Chapter 35
Keith
The body of our latest victim was easy to procure since she liked to go running before her shift started. One would think the woman would have had protection, but she didn’t. She was oblivious to the world, jogging in a tight, spandex outfit with earbuds.
We did the deed under an old oak tree and dragged the body back out to the trail. After everything was staged, we walked through the wooded area to avoid being spotted.
A few days later, we stalked our last victim on the list. He lived alone out of town with a few acres of land between him and his nearest neighbor, which was perfect.
We cased the house for about an hour, trying to decide if any new security had been added. The lights never turned on, but the car was parked in the driveway. When we determined the coast was clear, we went to the back door. It was locked, so it took a bit to pry the door open as quietly as possible.
The house was old and drafty, the floor creaking with nearly every step we took. The first bedroom was a bust. There was nothing but an empty bed and dresser that looked like they hadn’t been used in years. We tried another door; again, nothing. Finally, we stood outside the last room at the end of the hallway.
I had my gun, and Taven had the needle filled with horse tranquilizer ready. He pulled the door open, and I heard him yell, “Oh shit!”
Before any of us could register what happened, Taven was tackled by a large, furry creature. A gunshot rang through the air. I dropped, getting my own gun ready to fire back as the other two wrestled with a big-ass dog.
Taven cried out, and my heart felt like it was being crushed. I needed to help him, but the cop had a gun on us. If I jumped into the fray, there was a good chance I would get shot. As Taven’s screams got louder, I reached around the door and fired several shots. The man screamed, and I rushed to Taven. Wrapping my arm around the massive dog, I squeezed, trying to smother the life out of it.
It squealed as Zane struck it with a blade. Two more strikes and the beast finally fell still. There was so much blood.
Getting to my knees, I brushed my hand gently along Taven’s face. “Are you okay?”
He nodded but remained quiet in shock.
Zane rushed to the bedroom and yelled, “We have to leave! He was calling the cops!”
The cop was slumped over, dead, but on the phone screen in his hand was the call log. The fucker had called 911. The cops would arrive fast since it was one of their own in danger, so we didn’t have time to do the ritual or clean up.
“Help him outside!” I ordered Zane. “I have an idea.”
Rushing past my partners, I headed outside. There was a small barn-sized shed at the back of the property. Two gas cans sat by the door, but they were both empty, and my stomach plummeted until I found a full kerosene container. Grabbing it, I darted back into the house. It wasn’t enough to torch the place completely, but it would eliminate all the blood Taven left behind. Frantically, I poured some over the dog and the cop and covered the bed. I lit up one end of a sheet and stood back to ensure the fire spread properly. The mattress was engulfed instantly, forcing me back with the excessive blaze. It followed the trail out of the room to the dog. As I retreated to the door, I dripped the remainder of the kerosene on the path Taven had taken.
I ran from the house and practically dove into the truck’s front seat. Zane barely allowed me to shut the door before he sped off. Sirens blared in the distance, coming from the opposite direction. We would loop around and stay far out of their way, but that strategy added an extra thirty minutes to the drive back to Quinn’s apartment.
“Are you alright?” I asked Taven, wanting nothing more than to cradle him in my arms and make it better.
He cringed but nodded, holding his still-bleeding arm. “I think it’ll need stitches.”
My heart tried to beat out of my chest the entire ride. I prayed the cop wasn’t able to tell the dispatcher anything important before he kicked the bucket. He couldn’t possibly tell who we were. We were wearing our masks, and none of our tattoos were showing. But if the pig told dispatch that there were three of us, the cops would be on our asses in seconds.
Our decoys sat on Quinn’s couch; they took one look at Taven, gave each of us a short hug, and left in a hurry. Quinn was our alibi, as well as a few of her neighbors. The decoys, still wearing their helmets, were brought up to the apartment in full view of several witnesses. We even made sure one of them was covered in baby powder to pass as Zane. It was all part of the plan.
I forced Taven to take a seat at the tiny kitchen table and gently washed away the blood. There were several bite holes on his upper arm. Thankfully, they didn’t need stitches, but they definitely needed to be wrapped.
Zane woke Quinn, and she came out of her bedroom with a small first-aid box. “I have some gauze and cotton balls we can use to stop the bleeding, but he needs a rabies shot.”
Taven pulled away from my grasp. “We can’t. Besides, the dog was a pet. I’m sure it had its shots.”
Quinn sighed, leaning over to give him a soft kiss. “This was the last one, right?”
“Almost,” I muttered. “We still need to get your cop and Detective Chin.”
“I can live without you getting Moralles. This is getting too dangerous.”
I nodded, but said resolutely, “We have a plan, Sweet Pea. If everything works out, we won’t even kill Chin. He’s the fall guy. With any luck, he will spend the rest of his pathetic life in jail.” I let out a soft chuckle. “Cops don’t do well in prison. I hope his ass can take it.”
Quinn finished wrapping Taven’s arm. “You’re going to frame him?”
“Fuck yeah, we are. We need a fall guy, so the cops stop looking for the killer. We’ve had this planned for years.”
“We even spent years practicing his handwriting,” Zane added.
Quinn was visibly impressed yet horrified. It didn’t seem to change her feelings for us, but to make sure, we still needed to nab the cop she wanted dead. It worked in our favor; it was one more thing that would throw the cops off our trail.