Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
Jackson
Oliver's head smashed into gloriously beautiful pieces when I threw his body down the ravine. The act of disposing of him didn't take long. After I left the cabin, I knew he would go somewhere not easily found, where animals would enjoy ripping him apart.
The ravine that provided mine and Madelyn’s view from a few days prior was the perfect place. The one rock ledge on which I caught my prey and then watched as her body trembled for my cock.
It's all poetic justice, I suppose, much like what my brother is fixing to get delivered. I'm closer now than I have ever been before.
Thorns from a wild bush snag at my pants as I take a gradual pace back to the cabin.
The colors red and pink catch my attention, and I stop to take in this thing so full of life.
Various sizes and shades of red roses cover the entire bush.
New blooms are more pink, while the older ones have gained darker hues.
Thorns occupy most of the stems, but I could give a shit. Madelyn would like these.
If she's not gone when I get back.
Maybe there is a piece of my mind that wants to give her that opportunity, and that's why I'm not in too much of a hurry to get back. Maybe if she left, I could let go of the sliver of guilt I have for her falling in love with me.
I shake the ridiculous thoughts out of my head and reach for the first stem. A thorn pierces through the skin on my index finger before another gets my thumb. The pain just makes me squeeze down harder until blood droplets escape.
My eyes close as I welcome the sensation. To feel discomfort means I'm still alive to do what I fucking please.
The rose, and its stem rip from the bush as I tug on it. Dropping it onto the ground, I repeat the pulling process, collecting another three before hearing a scream echo through the trees.
My body tenses at the sound, and a deep-rooted possession takes over. MADELYN.
She screams again at the same moment I take off running while leaving the roses and their thorns behind.
My body weaves through the trail, adrenaline pumping through my muscles. I go fast; the trees and ground are nothing more than a blur. Heart racing, anger surfacing, if anything happens to her, I won’t recover. She's the string holding my broken, sick heart together.
I should have been smarter. No one leaves their valuables out in the open to get broken.
The treeline comes into focus just before I clear it. My feet push me forward toward the lake. I can go up that way to the cabin, whereas I couldn't before. Not with that old man fishing.
My eyes scan the area for any signs of Madelyn or activity. The lake is empty and the man's truck is gone. For most people, that wouldn’t be alarming, but for me, it just doesn’t feel right. There's a prickling feeling shooting up my neck when I see it.
A blood trail that ends where that fucking old man always parks. It stops here, but where does it begin? My heart literally skips a goddamn beat as I follow the traces of blood toward the right side of the lake.
She’s gone. Fucking gone. I can sense it. Heat rises within me, burning away any humanity I have left. My ears buzz with the very thought of what I will do to this motherfucker who took her.
He can die just like my brother-whose name is likely all over this.
I knew better.
I knew better than to leave her even for a second.
The blood trail leads me to a boat that someone dragged halfway onto the bank. A single fishing pole rests against the inside. The line is already cast, stretched taut over the grass leading up to the cabin.
I follow the line, my hands holding onto it like a guide. My heart races, threatening to explode when I see it. A piece of skin and meat attached to a hook. With shaky hands, I pick it up; the size is close to my palm.
One letter (J), etched in marker, confirms my suspension.
Every breath I take burns. Every memory of what he's done and everything he might do to her floods my brain.
And right now, all I care about is the moment his eyes go wide—the exact second he realizes what's coming and that he can’t stop it.
That he deserves it. That I win. Because this time I will not stop until there's nothing left of him.