19. Kiernan
KIERNAN
I’d left for Indie’s after returning her call three times and having each one go to voicemail.
Mere days ago, I hadn’t much questioned why she was so avoidant of this piece of shit, but now it all made sense.
He was fucking insane.
As he lay unconscious, I quickly snatched the rope he had brought with him and tied his hands to his feet. He wouldn’t be able to free himself from his restraints anytime soon. The thick cord dug into his skin, leaving angry red marks I hoped would be a reminder of his moronic decision to think he could touch what belonged to me.
Indie’s fingers trembled as she reached for her phone, still trying to process what was happening. She struggled to enter her password; her hands were shaking too much. I walked over and gently slipped it from her hand. “I’ll take care of it, pretty girl.”
I knew we probably only had a few minutes before the dumbass woke, but my brain had already formulated a plan for what I would do with him, and it had nothing to do with calling the police.
Her eyes were wide, unblinking as she stared blankly at me. Her mouth hung open slightly, her breathing shallow and erratic. She nodded slowly, unable to form words in the aftermath of realizing what a vulnerable state she’d just been in.
What the fuck would have happened if I hadn’t shown up when I did?
I reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her up from the couch. We walked at a slow, deliberate pace to her bedroom, my eyes scanning every corner of the apartment for any potential danger. I wanted to make sure she felt protected and secure before I left.
“Listen to me, baby.” I tilted her face toward mine, placing a kiss on her quivering lips. My heart cracked seeing her like this, but she’d never be made to feel like this again if I had anything to do with it. “I am going to call Amelia to come sit with you, okay? And I am going to take care of this as quickly as possible. I won’t be gone long. I promise.”
She nodded her understanding.
“Good girl. I want you to sit down here.” I nudged her onto the bed. “Take some deep breaths for me. I am going to close this door, and I’m going to remove Mark from your living room. I will be right back, and I will not leave again until Amelia is here with you, okay?”
“Okay,” she breathed.
I kissed the top of her head and eased her bedroom door shut behind me.
Moving as quickly as possible then, I picked up his knife, closed it, and pocketed it before dragging his sorry ass across the carpet and out the door into the hallway.
I grabbed Indie’s keys as I left, locking her door behind me. I took my phone out and dialed Amelia, explaining to her what had happened and that I needed her to come quickly.
Leaving out the bigger details, I hoped she wouldn’t question the thudding and grunting sounds coming from the background as I dragged Mark roughly over to the stairwell.
I hung up the phone, knowing this next part would wake him for sure. With a tight grip on the rope, I yanked him down each step forcefully. His body slammed against the hard edges of the concrete stairs, causing bruises to form and blood to trickle from various spots of his exposed skin. Completely out of character for me, I enjoyed the pain I was inflicting upon him as we reached the bottom.
“Fucking bastard,” he spat, making as much noise as he possibly could. I assumed it was his attempt to draw attention, but I didn’t care who the fuck heard or saw us. There wouldn’t be anything anyone could do to save this piece of shit now.
I dragged him across the gravel and popped the trunk of my car before I delivered a swift kick to his face, silencing his moaning and knocking him out cold again. My back ached from the exertion, but I forced myself to straighten up and take a deep breath before slamming the trunk closed and darting back upstairs to Indie.
She was exactly where I’d left her, and seemed to be coming back around as the shock finally wore off.
“What the fuck just happened?” she asked.
I sat down on the bed next to her, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close. “Babe, I don’t have a fucking clue. But it’s not something that will ever happen again, I can promise you that.”
She sighed shakily, resting her head on my shoulder.
Amelia arrived quicklyand thankfully didn’t ask many questions, which had me questioning what her job was like while Sammy was still around.
The sound of muffled grunts and thuds emanated from the trunk, causing a mix of apprehension and knowing this was what needed to happen to war within me. I couldn’t believe I had gone through with something so impulsive. But there was no way this fucker was walking away from that, and no backing out now.
I pulled into the back parking lot of the crematorium. It was more secluded than it would’ve been if I had opted to take him to the basement of the funeral home, and it still had just what I needed for what I had in mind for this dumb fuck.
I opened the trunk and took in his wide, scared eyes. He was making too much noise for my liking, but I wasn’t sure that knocking him out again was the best idea. He might not wake up again for a while, and I wanted him to be awake for all of what came next.
I contemplated the best way to get him to shut up and remembered his knife in my pocket.
I was overtaken by a feral rage that I’d never felt before in my life. I’d never been particularly violent, but I supposed that loving Indie could do that to a person. I would protect her at all costs, and I needed to scare him away permanently.
Sure, I could go to the police. And I would if it became necessary. But my gut told me what I had in mind would be more persuasive.
With a frustrated grunt and a sharp tug, I ripped off one of his shoes and yanked the sweat-dampened sock from his foot, flinging both onto the gravel.
With a flick of my wrist, the blade snapped open. I pressed it against the sole of his foot, carving a shallow but painful line. Most normal people would be grossed out or incapable of inflicting that kind of wound on another person, but it helped that I did things so much more invasive to human bodies daily. I wanted him to remember this moment and think twice before coming anywhere near my girl again.
He released a hoarse scream as blood dripped from the fresh wound. “You’re fucking insane,” he ground out.
“Probably,” I shrugged, jerking him to the edge of the trunk and letting his body thud against the ground. “Now shut the fuck up or there’s more where that came from.”
I slammed the lid shut and dragged him across the gravel. He didn’t put up much of a fight, which made me wonder if he was truly even capable of whatever he thought he was. I wondered how long he’d been alone with Indie in her apartment. How long he’d watched her without acting. How many times he’d been there before, hesitating to follow through.
The thought made me shudder.
It’s amazing what the body is capable of when adrenaline is coursing through your veins. I was used to lifting dead weight, but always with assistance and it was never fucking wiggling.
But still, it took almost no effort whatsoever to lock Mark inside the empty body cooler.
I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh as he thrashed around inside the tiny compartment, his panicked cries echoing off the metal walls.
I couldn’t leave him inside for long. But fifteen minutes or so in freezing temperatures should be enough to scare him a bit before we had a little chat about what is and isn’t appropriate when it comes to pursuing women.
And why he wouldn’t be pursuing my woman at all again in the future.
I pulled a chair up and stretched my legs out, crossing my feet at the ankles as I listened to him hyperventilate.
“I hope you’re thinking hard about your actions in there, Mark.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I answered the call.
“Amelia? Everything okay?”
“Yes and no.” Her tone was one of slight concern and I wasn’t convinced of the yes part of that answer.
“Indie is fine,” she started. “Safe, anyway. But I have never seen anyone have such a severe panic attack, Kier. I think she may need to go to the hospital.”
Fuck. I shouldn’t have left her so quickly. “I’m on my way.”
I ended the call and rushed to the door before she had the chance to say anything else, beating myself up for thinking she was fine. Of course, she wasn’t fine. She’d just experienced something seriously traumatic, and I left her like a moron.
My hands shook as I gripped the steering wheel, my foot pressing harder on the gas pedal. The street lights blurred as I drove through the quiet neighborhood, desperate to reach her apartment. My heart raced with worry, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling of panic gnawing at my insides.
I literally could not think of anything aside from getting back to her. Not even the fact that I’d left a living, breathing human being inside a cooler meant for dead people.
And that the temperatures inside were too cold for him to survive in for as long as I would be gone.