Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
EROS
Bonte's eyes are filled with sadness, and it kills me, but I know there is more for her to get off her chest. I'm likely the first person she could really talk to about this without judgment.
As much as I hate her pain, it feels good to have her back in my arms again. It’s been a physical ache to keep my hands off her. I was trying to give her space and see if she’d open up.
I might not be great at understanding my own emotions, but I do understand how they work psychologically.
"It's okay to miss him. You know that, right?"
A shuddering breath leaves her. "I miss him all the time, and I’m so mad at him too.
” I cup her cheek and swipe away a tear.
“He ripped my world apart. Some of his kills might have been for me, but it was still selfish on his end.
" I nod in understanding. "They tried to make me hate him, and on some level, I do.
I'm pissed, but I remember my dad. The man who tucked me in at night, put bandages on my knees when I fell off my bike, and loved me unconditionally. That’s the man I have memories of.
Not the one in the shed. He was good to me.
" A sob leaves her, and I pull her into me and let her cry.
A lot of things make so much more sense now.
She doesn't only keep people at arm's length because she's scared they'll hurt her.
She also can't trust who they really are.
That stems from living with a man that had a whole other life she wasn't aware of.
But it's not only that. Bonte is scared for the people around her as well.
I run my hands up and down her back. “And now there is you,” she says with a deep sigh followed by a sniffle.
“You think I’m like him?” I ask. If I’m recalling correctly, The Collector killed a lot for financial gain.
I don’t mean petty robbery. He was a con man and swindled lots of people.
When they’d catch on, he’d snuff them out.
Some of his kills were clean and quick, and others drawn out.
I can easily piece together which motive got which death.
But that said, he did have a taste for death, and he was looking for a reason to kill.
“No.” She lifts her head. “You don’t hide anything from me.” A small smile plays on her lips. “You’re very blunt. It’s nice.” Her hands cup my face, and she leans in, pressing her mouth to mine.
I let my eyes fall closed and allow her to lead and control this kiss, for now. I open for her when her tongue swipes at my lip. A groan rips from me when one of her hands slides up, gripping my short hair. I fist my hands at my sides to keep from taking over.
“Don’t fight it, Eros. Always be you with me.
” I growl against her mouth, making a giggle spill from her.
I turn, pinning her to the couch beneath me, and kiss her deeper.
“Yes,” she moans, wrapping her legs around me.
“I miss this,” she whispers when my mouth latches on to the mark I left days ago.
It has been fading, but I’ll fix that right now.
My ears perk up, and I hear a slight shuffle in the distance. I place my hand over Bonte’s mouth and put my finger to my lips in a quiet motion. She nods, giving me the all-clear. I reach my hand under the couch to grab a gun. I spring to my feet, taking her with me.
I move through the small cabin quickly and straight toward the bedroom, where I drop Bonte onto the bed before opening the closet door and pushing over the panel. I grab the bat and a knife.
I hold the bat out to her, and she takes it.
I gesture for her to keep her ass put. Her lips purse, but she gives me a nod.
I should have fucking asked if she knows how to use a gun, but I leave the closet open.
There are more than enough in there, and if she feels comfortable enough to grab one or shit hits the fan, then she has options.
I slip back out of the bedroom, lifting my gun in front of me as I move back through the house and toward the door.
“Don’t shoot us!” Mac shouts from outside. I glance back toward the bedroom, and Bonte pops her head out. I holster my gun in the back of my pants as I head toward the door. I yank it open to see Mac and Naomi standing there.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. That's the only reason these two would break my trust by trying to track my location when they knew I was going off the grid. Mac peers around.
“Why don’t you step out on the porch?” Mac says, and Naomi grabs the front of my shirt, my hands locked down around her wrist.
“I’m only helping you along.” She pulls, and I let her as I release her wrist. Mac closes the door.
A war is raging inside of me about what I should do. I glance back toward the door.
“We’ll have the talk inside.” I turn the knob. I’m not going to keep Bonte out of parts of my life. I’ll let her see what she chooses.
“Hey.” Naomi grabs me again. “It’s about her,” she whispers.
“All the more reason.”
“All right.” Naomi shakes her head, following me in. I’m sure she’s seeing I won’t budge on this. Bonte is standing there with a bat in hand.
“Blair,” I call to her, making it clear that her secrets are safe with me. I won’t out her, and she’s not that happy with my family right now. “This is Mac and Naomi.”
“Hi.” Mac gives her a wave, and Naomi only gives a slight nod.
“For the record, I wanted to have this conversation outside. Then maybe we could have it in here.” Mac says.
“Blair’s with me.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder, tucking her into my side. She doesn't resist, letting her body settle into mine.
“Shit,” Mac mutters. “How do I put this?” She glances at Naomi, who turns her attention to us.
“The two individuals that you live with are dead,” Naomi says, tone flat. “I don’t think it’s your work, but the Marino men can go off the rails, and with your history—”
“Wait, what?” Bonte asks.
“It’s okay.” I kiss the top of her head. I don’t think she cared for the people living with her much, but she still knew them. I’d guess she was put with them since she was a minor at the time.
“Dead. There was a message left.”
“Okay, Naomi.” Mac grabs her arm. “Maybe I'll take the conversation over from here.” Naomi nods and steps back.
“What was the message?”
“Where is she…” Mac says. “The thing is, the message was—”
“Oh, on the wall in blood. He used a paintbrush,” Bonte finishes for Mac.
“Lots of psychos write in blood but not with a paintbrush that they brought with them. So I went digging.” Of course, Mac went digging.
“There was an FBI agent that was killed in that style. Then two other agents from the same group were just gone. Dead but no details. I’m guessing those two were killed by the same person, but the FBI didn’t want people to know.
Those three people were in the process of tracking down a serial killer. ”
Mac rambles off the information like she is a fucking computer.
"The Collector," Naomi says with a smirk. "He's rather interesting." It does not surprise me in the least that Naomi is intrigued by him.
"My dad."
"Well, shit," Mac mutters.
"Pretty cool," Naomi says, and Mac hits her shoulder.
"That's the shit you say that weirds people out. Right there. Don’t get mad, either. You wanted an explanation."
"I wanted one example, and now you're pointing them out every five minutes."
“Because you’re weird and you say weird things.” Mac throws her hands up.
“He’s back.” Bonte runs her hand up my chest.
“Are you sure he was ever gone?” I ask. “The message sounds like he’s been keeping an eye on you, and now he’s mad that you’re gone.”
Bonte’s nose scrunches. “Possibly.”
It would be too much of a coincidence that I snatch her up, and then her father, whom she hasn’t seen in years, pops up during that period. He thinks she’s in danger, and that has drawn him out.
“Is this going to be an issue?” Naomi cuts in. “Does your dad want you dead?”
Bonte shakes her head no. “He ah”—she swallows—“tends to kill the people around me that he thinks are an issue.”
“That’s why he’s got two killing styles.” Naomi actually sounds excited. “It’s been driving me nuts. But still. That agent’s wife…” She trails off.
“When other kids watched cartoons, Naomi watched true crime,” I explain.
“Yeah, I had to hack the freaking TV every other week for the password.” Mac rolls her eyes.
“My mom didn’t approve.” The edges of her lips pull up. If Naomi is soft for anyone, it’s her mom, Tova. “So I did it in secrecy.” She points at me and then Mac. “And none of you better tell her, either. Even though it was ten years ago.”
“We know not to say shit to upset Aunt Tova,” Mac says.
“Tova is—”
“I know who she is. I’ve met her, your parents, and a handful of others at a football game.”
Naomi cocks her head, and I know she’s piecing something together. “What?” I ask her.
“You met Aunt Cosima?” Naomi’s attention is on Bonte.
“Yes.”
“Got it.” Naomi shakes her head.
“You going to fill us in on what’s going on in that mind of yours?” I ask her when she doesn’t go on.
“No. I’ll watch this one play out.” I don’t have time for this, so I move on to the next topic.
“What are you thinking?” Bonte is all I’m worried about right now.
“That you should probably get away from me.” Her lips start to tremble, but she presses them together to hide it.
“Not going anywhere, so try again.”
She peers up at me through her lashes. “I don’t know what to do,” she finally says. “What do you think we should do?”
We.
My hellcat is getting it. She’s no longer alone. We’re in this together.