2. Atticus
“Goddamn it,” I mumbled under my breath as I scrubbed at the blood stain on my favorite shirt.
This was what I got for getting involved in other people’s drama. I was usually the type to keep to myself, but I couldn’t ignore the screams for help I heard last night. I arrived in Colorado yesterday evening, and I had a few errands to run. I’d just left the hardware store, right before they closed, so it was late, about ten o’clock. The sun had gone down hours ago, and there wasn’t anyone else around.
The sound of a woman shrieking came from the alley behind a bar two doors down from the hardware store. With a plastic bag containing my purchases in hand, I headed in that direction before I could stop and think about whether it was a good idea. There was a crash as a metal garbage can was kicked over, and I rounded the corner of the building to see a man pinning a struggling woman to the brick wall. One of his hands was circling her neck while the other ripped open the front of her button-up shirt. She clawed at his arms, unable to continue screaming as he cut off her air supply.
I acted without thinking. Approaching from behind as he pawed at the woman’s breasts, I pulled out the knife I’d taken to carrying around with me lately. It was a five-inch blade that I wore inside the waistband of my jeans. It made no sound as I pulled it from the sheath, and the asshole never saw me coming.
He was chuckling and working to unbutton his pants with one hand as he continued to hold the woman in place. Her terrified eyes shifted over his shoulder to see me approaching. She couldn’t make a sound with his firm grip on her throat, but I could see the pleading in the expression on her tear-stained face.
She didn’t have to beg for my help. I was already lifting my knife. Holding it high over my head, I brought the weapon down in an arch, throwing all of my strength into the motion as I sank the blade into his back on the left side, aiming for his heart.
I had some practice in this sort of thing, so my aim was true. The bastard let out a strangled cry of pain as his knees buckled. I yanked the knife out and stepped back into the shadows, watching what happened next. I always enjoyed watching my handiwork, and this fucker definitely deserved it. He released the girl as he fell, his hands stopping him from face-planting on the ground for a moment, but it didn’t take long for him to lose all strength and slump to his side in the dirt.
His victim was already running away as the life drained from the man. Each pump of his heart sent more blood out onto the dirt, and it only took minutes for him to die. I thought about just leaving him there, but it was too risky. I couldn’t risk a connection being made between this man and the two who had been found stabbed at the university.
I had to clean up after myself this time.
The woman was a loose end, but I hoped she was too freaked out to memorize my face in the brief glance she got of me. I looked around but didn’t see any security cameras trained in the alley. Good. I could hack into the systems and erase the footage, but it was time-consuming, so I was glad that it wasn’t necessary.
I left the body in place and grabbed my truck from in front of the hardware store. Driving around to the alley, I opened the latch to the truck bed and slid the asshole inside. He was smaller than me, but it was still tough to deadlift the limp body of a fully grown man from the ground. I was lucky to be in such good shape.
Now it was the next day. I temporarily stashed the body in a closet. I rented a cabin, and I was pissed that I’d been wearing my Captain America T-shirt last night. There was blood smeared over the image of the shield on my shirt, and I couldn’t get it out.
I scowled as I gave up and crammed my shirt into the trash. I’d have to buy myself a new one when I got the chance, but it wouldn’t be this weekend. I was going to be spending the next couple of days with my family. That was the reason that I was in Colorado—to hang out with my family for the first time in eighteen months. My mom’s birthday celebration was tonight, and she guilted me into coming this year.
Well, she thought that was why I came. The truth was that I came to see my sister, not that I would ever admit that to anyone.
At that moment, my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket. My mother was texting me.
Where are you? Molly’s here, so you’re the last one to arrive.
Turning to the living room window, I looked toward the large cabin across the lake. It was owned by my family, and that was where everyone was staying this weekend. I’d chosen to rent this smaller cabin for myself as a backup, just in case I needed a break from the chaos of the weekend. My family didn’t know about it, and I knew they’d think it was strange, but I had my reasons for wanting privacy. It turned out this was a good idea, considering the corpse I had in the basement. My eyes shifted to the basement door. I’d shoved a table in front of it, just in case someone came here this weekend. I wanted to discourage anyone from going down there, since there was no lock on the door.
I’d have to take care of that later. And disposing of the body, of course.
For now, I was eager to get to the family cabin. It had been far too long since I laid eyes on Molly. Up close and personal, at least. As far as she knew, we hadn’t seen each other in a year and a half.
She had no fucking idea that I saw her every damn day.
My infatuation with my younger sister started when she turned eighteen. I was thirteen years older than her, and it was shocking to me to realize that I was attracted to someone so much younger than I was. Then, there was the fact that she was my sister. It was forbidden. Wrong. Fucked up.
Exhilarating.
I’d only been able to ignore my fascination with her for a few months. She started college in New York, where I lived, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. Wanting her created an itch I couldn’t scratch, but I could certainly get pleasure from stalking her. It wasn’t the first time I’d done such a thing.
She had no idea. Despite being in the same city, Molly had no desire to spend time with me. We didn’t have a close relationship. In fact, we’d never gotten along.
That was part of what fueled my interest in her. She treated me with disdain because she had no idea that she was mine.
She’d learn. Eventually.
For now, I was going to play it cool. I was about to be closer to her than I had been in so long, and my heartbeat kicked up at the thought. Watching was one thing, but talking to her and inhaling her sweet scent was something that I’d been eagerly anticipating since I agreed to come to this birthday dinner.
Washing any traces of blood off my hands, I locked up my cabin and headed to the other side of the lake, to the object of my obsession. I could hardly wait.