I needed to text Henry, who was probably expecting a great update about a skeleton sexathon. And that was not what happened.
He knew where I lived. He had a tattoo of my name—or so he said. Maybe it was for another Rebecca. Maybe he liked Rebeccas.
I wiped my tears angrily. He was still out there. He said he would be until the cops got here. And then I guess he was leaving. Leaving me with this giant thing to digest.
Fear was crawling up my legs. It would knock on my mind until I let it in or went crazy from the sound of it banging. The bathroom guy. Was he back? Was that him? Was it personal?
I covered my mouth as I started to sob. I kept the scissors pointed at the door. The sirens seemed like they were getting further away. I hadn’t called the cops. Had anyone? Was it just a coincidence?
I felt alone, and I wished I wasn’t.
20
COMMON THREAD
Fenix
Watching her sob through the window was a version of torture. I’d hurt her. All these years of “keeping her safe” and I’d hurt her in the two days she’d known I existed.
I prided myself on the righteousness of following her. Of following Ember and now Christina. And what if I was poison? That having me watch over them was the equivalent of the Grim Reaper being their butler?
The cops pulled into the parking lot and I slipped into the shadows. They would protect her now.
I checked my phone when I was far enough away that I wouldn’t cause suspicion. Would Becca tell the cops about me? Would I be a person of interest? Suspect maybe.
As I deserved.
Animal texted me with a meeting spot. I hustled to catch him. After I slid into the Hummer, he rolled out.
“He’s a slippery bastard.”
I grunted in agreement. He sure as shit was. My father was able to live for years in this town after killing my mother. Shit, he’d kept me silent all these years. Granted my motives for keeping his secret were so I could be the one to punish him for it.
“I think it was him. Just saying. It would be perfectly feasible for him to walk to Becca’s place in the time it took us to get back to her and have Meme’s lock up.”
I agreed with a terse nod.
“How’s she doing?” Animal put the blinker on, headed to my house.
“Scared and confused.” I almost whispered it.
“You told her the truth then? About the basement? About the following? About your dad?” Animal’s face lit up blue from my aftermarket interior lights.
I slammed my bandaged fist against the dashboard. Animal wasn’t afraid like most people would be at the explosion of anger. He just sucked on his teeth and shook his head.
“I’ve know her forty-eight hours. How much shit do I want to put on her?” I was yelling now.
“Why was she confused and scared? Just from the bricks through the window?” Animal pulled up my long winding driveway.
“No. I knew where she lived and forgot to ask her to tell me. She saw the tattoo of her name on my chest. She was scared because I’m a fucking insane stalker.” I opened the passenger door and stalked my way to the garage and jammed in the passcode. I had to do it twice because the anger in my hands didn’t let my fine motor skills shine.
I waited for Animal to come in behind me. The security lights gave us a path to the door into the house.
“Hey, stop. Can I say something?” Animal leaned against the van.
I sighed. “Yeah.”
“This is a lot. Your father’s in town—we’re pretty sure anyway. You finally talked to Basement Girl. You never interact and you’ve spent the night in a crowded bar two nights running. I think maybe you get a pass for not doing everything perfect. Hindsight is 20/20. And you’re right. I’m thinking you should tell her everything like you’ve been in a relationship with her this whole damn time. Jesus, years you’ve been watching her. It all culminates now. Tonight. Today. Tomorrow.”
I looked down at my boots. The security light would switch off soon and we would be in the dark.
“I’m giving you a pass, ’cause I know you won’t.” I felt his big hand on my shoulder. He gave me a squeeze. “We’ll noodle this out tomorrow. Let’s cue up the security cameras in town and at her place.”
He was right. This was everything at once. And I was a freak of nature. I might not know how to handle it all perfectly. Maybe I could make it better with Becca. And I sure as hell was killing my father. And soon.
~Becca~
Sitting in my living room with my heels on, I was still holding the scissors Nix had given me.
The cop next to me had required the shoes so I could look at the bedroom and tell him about the damage. My bedside lamp had a chip out of the base, but other than that, the glass in the window and some chunks out of my hardwood floor were the only damage.
The cop told me his name twice. I asked him what it was again. He was patient with me and even flipped open his badge so I could read it for myself.
Officer Ridge Quinn brought me a brick that had a piece of paper attached to it with duct tape.
You’re gonna learn how bad I can be
“Do you recognize this handwriting at all?”
I didn’t even want to touch it. The scrawl on it even seemed angry.
“No.” I shook my head and waved it away.
“Were you here alone tonight?”
I looked at my purse still on the floor where I dropped it and thought how Nix had to leave before the cops got here.
Officer Quinn asked me again.
“Yes, I was alone.” Protecting him. For a reason I couldn’t put my finger on.
“Wait. Aren’t you the lady from the bathroom incident at Gustov’s?” Officer Quinn squinted at me.
I rubbed my arms. “Yeah.”
“You got an injury there.” He pointed at my shoulder. His partner came out of my bedroom and the glass that must have been trapped under his shoes crackled. I would have to wear shoes in here for a while. There would be shards everywhere.
“You got Band-Aids and stuff here?” Officer Quinn pointed to my bathroom.
“In the medicine cabinet,” I mumbled.
While he disappeared into the bathroom, I got up and pulled my purse from the floor.
My phone had a ton of texts from Henry. Most were emojis related to sex. I texted her back.
Cops are here. Someone threw bricks through my window. The cops don’t know about Nix.
My FaceTime was ringing almost immediately.
Henry’s face was illuminated by her phone. She was clutching her sheets to her chest. “What the fuck?”
I shook my head. “The cops are here. I’m just helping them put together what happened.”
Dick’s face came into the frame. “We’re on our way.”
“Do you want me to stay on FaceTime?” Henry tossed off the sheets and I got a full view of her boobs. I put the phone against my chest as Officer Quinn came back to me with the first aid kit in his hands.
“Is this from the glass? Maybe we should take you to the ER just to check.”
I spoke to my phone but kept the screen hidden so Quinn wouldn’t get an eyeful of my friends as they panic dressed. “Just come over.” I ended the call. Then I spoke to the officer, “When I went to the floor, I felt the cut on my shoulder. You know what, it really hurts.”
“If you turn a little, I can take a look.” Quinn waited.
I did as he asked and almost felt his gaze pass over my shoulders. This dress had spaghetti straps and there was a lot of skin to look at.
“From what I see, it looks like a clean gash. It’s up to you.”
He was waiting for me to make a decision. I sighed. “Whatever you think.”
My exhaustion was overwhelming. The adrenaline and fear were crashing.
“Okay, let me get some antiseptic on this and bandage it. You can decide later today what you want to do.” He set the kit down on my coffee table. “This might sting a little, but it’ll clean out the wou
nd.”
The sting woke me up a little, but other than that Quinn was gentle. I thanked him as he packed up the rest of my kit and put it back where he found it.
Soon he was next to me. “You work at Meme’s, right?”
I finally looked at him as a man. He was hot. He had one of those buzz cuts that had a long bit at the top. It was smoothed back with some kind of product. He was stocky and manly. His green eyes were mossy and he had a nice profile. He was maybe five years older than me. I looked at his left hand out of habit and it was ringless.
He wore the uniform well.
“Anyone at Meme’s giving you a hard time lately? Having to kick anyone out?” I put my fingers to my temples. Work seemed like it had been a lifetime away. The guys who had messed with Harry had seemed scared shitless of Nix. Like in a million years they wouldn’t ever come back to the bar, never mind my apartment. But I was making questionable judgment calls, so I decided to mention them to Quinn.
“That was this night? They weren’t messing with you until you got involved with the drunk old guy?” Quinn had an iPad mini he was typing notes on.
“You don’t think it was them? I mean, I’m just trying to think of something.”
And failing to say the most obvious answer. That Nix was the common thread in this new tendency for violence in my life.
“I’m not ruling anything out. But pay attention, okay? To how people you’re interacting with are reacting to you. Anything out of the ordinary. Anything suspicious.”
Nix knew where I lived without me having to tell him. Knew what apartment was mine. Had a tattoo on his chest with my name on it.
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
Officer Quinn offered his hand to Dick as Henry weaved passed them both to get to me. She hugged me, pulling my face close to her bosom.
“Rebecca Dixie Stiles, you’re coming home with Dick and me tonight, and you’re not fighting it. I’ll literally shit a pile of nonsense if you make me worry like this again for Christ’s sake.” Henry made a fuss over my bandage.
Quinn and Dick did the man thing of talking about the whole situation while leaving us out. Normally, Henry and I would give them hell, but we were busy whispering and giving each other pointed stares.
“Nix?”
I shook my head. “Later.”
She gave me a nod. I saw her putting together the same things I had—how the bad things that happened to me seemed to be timed with his entrance into my life. I shook my head again. We’d talk about it in private. After I was sure she’d understood me, I looked at Quinn and Dick. Quinn was watching me.
A knowing, slightly suspicious look crossed his face before he put his attention back to Dick.
“Can we get her stuff now?” Henry stood up and I joined her. If I were spending the night, I would need my stuff.
Quinn held out an arm. “Actually, we want to preserve the scene a little longer. But, Becca, I can help you in there to get what you need.”
I went with him. He didn’t touch me, but his hand ghosted near my elbow.
Henry called out reminders to grab my favorite pajamas and fresh undies, though she and I had shared clothes before in a pinch.
I was instructed to stand in a certain spot in my room. The jagged glass was letting in the cool morning air. I could see the start of the sunrise on the horizon.
I gave Quinn instructions on the things I needed, and luckily none of it was near any glass and seemed to be okay to take.
He had an armload of my workout clothes, regular outfits, delicates, and my costume for work later that evening. I knew Henry would give me crap about working, but we’d deal with that later too.
Quinn blushed a little when he sifted through my underwear drawer and got his hand tangled in a pair of thongs.
When we got back to the living room, Henry had a duffle bag from my front closet. Quinn and Henry packed the bag for me. Quinn gave Dick and me a card with his number on it. He already had my cell phone number on the report.
“I’ll check in with you tomorrow. We’re going to be here for another hour or so, and I’ll lock up.”
“What about the hole in my windows?” I let Dick slip my jacket over my shoulders, wincing a bit when the fabric touched my cut.
“I can board it up for you after we make sure we have the fingerprints. Is that okay for you? You’ll have to talk to your landlord about a permanent solution.” Quinn looked trustworthy enough.
“Okay. I think I need to sleep a little.” I followed Dick out of my door and left the cops in my apartment. Henry kept her arm linked through mine.
“That must have been terrifying.” She made me sit in the front of Dick’s SUV and she climbed in the back. Dick put my duffle bag in the hatch. I hoped it wasn’t near the shovel he kept in the car to bury dead roadkill.
I rested my head against the seat. “It was. I’m sick of this shit.”
Dick patted my arm. I fell asleep almost immediately.
~Nix~
I’d hoped she’d get to play her game tonight and spent the time in the basement while I researched the cameras in town. The shithole motel didn’t have any and I wasn’t surprised.
Becca’s apartment building had a few, but they focused mostly on stairwells. In an angle on one, Animal and I saw a shadowy figure, but it didn’t show him throwing anything.
I took a break to load her account with an almost suspicious amount of free plays.
Animal prodded me. “Tell me how it went down, baby.”
“I told you before. She was scared.” I felt my rage bubbling up again.
“You were in her apartment. She let you up after she knew you knew where her place was?” Animal tented his fingers.
“Are you a fucking detective?” I sat forward in my chair and ran my hands through my hair.
“So, she was willing to take you into her home despite what you’d shown her?” He ignored my question completely.
He was impossible. I gave him what he was interested in. “Yeah, she knew better—I think. But she still wanted me.”
His brown eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “I’m telling you, Bones. I like this chick. I have a feeling about her.”
“She was terrified when I left. She was crying. I’m done. It’s done.” I bit my wrist hard enough to leave my own teeth prints on the bony ink there.
“Loving you is scary, just so you know. It won’t be easy for her, but you’re worth it.” Animal rubbed his jaw stubble with his thumb and index finger.
“It’s too hard for anyone but you. And you’ve never had sense when it came to me.” I rolled my eyes. This man was too devoted.
“And you have no sense when it comes to me. I mean, come on. Mexico? That was unreal.”
His bright white smile widened. Then the laughing started deep in his chest.
I bit my smile for a few beats, but the memory of it and his cackle were contagious. I started laughing too. I added to the memory, “Telling them you were a monk matador? No one was ever gonna believe that shit. You were going to la prisión for fucking ever.”
“And you bust in there. Shit, you had just the start of the face tat then—promising them you were a cardinal in Canada?”
The laughing went on too long. Both Animal and I were gasping for breath.
He looked at me adoringly when we could both speak again. “You’re a crazy fuck. How the shit you got all that money in twelve hours? You never told me yet.”
I got the chills. “You don’t even need to know.”
Animal laughed again, slapping his chest. “You shoulda left me there. You and I both know I deserved it.”
I shook my head with the absurdity. “I’d never leave you anywhere. You know that.”
Animal sobered. “I know. And that’s why you need to give her the benefit of the doubt. I think she’s crazy too. Like you. The good crazy.”
I pictured her as a kid. Changing everything with her boldness. Her sense of righteousness. And again tonight with the drunk old guy
. No sense in her. No self-preservation.
And it was hot.
“Your father’s after her, brother.” Seriousness shrouded the moment.
The flash of my father banging my mother’s head against the floor painted itself on the back of my eyeballs. The sound of it became a drum in my mind.
I felt Animal’s hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes—trying to see him past the pain I was feeling.
“And you’re the best one to save her. Hands down. No contest.”
He was using my trigger words to build me up. Saving her.
“Okay, I’ll keep at it. With Becca. I’ll keep trying.” I took a deep breath. Protecting her would require believing in me, and that was hard as fuck.
21
MOTHER MONSTER
Becca
I woke up confused for a few minutes until I realized I was in Henry and Dick’s second bedroom. She must have put me in my pajamas, because I was wearing a soft T-shirt and my booty shorts. The room I was in was actually Dick’s back when he was a teenager. They now slept in his mother’s room—she’d passed a few years ago.
I thought of my own mother. Henry had thoughtfully plugged my phone into a charger while I’d slept. It was noon. I didn’t even remember walking into their house from the SUV last night.
I texted Henry that I was awake, and she was opening the door before I was even completely sitting up in bed.
“How are you doing this morning?” Henry sat at the end of my bed while I scrolled through my notifications.
I didn’t answer her.
I scrolled through my notifications again.
My mother hadn’t texted me.
Or called.
“Henry.” I felt my chest seize up with fear,
My friend’s eyes were wide. “What?”
I hit my mother’s number on my contacts and waited, listening to the rings on her home phone.
I told Henry what was wrong while I waited. “Mother Monster hasn’t said a damn thing this morning.”
We both waited while I listened to the voicemail on her house phone. I tried her cell phone and it went straight to voicemail. No rings at all.
Mercy Page 14
