came back to tie Chuck’s wrists.
I watched in a daze. It took Ari hissing my name to snap me out of it.
I helped him by hooking my arm under one of Chuck’s armpits, and together, we dragged him to Ari’s car, which he’d conveniently parked close to the bar in the parking lot.
Once we had Chuck in the trunk, I went back to grab our extra gear, including the bottle of chloroform, before throwing myself into Ari’s passenger seat.
We had a plan.
Well, Ari had come up with the plan, and he knew best, so I went along with him. I wondered what Jules would think when he found out what we’d done while he was at work. Hell, what would Eddie say?
I’d left his Christmas present at Ari’s house so I wouldn’t lose it, but would Eddie accept it after he found out I’d killed his father? Fuck if I knew. His bad luck—or was it good luck?—had killed all the other men on my list. This time I was doing the job for both of us.
Chuck had to go.
My stomach churned and I rubbed it furiously as Ari concentrated on driving, a rare but delightfully scary smirk on his face that didn’t make me feel any better about this.
I didn’t think being a serial killer was in my future.
After Chuck, I was putting down my vengeful dagger and living in peace with my perfect boyfriend.
I wasn’t like Ari.
I ran the tip of my finger over the bumps on my scarred face, closing my left eye to remind myself of what Chuck had done. All that met me out of my right eye was a few straggling lights that meant nothing. He’d done this to me. He’d also ruined Eddie’s life.
“Am I doing the right thing?” I asked out loud, opening my left eye again.
Ari glanced at me, his smirk widening. “Yes, you are. He deserves to die.” He pointed at my left arm.
“Just like the asshole at Smoke and Sizzle who left you in pain after you burned yourself. Wouldn’t let you go to the hospital.
I might join them one day, but at least I’ll do it by taking some of those pricks out with me. ”
I swallowed and leaned back against my seat. He was right. I’d been weak and let these men take advantage of me. It was time for revenge.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Ari whooped with way too much excitement.
He drove until we reached a metal gate that was hanging open.
Chains were wrapped around part of it, like they might’ve been cut at some point.
He took us along a service road to an old, rusty water tower with New Gothenburg on the side in yellow paint that was newish—and by that, I meant the paint was probably twenty years old.
Without all the wintertime light pollution, the letters probably wouldn’t be visible in the dark.
I glanced out the windshield, taking in the tall structure with a spike of guilt.
The city didn’t use this tower anymore. The old ones had been kicked out of the system, from what I understood, and replaced by new ones, but they hadn’t bothered to get rid of the defunct ones.
I wasn’t sure if it was the smartest idea to use it in our murder, but Ari promised it was a great idea.
He’d said he’d always wanted to do this to someone.
He pulled the car up to the tower, and I took a deep breath.
“It’s good, trust me. They don’t have cameras around here. The closest thing to this place is a junkyard, and from what I can tell, it doesn’t have any security cameras. We’ll be fine.”
I trusted him. “How many times have you done this? Murder?”
Ari merely winked at me as he opened the car door and slid out. Taking a deep breath, I followed him and peeked inside the trunk when he popped it. Chuck was still snoozing as Ari grabbed his upper arms and tugged him out, and I helped with his ankles.