Chapter 15 Ten of Swords #2
Slowly, I trail the very tip of the blade down his stomach and toward his groin. There, I pause just below his navel and wait.
And Josh starts to beg now, really beg. He can sense the end is near. I make out a strangled “please, please” through a wet gurgling at the back of his throat.
The sound is music to my goddamn ears.
“Mmm,” I breathe out, “I hope you can atone in the next life, Josh. I really do. Cause you're fresh outta time in this one.”
And lining the knife up over the center of his jeans, I drive the blade home.
I push hard through the unyielding, tough meat of his member, all the way until I feel the blade strike the oak table below.
Josh lets out a guttural howl, raw and ragged.
His scream tears through the shed, shaping into a single, broken, desperate word: “Ea... East!”
I hold my blade in place until his screams fade. Blood spurts over the handle and my clenched fist in warm waves. I stare into his eyes as the life slowly drains from them.
It's not until the shed has fallen silent, except for the steady drip, drip, drip of the blood onto the dusty floor below that I stir from my murderous reverie.
Goodbye, Josh. You won’t be missed.
I consider burying the body underneath the freshly planted dahlias in the garden.
But I can’t bear the thought of this fucker resting for all of eternity in my mother’s beautiful garden.
I could burn him? That would probably be best. I settle on burning his remains and burying them deep in the woods.
After rinsing off my blade in the sink, I grab a shovel and a book of matches to get to work.
____________________
Two hours later, I’m back in the potting shed.
I heave out a breath, exhausted from the night’s escapades.
After thoroughly washing my hands in the utility sink, I grab a bottle of water and chug it all down in one gulp.
Pulling out my phone, I see that it’s nearly a quarter after two in the morning. Shit.
But, having a feeling that she is still awake, I decide to text Katherine anyway.
Me
You up?
I wait a few long moments before I see the three dots appear.
Kat
You did not just seriously text me that.
Question answered.
Me
And how are you this evening, Doc?
Kat
You mean how am I this morning.
Me
True. How are you?
Kat
I’m ok. Made a late dinner and now in bed, reading my new book.
She sends a picture of the first edition Austen I gifted her, clasped tight in her hand. Her knees are drawn up and I can see the lush comforter and black satin sheets of her bed beneath the book. I grin like a fucking schoolboy.
Me
That’s hot, baby.
Kat
What are you up to so late?
Well, that’s a rather complicated question, isn't it? I think.
Me
Just finished taking care of some business.
Kat
Well that’s vague as all hell.
Alright, baby, you asked for it.
Me
Ok… I just finished burying a body.
Kat
Ha ha.
Me
Having trouble sleeping again?
The three dots appear and disappear a few times.
That’s right, baby. I see you. I know you.
Kat
Yeah, I have chronic nightmares and issues with sleep. Especially these days. How did you know that?
I briefly consider answering her honestly as I lock up the shed and head over to the main house. She would find out at some point, wouldn't she? Why not now? But something told me that it wasn’t time yet. I had to wait for the opportune moment.
Me
Just had a feeling. With your father’s death, and then the attack earlier this week. You’ve been through it lately.
A pang of guilt runs through me. I should tell her about the damn cameras. I should tell her about… no; it wasn’t time yet. A deep sense of unease grips me after promising her honesty just a few nights ago.
And it strikes me then. The inevitability of truth. Just like death. All secrets would eventually come out. Truths would always be revealed. And I would have choices to make. I just hoped that she would love me back before I would be forced to make them.
Kat finally responds.
Kat
Well, you’re very astute. That’s all true.
Hey… I’ve never really said a proper thank you to you. First you rescue me, and then Bundy. I don’t know what to say. Just… thank you.
Little does she know I would rescue her a hundred times over. A thousand times over. I would kill for her. I already have.
Me
You don’t ever have to say thank you to me, Doc. Not ever.
Again, the dots appear and disappear several times. No new text comes through, though.
She’s spooked, I think. But I don’t believe it has anything to do with the attack from Josh.
I think instead Dr. Pearson is starting to have feelings for me, and she doesn’t have any fucking clue what to do with those feelings.
They terrify her. It was clear as day every time that we touched.
That kind of palpable chemistry wasn’t common. Wasn’t even sensical, really.
Checking the time again, I decide that she needs a chance to rest now. Soon enough, I will be with her in that bed, spreading her legs, and eating her pussy. Soon enough, she’ll be up into the wee small hours of the morning, gasping out my name. So, until then…
Me
Goodnight, Doc. Sweet dreams.
Kat
Night, Zayn.
I close our text thread and pocket my phone. Sliding the cup of black coffee towards me with one hand, I open my laptop with the other. I would attempt every variation of East and Katherine’s name that I could come up with.