Chapter Eighteen #2
“Fuck, he got blood on my shirt,” I grumble. Placing the phone in the cup holder, I pick up the tape and rip a piece off with my teeth. “Now I have to throw it away.” I lean slightly and slap the tape over his mouth.
“Uh…Ezra,” Shade says. “What are you doing?”
“What I said I would.” I put the phone on speaker and enter the address into the dash. “I’m in his car. Taking him to his house. I’ll have to do the cleanup later. I need to get back to Rylee.”
“Shit,” he sighs. “Do I need to erase some cameras?”
“Probably. I changed my face until I knocked him out.”
“Jesus, I don’t want to find a mate,” he mutters.
“Why?”
“You do insane shit when you do.”
“This isn’t half as bad as I would do.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I sent her a message.” I glance over at Charlie, making sure he’s not stirring.
“You sent…” He laughs. “I may not know much about having a mate, but I’m not sure that was the right move.”
“I’ll deal with it after him.” I navigate into a neighborhood. “Asshole lives in a nice spot.”
“He makes good money,” he mentions lightly.
“I guess.” I keep my focus on the map, slowing. “I told Heath I was going out.”
“Like that makes it better,” he scoffs.
“Well, Rylee didn’t see the text. I should be back within the hour.” I turn onto another road.
“Famous last words.”
“Was I supposed to let him stalk my mate?” I growl.
“No.”
“Right.” I find his house and pull into the driveway. This is the kind of neighborhood where someone would notice me carrying a bloody body. I look around the car. “That’s handy,” I murmur and press the button for the garage.
“What?”
“Asshole has a garage door opener,” I snort, and drive inside.
“You are the luckiest asshole.”
I park the car. “Gotta go.” Closing the garage, I watch it lower.
“Call me when it’s done.”
I end the call and put it in my pocket. Taking the keys out of the ignition, I slide the duct tape over my wrist and open the door. I sort through the keys as I walk to the door attached to the house. I get it on the second try and swing the door wide before going to the passenger side door.
“Out we go, Charlie.” I reach behind him and grasp under his arms. “I don’t need more blood on me.” Dragging him out, his heels hit the cement hard, and I kick the door shut. “You’re heavier than I thought.”
I walk backward across the garage and into the house. Dropping him, I nudge the door shut and lock it. I crouch and tie his hands. I pause, rolling my neck, and look into the living room.
“Holy fuck.” I stand slowly and step over the body for a closer look. There are hundreds of pictures taped to the wall. “No.” I lean closer.
Rylee’s face stares back at me. There are at least thirty pictures of her, coming from the gym, the store, and at the club.
Other women are among them. All of them are taken in various places.
I turn away and stare at Charlie. He’s a stalker.
I don’t know if he’s gone further than photographing all of them.
Glancing around the house, I don’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
I take the tape off my wrist and slide a chair from the table.
Picking him up, I throw him onto it and bind his legs to the wood.
It doesn’t have armrests, so I wrap duct tape around his chest and the chair.
When he’s secure, I move through the house.
There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an office upstairs.
There aren’t any more pictures. I check the basement.
I don’t know if he has taken a woman before, but I have to make sure he doesn’t have someone chained up.
Nothing besides the living room. I take several pictures of the wall and send them to Shade.
The chair creaks, and I turn. Charlie is staring at me. Walking toward him, I slide my knife out. I stop in front of him and rip off the tape.
“Do you remember me?” I ask, tilting my head, and he nods. “Why do you have my woman’s picture on your wall?”
“She’s pretty,” he says, and I blink.
“What was the plan? Kidnap her?”
“I like to look at them. I’ve never kidnapped anyone,” he says quickly.
“Was she going to be the first?” I ask, and he presses his lips together. “I’m going to kill you. Any last words?”
“Please, don’t. I’ll stop,” he begs.
“No, you won’t.” I smell his lie and his panic.
“You’ll keep doing it. Taking their pictures, and then it won’t be satisfying anymore.
You’ll step it up, and kidnap one. I believe you already have thought about it.
” I get a piece of tape ready. “I’ll make it fast because I don’t have time, but I would rather make it last. Rylee is mine. No one is allowed to hurt her.”
“Wait—”
I cover his mouth. “No. I have a party to get back to.” I slide my blade across his throat and watch his blood drip.
I’m definitely going to need a clean-up.
Wiping the knife on his shirt, I sheath it and go into the kitchen.
I grab a plastic garbage bag and put the tape from his body inside.
I can’t let Rylee’s image stay here, so I take all of them down, putting them in my pocket.
I can’t take his vehicle, so I call Shade.
“It’s done. I need a ride and a cleaning crew.” I hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder and cut the zip-ties with my clean knife.
“Alright. Can you walk out of the neighborhood? I’ll have someone drop a car at the main road.”
“Yeah. How soon?”
“Ten minutes.”
“Do you trust them?”
“I trust everyone who works for me. I’ll have the body gone, and the house squeaky clean.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“I’ll collect.”
It goes against my record of spotless kills to leave the body here in a rush, but I don’t have a choice.
It will be a bigger mess if I take him, and I don’t want to drive around in his car.
Standing in front of him, I wait for his last breath.
I don’t feel anything but relief. Can I kill every asshole who looks at my mate?
No. Can I kill the ones who touch or think they can have her?
Fuck, yeah.
Charlie slumps forward. I make sure my phone is in my pocket and move toward the back of the house. I find the back door and slip outside, locking it behind me. As I walk to the side of the house, I prepare to shift my face.
I blame the next few minutes on my lack of preparation and the disruption of my routine. I should have smelled the lion. I should have known I was being followed, and I should never have allowed Bode to get close enough to hit me on the head.
As my mind blurs, I feel the blood dripping down my neck. This isn’t going to help my disdain for lions.
Rylee is going to worry.