Chapter 21.
Reuben
By Monday, we’re able to successfully plant Evie into the Harvester’s neighbourhood like Xavier planned.
I had Aster clean up all her digital files to match her story: she moved away from Portland to Shelton with her older brother after her nonchalant parents disappeared on them both.
It’s not much different from the truth, but it’s always better that way.
The only real change is the actor we planted in place of her brother. An alcoholic. Abusive. Unemployed.
After piecing together the writing from his scrapbooks and linking them to the victims over the years, we learned how Philip Warren chooses his women. He likes to think he’s saving them from their environments. Trash boyfriends, abusive families and the like.
Even while being beaten down by their surroundings, they show the world kindness—show him kindness—and it convinces some fucked up part of himself that cutting them up and tearing them apart is the best way to save them.
If it wasn’t for Xavier, I would have already chained him up somewhere dark and quiet.
I’d set hunting dogs on him every night and call them off right when he’s about to die.
I’d press maggots into his open flesh and sew him up. Then I’d watch them devour him from the inside out. I’d stretch his death out for as long as I can.
But the Harvester’s fate is up to Xavier.
I can’t go back on that promise—five years is much too long.
Anyhow, the actor isn’t allowed to physically touch Evie.
If he does, I’ve explained to him I’ll be the one to cut off each of his fingers and shove them into his dick.
He didn’t ask questions, and we pay him enough that he’s fine with playing by whatever rules we tell him to.
It was enough to appease Christian too, so it was enough for me.
Philip goes to a bookstore in the nearest town every Wednesday and Saturday, like clockwork, so for the next four weeks, Evie will be volunteering there from noon to night.
That only gives us eight chances to get his attention.
If we plant her anywhere else in his life, her presence will be too strong and he might grow suspicious. Any longer than that will mean our plan failed and he’s already fixed his eyes on someone else.
We’re prepared for that case as well, and Christian doesn’t say it, but I know it’s what he’s hoping for—that Evie will fail to get his attention.
‘Be shy.’ Xavier had spent the last few days drilling instructions into Evie, ‘Don’t approach him. Make subtle glances. Blush when he speaks with you, but don’t come onto him and don’t approach him. At least not until we tell you differently.’
What none of us would’ve guessed, is that Evie herself is a natural actress.
She doesn’t let her fear show, she smiles easily, and her blush is genuine. Before we know it, the first Wednesday and Saturday goes by with only niceties exchanged between her and Philip. She helps him find a book, recommends some others he might like based on the genres, and they part ways.
But these passing interactions will need to snowball into something more, and fast.
Because now we only have six chances left.
That night, after the second contact, Xavier and Gabriel take turns watching Evie from close by, while Christian, Tobias and I monitor Philip on the cameras. It’s nothing that all three of us need to be together to do… so it’s only natural I steal Christian away to the hotel suite again.
Much to his dismay, by the time the elevator doors open on the top floor, I’m already balls deep inside him.
Let’s be practical, fifty-three floors is a long time to wait just to take what’s mine.
He’d starved me for days leading up to planting Evie. And he was so on edge the past week I was being thoughtful, leaving him alone.
“Reu—Reuben—” Christian’s voice is breathy. It sounds like he’s breaking apart already.
I thrust into him violently, lost in the way his ass is sheathed perfectly around my cock.
“The elevator—”
The meaning of his words dances in my periphery and when the elevator door closes it takes another deep thrust for them to finally make sense.
Right.
Elevator.
“We could go back and show everyone how pretty you are when I’m inside you,” I whisper in his ear and he whimpers.
Another thrust and he’s crying my name as he comes all over the elevator walls. Thick ropes spewing onto the shiny metal.
Damn it, he’s so sexy.
I slam the elevator button to open the doors before it can descend, and have to wrap my arms around him to walk him backwards on weak feet. I can barely wait until the doors close in front of us, before bending him over and sliding myself back into him with a low hum in my throat.
“Spread your legs for me, baby,” I whisper in his ear, “I want to see it.”
His legs inch apart, submissive and obedient for me, but even as I keep still for him to adjust, his head snaps back and he comes around my pulsing cock with a shattering cry.
Still sensitive.
Still sexy.
The sight of him bent over like this—his arms braced on the door and his ass in the air as he comes and loses his mind—
I’m feral for this shit.
I abuse his hole relentlessly. I lose count of the times he shatters around me. Soak myself into the sound of our desire slapping against each other, the sound of his voice as I give him everything he fucking needs to sleep well tonight.
Even when his knees give out, when he sinks to the floor I sink with him, still pounding him relentlessly. Until I’m digging my teeth into his shoulder and groaning my fucking release inside him.
My climax is bone-shattering. My balls tighten as I come, and it takes me a moment to find my reason again.
“You’re all mine, baby.” I place a kiss against his neck and he whimpers.
He’s too weak to protest when I pick him up and wipe him down in the shower. He doesn’t even kick up a fuss when I throw my clothes around him. He mumbles something about taking turns watching the cameras, but we both know Philip isn’t likely to make a move tonight. At least not on Evie.
But the moment I lie down in the bed with him the energy around him immediately goes into cardiac shock.
“I’m not sleeping in a bed with you.”
My eyes narrow. “So you can give your body to me, but you can’t sleep in a bed with me?”
“That’s… different.”
“How is it different?”
His energy jumps and he visibly swallows. It’s been a while now since he stopped hiding his expressions from me and put away that useless mask of his, so I recognize the vulnerability in his eyes when he whispers to me, “It just… is.”
Why are you so afraid, estrellito?
“Christian, you’re already close to me.” I rest my forehead against his and he closes his eyes when I cup his cheek with my hand.
“Four months, and you're sewn so tightly into my skin. If you try to run away from me now,” I chuckle lightly, pulling at his bottom lip with my thumb, “you’ll pull me apart. Don't run. I told you already. Even if you try, I’ll just catch you and drag you back here.”
He leans into my hand and my heart can’t possibly be this much under his control.
“I…” His voice trails off and I hate the guilt in his energy. I hate that I don’t know what it’s for. That he thinks he doesn’t deserve this.
“I can’t.”
Then I suppose, there ends my chivalry.
“Well, that’s unfortunate, baby.” My hand digs into his hair to hold him still and I lean in until my lips are brushing his ear, “Because I’m not letting you leave.”
“Reuben—”
I push his chest backwards, and he falls onto the bed with a painful wince, likely from the soreness. Before he knows it, my legs and arms are so tangled with his, he can’t escape. Our fingers are threaded together, and I can feel his heartbeat hammering against my chest, through the fabric.
He’s warm. And he fits perfectly.
“You’ll—” His voice cracks and the sorrow in it makes my heart squeeze painfully, “You’ll regret this, Reuben.”
What are you hiding from me? What makes you so sad? Why do you loathe looking at the mirror when you're with me? But when you're alone you stare for hours.
“Then, when that day comes,” I kiss his shoulder, tightening my grip around him. “Pull me apart, baby. Be violent. Be vicious. Be cruel. And when you run, I’ll catch you and sew you right back in again.
It'll be the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen… but it'll be perfect.”
Evie juggles part-time jobs on different days.
A coffee shop on Monday, a restaurant on Tuesday, the perfect cover of a girl trying to make ends meet and save up for college.
But when night comes, the actor we’ve paid to be her brother raves and curses and throws glass bottles behind her.
Enough for the neighbours to hear, but not enough for them to intervene or call the police.
Strangely, the man is good at what he does.
Two weeks in and the stage is set. All that’s left, is for the fish to bite.
By the fifth contact, Xavier is upping the ante.
Ever since that night in the case-room, he hasn’t been himself. I don’t know how he’s holding himself together. I can only hope that after he’s gotten what he wants, he calms down. That it sates him.
“Get ready, Evie,” Xavier’s voice is calm through the comms. “Just like we talked about.”
I glance over at Xavier. He and I are watching the monitors from an office near the bookstore, so that if anything happens we can respond immediately. Christian and Gabriel are close by, blending into the background like they usually do.
But I would bet good money that all our energies are the same confused colour.
“Anything new to recommend?” Philip’s voice sounds through the comms and my nerves tighten.