Chapter Thirty-Three
“Call the police!” Wild.
“Warm him up!” Uncle Atticus.
“I’m going to hunt down that motherfucker!” Rowdy.
Tons of commotion coming from the living room has me jolting upright in bed and Scout barking by my bedroom door.
I’d only just fallen asleep, so I’m disoriented and confused by all the yelling.
All I know for sure is Rowdy’s voice was one of them.
After yanking on some pants, I find my new cane and then open the door.
Scout bursts out of the room. I’m not as quick as my dog, but I’m hot on his tail.
“What’s going on?” I ask as anxiety claws at my throat. “Is everyone okay?”
“It’s Rowdy. Fuck, he’s freezing cold,” Uncle Atticus growls. “Destiny, warm him up and calm him down.”
Panicked and still unsure of what’s happening, I make my way around the furniture until I find where Rowdy is seated. His pant legs are wet with snow and he’s really cold. I set my cane down and crawl into his lap. Someone tosses a blanket at us.
“What happened?” I demand, nuzzling against his chilled, wet hoodie, hoping to bring some warmth to him. “Did something attack you?”
The only tell that he’s coherent is his palm that finds my hip and squeezes. I feel around on his face, which is icy, in an attempt to discern his mood. My fingertip touches something sticky on his cheekbone. Blood.
I suck in a ragged breath. But before I can freak out, Rowdy finally speaks.
“He grazed me with a bullet, but I’m fine.”
A bullet grazed his cheek? A little to the right and he could be dead. I could have lost him.
Tears burn hot in my eyes and my chin quivers. “Who? Evan?”
I hear Uncle Atticus’s booming voice while he speaks to his brother, Will. Wild’s cologne scent is nearby, but he’s being oddly quiet.
“Wild, who shot at him?” I choke out when no one answers me.
Wild finds his voice, clearing away the emotion. “Said it was Alex. He stumbled into the RV a few minutes ago with blood on his face and shivering like crazy. I haven’t got much else out of him aside from the part where he wants to hunt him down.”
Alex?
Why would Alex shoot at him? Rowdy told me Alex had confronted him at Talia’s party, but I didn’t think it was that serious.
“He…” Rowdy says through gritted teeth, “thought I was…sleeping with Evan…behind his back.”
“That’s stupid,” I say with a huff.
“We all know who Rowdy’s really sleeping with,” Wild mutters under his breath.
I ignore his remark. “So he thought he’d kill you? None of this is making sense.”
Rowdy’s strength returns slowly and his grip on my hip tightens. “He’s the Brawny Slasher.” He curses under his breath. “Jealousy consumes him to the point of murder.”
“Are you for real?” Wild demands. “And now he’s out there, free to kill again?”
Uncle Atticus returns and grunts. “Will’s got an APB out on him. The fucker will turn up somewhere and they’ll haul him in.”
“He’s the serial killer,” I blurt out. “Text Will and tell him. Alex could kill again. He almost did tonight.”
“What the fuck? He’s the one who’s been committing all those murders?” Uncle Atticus hisses. “Are you serious?”
“Drink,” Aunt Eve says, voice coming out of nowhere. “Now, Rowdy.”
I try not to shudder at how she sneaks up on me all the time. Everyone else makes a ton of noise. Not her. She’s stealthy like a fox.
The scent of coffee fills my nostrils. It’s the same brand Gwen got for me.
Everyone around here is a fan of the stuff.
I reach toward the heat of the mug and take it from Aunt Eve’s grip.
Then I bring it close to Rowdy’s face. I use my nose, rubbing his, to judge where I need to put the edge of the cup.
Rowdy’s other hand, sticky with blood, comes to cover one of mine, steadying the mug as he sips. “Ahh, that’s nice and hot.”
I urge him to drink more. “What if he comes back? Will he try to hurt Rowdy?”
“Since Rowdy got away,” Wild says, “I seriously doubt he’ll come right back to the scene of the crime. The police will be here soon to take statements.”
I’m happy the police are on the way, but I hate that Alex is still on the loose. Those poor people died because Alex was jealous of Evan’s ex. So horrible. I think back to the day when I stumbled over the body of one of the victims.
He was half-naked.
My stomach bottoms out.
“Did he, uh, sexually assault you?” I croak out, pain clutching at my throat.
“No,” Rowdy says firmly. “But he wanted to. Even if it meant doing it after I was dead.”
I gag and I can’t tell if it’s from the idea of Rowdy dying or someone raping his corpse after. Either way, I’m disgusted and horrified.
“Clean his wounds,” Aunt Eve barks again, dropping something into my lap. “Now, Destiny.”
Jolting once more from her sudden nearness, I nod and get to work.
The supplies she handed me feel pretty straightforward.
I use an alcohol pad to clean the cut on his hand and the graze site, apply some antibiotic ointment, and then cover with a bandage.
It really was a slight graze. Just enough to make him bleed but not require stitches.
He’s incredibly lucky.
And I’m grateful for his luck.
The thing with luck, though, is it only holds out for so long, which is why they need to capture Alex before it runs out.
It’s hours before the cops finally leave. I’m exhausted but want to sneak into the RV to be with Rowdy. Being away from him after the hellish night we’ve endured makes me antsy and stressed. I just need to be close to him.
I wait until the house goes quiet, all the normal people sleeping, and sneak out.
My partner in crime, eager to see Rowdy, sneaks out with me.
It’s doubtful Alex would come back, but I still race as fast as I’m able to over to the RV.
I don’t breathe easy until I’m inside. Wild is already passed out, snoring logs.
Me and Scout make our way to Rowdy’s room, both of us attempting to be quiet.
After stripping out of my clothes, I crawl into bed with my brother. Scout takes his spot on the other side of the bed and I take mine in Rowdy’s arms.
“You shouldn’t have come over here by yourself,” Rowdy says softly, with no anger in his voice.
“I had Scout. I was safe.”
He pulls my naked body to his. I’m thankful he’s warm now. Earlier, when his skin was so cold, it terrified me.
“I’ve been thinking,” I whisper as I run my fingers along his arm. I note scarring in the crook of it, wondering if they’re the track marks Wild mentioned. “About us.”
His hand cups my cheek. “Should I be worried?”
I smile at him. “Nope.”
“Good.” His thumb strokes my bottom lip and I playfully bite at it. “What about us?”
“I came up with a plan for how we can be together.”
“Tell me,” he murmurs. “I feel lost and without answers most days. Gwen’s clinic is good for you. I want you to have that, but I also want you.”
Dipping down, I bring my lips to his. My nipples brush over his smooth, hard skin, making us both shiver. He kisses me so reverently it brings tears to my eyes.
The love I feel for him consumes my every thought.
“You’re distracting me,” he complains between kisses.
I giggle. “Sorry. I like kissing you.” Then I bite on his bottom lip. “And when your cock is inside me.”
He groans as if in pain. This sends me into another fit of laughter I desperately try to keep quiet. Wild knows about us, but it doesn’t mean we should rub it in his face.
“We can get an RV like this one and our own truck,” I tell him finally. “Find a place we can park it at. Maybe between here and home. Remote, so we can have our privacy, but still close enough we can go to town often.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll have to find a job, though. We don’t exactly have tons of money lying around.”
“Dad will give us what we need,” I assure him, even though the idea of telling Dad about us is terrifying. He didn’t kill our siblings, so maybe we’ll be safe. Or that could be wishful thinking. “I have a plan for money, though, going forward.”
He chuckles. “You really have it all figured out, don’t you? Who knew sweet Dez could be so ambitious?”
“I finally know what I want in life. It’s you. This place. Us together.”
“I want that too.”
Excitement courses through me as I tell him my next idea.
“So I sent pictures of my cane before the whole Alex thing to Claudia. Of course she couldn’t see the cane, but she said her sister described it for her.
She was totally jealous and wants one now.
I told her you’d make her one for a hundred dollars. ”
Rowdy sucks in a sharp breath. “A hundred dollars to carve some girl’s name into a stick?”
“I told her we want cash for now, but eventually, we can set up a way to receive payments over the phone or internet.”
“Sounds complicated,” he grumbles. “Not everyone is going to want a hundred-dollar stick.”
“Not true,” I tell him with excitement. “I researched handcrafted items like this and they’re often a lot more than that, depending on the piece. You’re so good at this stuff. I mean, you can build entire cabins and fences and animal pens. I think you can handle this.”
“I can do the work for you, but I don’t know anything about running a business, Dez. I’m sorry I’m not college smart like Wild or Weston.”
My heart aches for this man. Does he not know his own worth?
“You’re my heart. Y, O, U, apostrophe, R, E. My heart is yours. Y, O, U, R, S.” I run my hand over his chest and grin. “Who cares if you don’t know those things? I’ll teach them to you.”
“I’ve been saying them backward this whole time,” he says, dumbfounded. “Why didn’t Wild explain it in a way that makes sense?”
“Because he’s a dick.”
“Destiny,” he says with a laugh. “Be nice.”
I stick my tongue out at him, which earns me another laugh. “I’ll teach you. Trust me. Besides, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll get us the business and handle the money. You can help me deliver them and ship them once we go global.”
“Global? What the fuck, Dez?”
“Just thinking ahead,” I tease with a grin. “But for real. You let me handle the business side. I’m getting pretty good at using my phone. We’re going to do great. You’ll see. Plus, this will give you something to do when you’re missing me while I’m at the clinic.”
He’s quiet for a long beat and I start to wonder if he hates my idea. The prospect of us carving out—no pun intended—our own life with our own home and our own means of making money gives me hope like never before.
Life got pretty bad there for a bit, but it’s not that way anymore.
Heavy footsteps thud our way and someone bursts into the room. I cry out in surprise.
“Destiny, fuck, no one wants to see your ass!” Wild grumbles.
“I do,” Rowdy offers as he yanks the covers over me. “What do you want, asshole?”
Wild plops down on the bed beside us and laughs. “Read this.”
Slowly, Rowdy reads aloud, “We got him. Alex has been arrested. Tell Rowdy he can breathe easy.”
“They fucking got him,” Wild proclaims, a grin in his voice. “We should celebrate.”
“I’m not celebrating at four in the morning,” Rowdy grinds out. “Go away now.”
“You’re no fun.” Wild slides off the bed, but Rowdy stops him with his words.
“Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E.”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Wild says in disbelief. “He finally got it.”
And the second Wild leaves our presence, I reward my good student with a kiss.