by Olivia Marie
“Tell you what. We will try to find out and if you are still awake when I get to them, I will show you what a chunk looks like. Okay?”
“No,” he tried to mumble. It came out the same way a toddler would have sounded with shit in their mouth.
“Oh, I think yes, and I have the hammer, so I win.”
He tried once more to pull at the ropes to free himself. It didn’t work and all that happened was he was giving himself rope burn.
“If you were still going to be alive tomorrow, that would really hurt. Hey,” I said loudly. He jumped and slowly looked to where I was standing. “I wonder if my brain looks different than yours. Have you ever thought about killing someone? Would you go through with it if you had?”
The blood was running into his eyes and he tried to shake it away. He didn’t answer me or even look at me when I asked him the last two questions.
“I thought so. You have thought about it. Well, let me tell you something. You should have tried it. It’s amazing the power you feel and the high you get. Think about the best orgasm you have ever had. Can you picture it?”
I paused and waited for him to answer me. After a minute of him realizing I wasn’t going to speak again until he did, he slowly nodded yes.
“Good. Well, this is way better than that. Lucky for me, you men are so willing to give me both. You are so sweet. Dumb as shit, but sweet.”
I had enough of playing with him and the longer it took, the higher the risk of getting caught would be for me. Taking the hammer and holding it above my head, I got into the position I wanted before freezing.
“Are you ready to say goodbye to the world?”
He violently shook his head no and the tears came on faster. Big drops fell onto the bed behind his head and formed wet spots.
“Well, that is a shame, because you are going to have to.”
I came down hard and his skull sunk in. The blood hit me and covered my still naked body in the warm, sticky liquid. When I was able to free the hammer from his head, I looked at what I had done. It was beautiful. The reds, pinks, and pale flesh of him all moved around to paint the perfect masterpiece. He now lay there, a beautiful work of art, and I had been the painter.
Reaching down, I let my fingers run through the blood and covered the rest of his face with it. He lay there lifeless, still and at peace. I envied him in a way. He was free while the rest of us in this fucked up world had to carry on with our burdens and pain.
He would never feel the stab of his sister missing from his life or the fact he lost his parents. He would live carefree forever and I had given him that gift.
“You owe me. You know that, right?” He didn’t answer me, and I expected him to.
I took the purple blanket and spread it out over the floor. After untying him, I rolled him off the bed and onto the precious comforter of his sister. Looking for trash bags wasn’t that hard, and I found them right away. After shoving the soiled blankets in them, I headed to his bathroom to wash his blood off of me. It felt good to use his soap, water, and towels knowing he couldn’t stop me even if he wanted to. He was dead in the middle of his bedroom floor.
I got dressed and started to drag him through the house and to the garage door. Knowing the best way to get him loaded in his car after Jaxson, it went a lot faster. I found the keys to the car and locked the door before going back into the house to grab the few things I left there.
Coming back down the hall, I heard a thud on the door across from his room. I panicked for a minute until I saw the furry orange colored paw dart out from under the door.
“Dumb cat.”
Opening it, I picked the thing up and walked it to the front door with me. Shooing the fluffy orange and white cat outside so it stood a chance, I made sure I hadn’t left a trace of me anywhere before I got in my car and drove back to the motel.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It took less than a week to find my next playground. The new city was much larger than the last few I had stopped in and I would be able to blend in easier. Because both men had been in different states and so far apart, even though some things were similar, I made them different enough that the idiots had no clue they were related cases.
I guess I should thank Stella for that. Even if she didn’t mean to, she taught me what not to do and the best ways to avoid jail time. I hated switching up what worked, but if I had any hope of staying in one place for longer than a week, I would have to get creative.
I didn’t mind the area as much as the last one. No small town nothing here and my neighbors had kept to themselves. Setting my tiny, overpriced loft up took no time at all. I had gotten better with the quick set-up and tear down.
There was a separate bedroom there and for the first time in years, I had a little kitchen. The place came furnished so I didn’t have to spend money I didn’t have to get a bed, couch, table, or kitchen appliances that I would end up leaving behind anyway. There was carpet throughout the house, even in the bathroom; that was the only downside to the place. I would have to find ways around it if I was going to make it work there.
Being on the third floor, I went out on the balcony for a smoke and to look around at the sights within walking distance. There looked to be a small park in the far-left distance. It would be nice for walks to clear my head, but nothing else. Even on a Tuesday, the place was packed with kids and their mothers.
Taking a deep drag, I couldn’t help but wonder what my mom would have been like with me if she would have stuck around longer than a few months. She had to have been something special if she snagged my dad even for a night. He always told me he would tell me all about her and how they met when I got older. Being robbed of both my parents took more of me away than I would ever have admitted to anyone. The feeling of being alone all the time and not having anyone to confide in, it left its mark on me.
Shaking off the memory of them and the loneliness I felt all the time, I continued to look. Snuffing out my first cigarette, I immediately reached into the pack for another. I wasn’t sure why, but I was having a hard time settling down. It wasn’t that uncommon, but I usually had a reason for it.
I saw a small building at the end of my street and smiled. It had to be a coffee shop with the sign hanging off the front shaped like a white coffee mug. If that was there, it was guaranteed there would be a bar on that same block. It would be my new favorite spot in town.
I heard the sliding glass door below me open and paused to listen.
“I hate you,” a female voice shouted. I couldn’t see her, but it was clear by the strain in her voice she was crying.
“You don’t hate me. Come here, Viki,” a man pleaded.
“No. Go to her if you want someone to comfort you. I am done. This wasn’t the first time, you asshole, and I know it won’t be the last. I have given you more chances than you deserved. I am done,” she spat at him through her sobs.
“You don’t mean that. What would you do without me? You don’t work or have a car, and where will you live? You need me and you know it. I am the best thing that has ever happened to you, so suck it up. If I get laid or head from another bitch because you refuse to put out, you will have to deal with it. A piece of shit like you, I am all you deserve and then some.”
“No. I deserve better than you.”
“Get back here, cunt,” he yelled.
Thud.
I heard him slam her against the wall leading to the balcony and it shook my deck.
“I told you, you aren’t going anywhere.”
“Let me go,” she begged.
I peeked over the railing, careful to not be seen, and watched as he stood over her with his fist in her face. She cowered away from him sobbing. When she looked up, her hair fell away from her face and I saw the bruising he had already left on her left cheek. She was petite and he was a monster. Doubling her in size, it was like a body builder beating up a puppy.
Rage filled me and I flicked the butt, half smoked, off the side of the railing. I was car
eful to stay back so he wouldn’t see me, but I was able to get a good enough look that I could have picked him out in a crowd. Not even there for a day and I already knew what I had to do. If he wanted a woman to push around, I would give him one. One he wouldn’t be able to beat because he wouldn’t see it coming.
“Brent, please,” she begged. I heard him punch at the wall.
“I hate you. Get out of my face, you bitch. I’m going out for a while. Have this dump cleaned up before I get back.”
“I will,” she mumbled.
I was sure she wanted him gone and at that point, she didn’t care where he went or who he was with. It would rip at her to think about what he was doing, but if he was gone, he wasn’t there to hit her. I knew every time he left the house it would rip at her heart a little more than the time before. It would break her down to nothing and make her wish somedays that he would kill her. If she couldn’t leave, then death would have been the only ending to her living nightmare.
I know because that had been Tommy for me when I was nineteen. He beat me down to nothing and I didn’t have it in me to fight back then. It wasn’t until he was shot for fucking another man’s wife that I realized how toxic the relationship had been.
He was so hot though and at first, he showed me all the love I hadn’t had in years—not since Dad died. His jet-black hair and his dark chocolate eyes pulled me in to him. When he talked to me for the first time and that thick, southern accent of his spewed out of his mouth, I was hooked. He would call me his “baby doll” and make sure I was taken care of first no matter what. I was his priority and he doted on me.
Until he had me.
Then he flipped and I was always last on his list of things he needed to take care of. When that became an issue and I spoke up, it was the first time he clobbered me into the ground. The first time should have been the last, but he begged and pleaded with me to stay and forgive him. He blamed me and said if I would be good, he wouldn’t have to hit me anymore. I believed him because I desperately needed someone to belong to.
Shaking my head, I pushed Tommy out of my mind. As sick as it was, I stilled loved and missed him. I couldn’t have done anything to save myself, but I would do what I could to save Viki. I would go out that night and I would help her fix her life.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Stepping out of my apartment, I made sure the door was locked behind me. Fidgeting, I pulled my short skirt down once more before heading to the lobby of the building. The darkness of the halls matched the gloomy weather outside. Rain clouds had moved in and it was forecasted to dump buckets on us tonight. I hoped to get to the club three blocks down before the skies opened up and ruined my look.
Normally I wouldn’t have cared, but tonight was special, and I pulled out all the stops for him. Tonight, Brent would know what it felt like to be the one in trouble begging for mercy. I knew what assholes like him looked for in a quick lay, so I threw the little clothing on I needed to and prepped for the fight I would face in a few hours.
The black leather mini skirt rode high up my thighs and if I bent over even a little, he would get a sneak peek at the black lace panties underneath. I had my white lace halter top on that plunged all the way to my navel. Leaving the bra off, my perky size B tits were cupped inside the tight shirt perfectly. I left any kind of stocking off and went for the silver high heels making me inches taller than I was and extending the look of the length of my legs.
I left my dirty blonde hair down and the dreads I had started added to the look perfectly. He would want to know he would get laid the second he saw me, so I went a little heavier on the makeup than I normally did. I had to get his attention and seal that before he left for the night or Viki would never be free from him.
The catcalls from the three thugs standing on the corner by the convenience store told me I had done a great job of slutting it up. They also had me quickening my pace because I didn’t have time for their bullshit. I was on a mission that night and nothing was going to sidetrack me from it. I had a block to go before I rounded the corner to the club. Thinking better about it, I should have taken my car, but if I had, there would be one more complication when it was time to leave. We would be in his car already, so dumping his body would be easier for me.
Walking into the club, there wasn’t anyone there checking IDs. That would be one less person to remember me, not that they would have. Looking around, most of the woman were in outfits like I was. It might be harder than I thought to get his attention, but I knew what he was looking for, so I had that advantage. I would fall all over him and make him feel like the king he didn’t feel like at home. I would stroke his ego until he was ready to blow his load in his too tight jeans.
I hadn’t even made it to the bar before I had someone trying to hand me a drink. I knew better than to take an open anything from a stranger. I wasn’t going to be the victim tonight. That was reserved for Brent.
Looking around the room, I spotted him quickly. He was sitting at the bar and had his eyes on another red headed bitch. I would have to work faster to get him to go with me. I made my way to where he was but ignored him.
“What can I get ya?” the bartender asked. She was gorgeous and could have been a model. She was wasting her time there making drinks for losers and assholes.
“A beer, please.”
“Sure thing, honey.”
She handed me the green glass bottle filled with the cheapest beer ever and I locked eyes with Brent as I brought it to my lips. Having his attention, I wrapped my lips around the opening, caressing it first with my tongue before I took a long drink. I watched his eyebrow rise on his left side and the smirk creep across his face and knew I had him. Licking the bottle to make sure I hadn’t missed a drop was all it took for him to push the redhead away and make his way to me.
“A little jealous of that bottle right now,” he started.
“You should be.”
“Ouch. My name is Brent,” he said and pulled up a stool next to me.
“Hazel.”
“Beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I said and took another drink making sure he was paying attention.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Have I?” he asked me still not taking his eyes off my lips and that bottle.
“No. I just moved here.”
“Oh yeah?” That got his attention in a hurry. He liked exotic. I could give him that.
“Yep. It was time for a change. Breakups will do that to you, ya know?”
“I get that. Breakups are a bitch.”
“So was she,” I said and watched him choke on the shot he was downing.
“She?”
“Yeah. After the last guy, loser, I wanted to try something else. Women are worse than men though. I have to give you guys credit there.”
“Tell me about it,” he said and laughed at his own joke.
“So, what about you? Is there a woman in your life?”
“Naw. I broke up with her a few months ago. Now I am trying to live the single dream.”
“How is that working for you?” I leaned over a little to let him get a better look at what my shirt had contained.
“Not too bad. I have found a few clingy ones that needed to find the curb fast. I am not looking for a long term anything right now.”
“Me either. Relationships are overrated anyway.”
“That’s what I say all the time. All of my friends are starting to pair up and pop out babies. Who needs that shit? I am still young, and I want to have fun.”
“Gross. Marriage and babies. Not in my vocabulary any time soon, if ever.”
“I like that,” he said and moved a little closer.
He put his arm around the back of my chair, and I caught a whiff of his body odor. Trying not to show I was gagging; I leaned a little farther away and acted like I was trying to see him better. Judging by the glossed over look in his eyes, he was well on his way to being shit-faced. That would help me a ton.
“How about another drink?” I asked and held up my almost empty beer. A few more and I shouldn’t have any problem getting him out of the bar but not so drunk I had to carry him. I needed people to see he left willingly with me. A struggle would only draw attention to us and that was the last thing I needed before a kill.
“Sure thing. My treat,” he said and flagged down the bartender.
“For now. It will be my treat later,” I teased before finishing the last of the liquid laying in the bottom of the bottle.
“You are gonna be trouble, aren’t you?” he asked as he walked away laughing.
“You have no idea,” I whispered behind him. My night would be great. His would turn to shit really fast.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
It took less than an hour to get him out of that bar and on our way to park somewhere. He gave me some bullshit excuse on why he couldn’t take me back to his place and I refused to tell him where I lived. He drove for what felt like hours and I dreaded the walk back to town after.
The place he picked was nice and secluded though. There clearly wasn’t a person around for miles and that would benefit me. He had no clue who it was he had picked for the night or the fact that I had seen the shit he pulled earlier in the day. Brent could have learned a lesson. But I wasn’t going to give him that chance.
The moon was full and bright enough that we could easily see each other without the interior light. I made sure he was distracted by parting my legs slightly and letting him get a glimpse of the black lace panties he would never get to touch.
“Man, I can’t wait to get inside of you,” he said and licked his nasty lips.
“Me first,” I said back.
“Yeah.”
He was either too busy planning his next move or too drunk to catch what I said. Either way, it would work in my favor. His eyes tried so hard to focus on what he was trying to get to that he hadn’t seen me reach into my purse and get out the hammer I had grown fond of.
