Chapter 1 #2
“Hello.” He leans his elbow on the little windowsill he’s stationed behind, completely ignoring me while running his greedy gaze over her.
“The reservation is for one?” His comment is leading, prompting her to divulge information he has no right to ask, even if his technique is clumsy.
I would never be so incompetent, but I doubt we have the same motives to glean information.
He probably wants to fuck Harlyn while I want to possess her entirely.
“Yep, but someone will be joining me soon,” Harlyn answers with a nod of her head. The guard gives the side of my face one last once-over I pretend not to notice before he passes the paper he took from me to her.
“Don’t lose this, and don’t give it to anyone.” He tries to sound firm, but it’s ruined by the fact that he’s eyeing her like she’s something he wants to unwrap. Yes, he’s going to die, painfully. “If you need anything, just ask for John. Even if I’m not here, I’m close by.”
“Sure,” Harlyn says dismissively, pulling the paper from his fingers with a little tug.
I’m already inching forward before the gate even rises, contemplating how I’m going to kill him and make it look like an accident so his death doesn’t raise any suspicions.
Two people dying in a short time frame would raise too many red flags in this small town, even if their association is very weak.
At least I will have something to distract me from Harlyn and the reason I’m here for a little while.
I will come back for him when what happened to Harlyn is just a memory, something people only whisper about for fear of it happening again.
At the stop sign twenty feet past the shack, there’s a wooden sign directing me to the left for units one thru twelve. As I’m about to turn, Harlyn leans forward and says, “To the left, I think.”
I don’t tell her I already knew that, and not just because she already told the guard what number she is renting.
I don’t say anything at all. I’m too busy looking at the first group of adjoined units we pass.
The condos are set up in groups of three and staggered to provide a facade of privacy.
Before we even reach her unit, I know she will be at the end of a row.
When I see the wide green expanse and park-like setting between her unit and the next group of condos, I take it as a sign that we are both in the right place at the right time.
This isn’t the ideal location for what I have in mind, but I believe this setting provides the best opportunity for the measure of privacy I want when I’m finally alone with her.
My mind is already coming up with ways to get inside without detection so we can keep playing our little game, until it’s time for it to be over.
“You don’t happen to know any good takeout places nearby, do you?
” Through the rearview mirror, I note she has one hand on the locked door and the other on her duffle bag.
I would never guess the thing costs a small fortune.
It looks like any other leather overnight bag, but I made it my mission to know everything about her, so I know the understated bag is unattainable for most of the population.
When I cut the supple suede lining open to hide one of the many tracking devices I have attached to her, I was impressed with the quality.
Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
I couldn’t even see the glue residue I used to repair the seam.
“Pints and Quarts for food, and Muskegon Brewing for the view,” I reply, repeating what I read online while doing research on the area after I learned she was coming here.
It would have been nice to have a little extra time to prepare and familiarize myself with this location, but I couldn’t risk being too far away from her.
Now that the plan has changed, I will have to find a way to be close to her until it’s time for this to finally be over.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes, but it never does, not since I killed her sister, so I don’t take it personally.
When I slow to a stop, she pulls on the door handle, but the lock doesn’t release.
Our eyes meet in the reflection again, just for a moment longer than I should, I think about keeping her.
She must see the madness in my eyes, because she shrinks back on herself and looks out of the window as if searching for another escape.
When I eventually hit the unlock button, she actually jumps from the sound, as if I fired a bullet. It makes me smile.
“Child locks.” I shrug as if keeping her trapped was unintentional. The small precaution I take in every vehicle I drive may not have been used with her in mind, but it proves my meticulous planning is worth the effort.
As much as I don’t want to, I pull away when the door closes after she exits.
It pains me to leave her alone, even if it’s just for a little while.
Creeping slowly down the road, I keep an eye on her through the mirrors as she stands at the end of the driveway, looking up at the three-story luxury condo.
Maybe I should have offered to help her inside with her bags.
I shake my head to dislodge the thought.
There’s no way I could have left her breathing if she invited me in.
Not even I possess that kind of discipline.