Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
One Hour Earlier
SASHA
My body is vibrating with an indescribable mix of emotions. I feel wild, sexy, happy, and, most of all, free. This wasn’t in my plans for tonight and lord knows I’m playing on borrowed time. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that my alpha—ooh, that is still weird to say—is looking for me. I can feel his frustration through the bond.
Levi told me he’d come with me when I was ready to do this, keep watch, tie Jimmy up, whatever I needed. But I couldn’t wait. I need to know if once I actually kill someone else, that he’ll stay. I need to prove to myself that I can do this.
What kind of killer has an assistant? Has to bring their own muscle?
If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. On my own, and how I want.
Tonight hasn’t exactly gone to plan, since there wasn’t one. I drive to the end of this country ass road and leave my car parked by a field. I walk the rest of the way to the house, formulating a plan about how I was going to end Jimmy.
However, as I approach the yard, the sound of children’s laughter fills the air, catching me off guard. I’m not killing kids; hell fucking no. I draw the line there. Luck is on my side though because a squad car pulls up and none other than Officer North gets out, accompanied by an elderly woman in a business suit.
“Wanda, Willy! It’s time to go. Tell your mom and dad goodbye. You’ll be back next week,” she calls, and I raise an eyebrow, confused. She walks up to Marsha and I can’t make out what they are saying. While Marsha is talking, the woman listens intently, taking notes and nodding her head.
The kids hug their mom goodbye and get in the car with North and the stranger, then drive off. We’re alone again—I hope.
After Marsha turns and walks toward the house, I quietly cross the yard, maintaining a safe distance as I follow her. The moment she goes inside, I’m greeted by the sound of her and Jimmy engaged in a heated argument about the kids.
“Are the kids gone?” Jimmy asks.
“Yup. Just left with the cop and the DFS lady. Fucking bastard!” Something crashes and shatters. “I can’t believe you and that bastard Joey got our kids taken!” Marsha shouts.
“We ain’t done nothing to the kids, honey. They’ll be back,” Jimmy tells her like it’s no big deal.
“Your investigation led to this, asshole! I should throw you out on your deadbeat ass!”
So that’s why North and that lady were here. It must have been their visit day, although I can’t believe they let these fucks have unsupervised visits. Maybe that was part of the worker’s stipulations. That and having a cop present so she doesn’t end up in a saucepot. I know the rumors. I saw it online when I was researching Jimmy. The only problem is that no one has been able to prove it.
“Who the hell are you?!” a smoker’s voice bellows behind me.
Damn it! Rookie mistake, Sasha. Always stay aware of your surroundings. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I completely missed Marsha coming back out of the house.
“Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, you’ve been a very naughty girl.” I spin to face the beta with a smile, wrinkling my nose as her scent—bitter citrus and spoiled milk—hits me.
“Bitch. I don’t got no time for your Brady Bunch shit. Who are you, and why are you on my property?”
“I came for dinner. Didn’t Jimmy tell you he invited me?”
Each beat of my pounding heart fuels the anticipation as I wait for the moment to launch my attack. I need to incapacitate her quickly, see if she knows anything, and then kill her. She’s a small fish here. The prime target is Jimmy.
“That fuckin’ asshole don’t tell me nothin’. I cook, I clean, I birthed his rugrats, and all he does is sit his ass in that chair until his good-for-nothin’ cousin calls. Then he goes runnin’. Lot a good that’s done us.”
I think this woman has a few screws loose. Who the hell just offers all this information to a stranger? A stranger you caught red-handed creeping around your house.
“Joey? That cousin? I know him! He introduced me to Jimmy,” I lie, testing to see if she will give up any more information. Meanwhile, my right hand slowly creeps behind my back to retrieve the concealed blade from the waistband of my pants. I’ve kept it hidden since that night in the basement. It’s the same one I used to kill Lynnie.
“That bastard up and ran off on us. They say he died in that fire, but ain’t no way. He’s a slippery one, that Joey. If he comes back ‘round here, I’ll light his ass up m’self. But come in, I got a thigh on the counter marinatin’ for dinner.” She waves me toward the door and turns her back to me.
Wrong move. Now there’s no need to tie her up and talk to her. She gave me everything I needed freely.
With a sudden, swift motion, I pounce on her, feeling the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I tightly grip her waist and draw her closer to me. My other hand moves with precision, gliding the blade across her neck. Blood squirts from the gaping wound like a garden hose and my heart beats faster at the sight. I’m fucked up, even more so than I imagined.
I let go, and her body hits the ground with a dull thud. Shit. I can’t just leave her lying out here—not with the porch light still on. If someone drives by, they’ll see her.
Damn it. I didn’t think this through.
When I heard them fighting earlier, I stopped short and hung back, trying to catch every word without getting too close. Now I regret that decision, seeing how far I have to haul her.
I grab her by the arms and drag her across the patchy grass, grunting the whole way until I get her up onto the porch and out of view.
By the time I make it, I’m out of breath. She’s not a very big beta, but she’s dead weight and that shit isn’t easy to pull. I guess I need to work on my upper body strength if I’m going to keep doing this. I stay hidden for a minute, catching my breath. I don’t hear any movement inside. With the blade held tightly, I make my way through the front door. The smell of filth and rot smacks me in the face at the same time Cruel Summer assaults my eardrums. The stench burns my nostrils, causing my nose to wrinkle as I try to breathe through my mouth, but that doesn't help much.
Oh my God! I don’t know if that’s Jimmy’s scent or the unkemptness of the house, but the odor in here is reminiscent of a wet dog that just rolled in a septic tank. A layer of grime covers the floor, and my shoes stick a little with each step I take. The walls look like they may have been white, but are now a dull yellow.
Trying to step over toys and trash, I can feel the cluttered filth under my feet as I make my way farther inside, following the sound of Taylor Swift blaring from deeper within this death trap of a house. When I see the glow of a television through the archway, I tiptoe into the room. There’s a recliner facing away from me and all I can see is the back of a man’s head. Bingo, my new friend Jimmy is totally oblivious that he has company. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour playing in front of him.
What in the fuck? A cannibal who’s a Swiftie? Never would have thought that.
Tip-toeing up behind him, I scan the room, looking for something I can use to knock him out. I need him alive so I can speak to him, but he needs to be tied up so he can’t overpower me. My eyes catch on a large rock that’s been painted green, resembling a turtle. I softly step over to it, carefully picking it up before making my way back to Jimmy. Raising it above his head, I slam it down on his skull.
He grunts, but he slumps forward and his hand releases the remote he was holding. I poke him a few times to make sure he’s actually out for the count before finding a bedsheet and tying it around his legs, hoping it gives me the leverage I need to pull him to where I need him.
* * *
In an unexpected twist, I’m now in Jimmy’s grimy kitchen, standing at the stove and cooking.
“I don’t know who ya are, bitch. But you don’t know who you’re fucking with!” he yells, his voice piercing the air.
“Jimmy, I told you Marsha invited me for dinner and I’m cooking. It’s the least I can do for allowing me to be a guest in your home.” I peek my head out of the kitchen and smile.
He sits at the end of the small rectangular table, still in the same position where I left him, with each of his wrists and ankles secured by zip ties and handcuffs from a kitchen drawer. I don’t even want to know why they had so many handcuffs, but they came in handy. Might be overkill, but I’m taking no chances. Jimmy might be a lowlife piece of shit, but he’s still an alpha and I wouldn’t stand a chance if he went feral.
“Then why am I tied up?”
“I told you, Jimmy. When I arrived, you were unconscious, and when I attempted to help you, you attacked me. It’s for my safety, but where would my manners be if I didn’t still feed you?” I’m fucked up—like certifiably insane. I’m not even sure where I’m pulling this shit from, but it’s spewing out of me with ease.
“Where’s Marsha?”
My eyes fixate on the door that leads to the basement as a smile spreads across my face. “She’s in here with me!” I flip the slab of meat in the skillet, searing it on both sides.
I’m not sure why I decided to cut a chunk out of Marsha’s thigh and cook it. The sight in the pan makes my stomach churn and I try not to puke. Luckily, the stench of the house overpowers the smell of the meat cooking or I’d really be gagging, but there’s no going back at this point. Jimmy needs a taste of his own medicine and luckily for him, Doctor Crazy is in the house.
I turn off the burner, plate up his food, and take it to the next room where my guest is waiting. Or would he be my host? No matter. I stand in the doorway and take in Jimmy’s appearance. Greasy, stringy hair framing his face. It looks as if he hasn’t washed it in days.
He smirks when he locks eyes with me, his gaze lingering on my body. I set the plate on the table and sit across from him. “We don’t need her anyway, do we, baby? I cooked for you and I’m going to feed you like the king you are. But first, I need some information.”
“What?” He stares at me in silence, eyes heavy with something sharp and hungry. His tongue slips across his lip, slow and deliberate, like he’s already tasting me.
“What kind of agreement did you have with Joey Ritz?”
His whole vibe changes. One second he’s relaxed, maybe even flirting a little, and the next—it’s like a door slams shut behind his eyes. The way he looks at me now… it’s different. Not angry, not yet. But suspicious. Guarded.
Like I just stepped over some invisible line.
“I’m not telling you shit,” he growls through gritted teeth.
I rise from my seat and swiftly snatch the plate before moving around to stand beside him. I straddle him and hold back the bile that fills my mouth. When he sees the gray steak in front of him, his eyes widen in anticipation as he licks his lips.
“Smells yummy, huh? I bet I cooked it better than Marsha. Do you wanna taste it?”
The sick fuck nods.
“Now tell me about you and Joey!”
“He knew Marsha and I had certain tastes. When he had something for us, he’d call. He helped us. We helped him.”
Bingo! But I already knew that. I need to know where the other missing women went. Did he only do business with Joey, or were there others involved?
I feed him a bite and he lets out a satisfied groan. I force a smile as I envision shoving this fork into his fucking eye socket.
“Do you like my meal, Jimmy?”
A small, subtle nod is the only response he gives.
“Did you make use of everything or were there any useless pieces? Did you keep anything to remember these special meals?” I ask.
He nods again. “Nothing went unused. Well, I guess the bones, but we’d carefully package them and send them to a dog breeder in the neighboring county. His dogs loved our treats. He didn’t know where we got our product, but he paid a hefty fee for ‘em.”
I offer him another bite, and he eagerly accepts, closing his eyes and chewing before humming his approval. “And keeping things to remember the meal?”
“Pictures in the barn in the back. Where we processed the meat before we stored it.”
This twisted bastard. I’m done playing. Once I confirm the barn contains the information I’m looking for, Jimmy will become irrelevant. I shift from his lap and choose to sit on top of the table in front of him. “I told you I cook better than Marsha.” I feed him one more bite. “Or maybe it’s because this is Marsha. Does she taste good? Did you expect to eat your own wife, you sick fuck?”
Jimmy freezes and stops chewing, his eyes displaying a fierce burning rage. He spits the meat into my face. “You fucking cunt, I’m going to kill you!”
“Now that’s not very nice, Jimmy.” I wipe my face. “I come into your home, take care of that nagging bitch, Marsha, cook you dinner, and this is how you repay me?”
“I’m going to kill you, cunt. Slice the flesh from your bones while you’re alive and make you watch me eat you.”
“Jimmy. That’s silly.” I smile at him and lick my lips. “You’re not getting out of that chair alive. I’m going to go make sure you didn’t lie to me about the shed and once I’m back, we can chat more, but then ultimately, you die right here.”
Jimmy doesn’t answer. As his eyes zero in on something behind me, my stomach drops, knowing that Levi has caught up to me.
“I’d like to know that information too,” a mysterious voice interrupts. I jerk my head around toward the voice and slide off the table. Standing before me is a man who appears to be Clay’s age, with brown hair, a full beard, and intricate tattoos covering his body—well, the parts that I can see.