Chapter Six #2
The men spread out and immediately started hosing down the floors and halfway up the walls.
This had been a blood bath. A deserved one.
The Underground didn’t allow for second chances.
It still amazed him that despite the organization’s notoriety and reputation, there were always a few who thought they could get away with outsmarting them. And they suffered the consequences.
“What about the bodies?” Rand asked.
Ridge stalked forward. “We got it. Just make this place fucking shine.”
Caine was barely aware of his phone beeping in his pocket.
When he was working, especially in a delicate situation such as this, he stayed zoned in.
It pinged once again, alerting him to another message.
If it was important, they’d call. While extremely popular as a form of contact, Caine loathed text messaging. Fucking nonsense.
“You gonna get that, man?” Cyrus asked, hauling a body from one end of the room closer to the door.
“No.” He dug in his pocket. Pulling out a pack of gum, he took a piece out, popped it in his mouth, and tucked the container away.
His phone pinged again, and he ground his teeth.
“Can you at least mute it then? It’s annoying the fuck outta me.” Cyrus dropped the body on the ground and straightened.
Caine pulled out his phone and caught a list of messages. He lifted the phone closer and knitted his brows.
What the fuck? There were a string of texts from an unknown contact.
Unknown caller: Nightmare date from hell. Save me!
A minute later.
Unknown caller: I think he might be a serial killer. Like a Ted Bundy. He looks decent and he’s playing the nice guy part. But I’m getting murder-vibes from him.
Caine scowled. What the hell are murder-vibes? The sound of brushes scrubbing the floor caught his attention, and he looked over at the men cleaning up. This was probably a prime example of it. Another minute later, another came in.
Unknown caller: Seriously, I think he’s definitely a serial killer. Get your ass to Luna’s on North Street NOW!!!!!
He should’ve just ignored the messages. Caine wasn’t the type to buy into a scam or joke, which is exactly what he was getting from these messages. But something felt off, as if he could, even through the theatrics, sense fear. He sighed heavily. He tapped the screen and hit send.
Caine: Who is this?
Unknown caller: Are you seriously fucking with me while I’m seated across from a Future Headliner for America’s Most Wanted???
Caine was done with this bullshit. He wouldn’t engage further. He was about to shove his phone in his pocket when another message came through.
Unknown caller: It’s KEELY, bitch!
Caine stilled, his whole body tensing in an instant. He read the messages again. His immediate thought should’ve been how she got his number in the first place . Or why the fuck is she calling me a bitch? But it wasn’t. Caine scrolled back through her messages, intently reading each one.
He dragged his hand over his head and gripped the back of his neck. This was not his problem. Why the hell would she reach out to him? His attitude and standoffish presence should’ve made it clear for her to stay away.
“Caine, we’re done here. You ready?” Cyrus asked, standing near the body rolled up on the floor. They had a specific location they’d be discarding the remains. It was a safe spot used only a few times. No one would ever find it.
He glanced back at his phone, indecision stalling his response to Cyrus.
This girl is a fucking menace. But…fuck! He could’ve rationalized his decision. She was obviously in trouble and a friend of Charley’s. Helping her was the right thing to do. Hadn’t a similar situation happened recently with Noelle? He ignored the fact that it went a bit deeper for him.
Caine tucked his phone in his back pocket and met up with Cyrus and Ridge.
“I got something I gotta do. You two can handle this without me, yeah?”
Ridge and Cyrus shared a look. This was a first. Caine never shifted his duties on anyone else. It wasn’t how he was built. Ridge gave a sharp nod.
“Yeah man, we got this. Go do what you gotta do.” Ridge stepped in front of Caine, eyeing him. “You okay?”
Caine clenched his jaw. “It’s personal.”
Ridge stepped aside, and Caine walked out and down the stairs.
He pulled up the directions to the restaurant as he stalked across the dark, empty lot.
Caine was only about fifteen minutes away.
He drove over with Ridge, but there were two SUVs.
He unlocked the door, got in, and seconds later he was pulling out of the lot.
Traffic was surprisingly light for this time of night.
Luna’s was located on a side street, which made finding parking a lot easier, and he snagged a spot close to the entrance.
He eyed the sign above as he walked around the bumper of the SUV. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d dined at a restaurant as upscale as this one. If ever. Caine certainly had the money now to afford it. But he’d always preferred the solitude of making his own meals at home.
Caine walked in, ignoring the hostess asking how many was in his party.
“Sir, do you have a reservation?”
Fuck off.
He scanned the room and immediately locked eyes on Keely and her date at a table in the corner. Caine didn’t hesitate.
He weaved through the tables, keeping his eyes solely trained on her. He’d watched Keely enough to know her vibe was off. Her smile seemed forced, and she fidgeted in her seat. Her lips hadn’t moved in the fifteen seconds since he’d been there. Keely not speaking? Yeah, something is definitely off.
Caine was about ten feet away when their eyes met briefly. She turned away but quickly jerked her head back to him, and her bottom lip fell open. Her reaction was textbook definition of complete shock. What the fuck? Why the hell did she look so surprised? You reached out to me for help.
He stopped next to her chair and leaned down, pinning her in his glare. “Stand. Up.”
Keely sprung from her seat immediately without an argument. She’d done it so abruptly, the table wobbled, spilling a bit of her drink in the process. Caine grabbed her arm, pulled her behind him, and formed a shield between her and the guy at her table.
“Who the hell are…” Her date grabbed the arms of his chair and lifted slightly.
Caine lunged forward and stood over the man. “Don’t even think about getting up, motherfucker.”
Her date lowered in his seat but Caine didn’t back away.
“You don’t call her. You don’t show up at her apartment.
You see her walking on the street, you turn the fuck around and walk away.
‘Cause if I find out you come anywhere near her? I’m gonna hunt you down, find you,” Caine sharpened his glare. “And then, I’m gonna fucking kill you.”
His face paled and he sunk in his chair. By all accounts, this guy wouldn’t be a problem for Keely in the future. Caine delivered the threat, and had every intention of acting on it.
“Okay.” Her date mumbled, shaking slightly.
Caine straightened and Keely grabbed him. He glanced down seeing her hand clutched to his wrist.
“I’m pretty sure that threat is illegal in all fifty states.”
He hardened his stare and growled. “Keely.”
She widened her eyes, nodding vigorously.
“Right. We should go.” Keely hooked her pocketbook over her shoulder and leaned past him.
“Uh, bye Darryl. Thanks for uhh” —she paused— “Well, bye.”
Keely was double-timing it out of the restaurant. Caine caught a few onlookers but ignored the stares. When she reached for the door, he leaned past her, pushing it open with too much force, and it slammed against the building. She rushed outside to the storefront next door and spun around.
“W-what?” —she darted her eyes to the restaurant then back to him— “What are you doing here?”
What the fuck am I doing here? Had she lost her goddamn mind? His anger was at a low boil and quickly rising. Caine advanced and watched her feign innocence, which only incensed him more.
“You texted me.” He growled.
She flinched and knitted her brows. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah” —he narrowed his gaze— “you did.”
Keely laughed, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.
I texted my roommate but not…” She froze, staring up at him with a blank stare.
Seconds passed and she paled, blindly reaching into her pocketbook with a small shake.
“No, no,” she mumbled, yanking her phone from her bag and tapping on the screen.
Her fingers were moving so quickly, it was hard to process what she was doing.
“Oh shit.” Her voice was low. “I meant to text my friend Caite, that’s who I-I…” Her breath was heavy. “Oh God, this is just…” Keely groaned and covered her face with her hand.
What the fuck is she doing?
“Why does shit like this always happen to me?” She groaned with her hand still covering her face.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m sorry.” She parted her fingers slightly, peeking through. Green eyes. Even in the dim light, they were bright. She immediately locked her fingers, shaking her head. Caine dragged his hand over his mouth. Scenes and spectacles were never his thing. He embraced solidarity and quiet.
“I thought I was texting my friend, Caite. Your names have similar spellings, and I must’ve…” She moaned again, this time louder, getting the attention of a couple walking passed.
Caine gripped his hips and drew in a deep breath. This woman was exhausting and not making much sense. He needed to dial back his annoyance if he had any hope of getting some answers. He’d start off easy.
“How’d you get my number?”
Her face flamed, and she veered her gaze down the sidewalk. I’m not going to fucking like this.
“Who gave it to you?” He snarled.
“No one,” Keely blurted but refused to make eye contact.
Liar.
“Then how’d you get it?”