by Terry Towers
“I’ve never killed anyone before.”
He shrugged. “Maybe you can’t relate to everything, but certainly enough.”
My mind flashed to the day when I was a little girl and watched my father kill some woman. I hadn’t tried to stop him. I hadn’t felt anything.
“What about fear?” I asked. As I asked the question, I considered it myself. Fear never factored into any decision I made. I wanted something, and I went for it. Period.
He laughed, a whole-hearted laugh. “No. Fear is for the weak, and all it does is hold you back.”
“You’re right.”
“When you were locked your room – ”
“ – That’s not my room,” I cut in, getting angry all over again that he’d had the nerve to lock me in there.
He grinned. “Fine, I apologize. Locked in the room. Were you scared?”
I gave it thought, but for just a moment. There’d been several emotions during those couple of days – anger, frustration, boredom, anxiety because I had classes I needed to attend and was uncertain as to how long it would take before I escaped. However, fear wasn’t in the list. I slowly shook my head. “No, but I came up with numerous creative ways to kill you.” I didn’t smile. I was dead serious.
He laughed.
Normally, if you told a man you were imagining ways to end his life, while being completely serious, he wouldn’t sit there laughing like you’d told the most amusing of jokes. But then again, Kyle wasn’t just any man.
After he finished laughing, he grew serious again and looked long and hard at me. “To get back to the love issue. How many people truly fall in love? They fall in lust. They think they’re in love, because they’d rather convince themselves they were in love with the one they were with than be alone. But what we have is honest and pure. There’s no smoke and mirrors, and that’s a beautiful thing.”
I paused a minute and slowly nodded my agreement. Now that everything was out in the open, as fucked up as it seemed at least it was real. And there was honesty between us.
For the first time in my life, when I was with him, I felt free to be who I really was.
* TT *
Kyle
I looked across the counter at Rebecca, amused she’d want to compare feelings or lack thereof. But then again, she’d had a whole fucking lot of eye opening these past few days. She seemed to be doing a mental and emotional autopsy of herself, and considering the circumstances, I suppose I couldn’t blame her. But I suppose she’d been in denial all of her life. Not sure why she was the way she was, but it could have to do with not having any real direction or guidance. Her life had been like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. For a brief time, until I accepted who and what I was, I had felt the very same way, so I did know the confusion she was going through.
The expression on her face when I told her I’d risk my own life for hers had been priceless, though it had been the truth. It might not be romantic, but the bottom line was that she challenged me, she entertained me, and she gave me joy. I had no intention of letting that go or allowing someone to take it from me. I’d do whatever I had to in order to keep her with me.
I was just about to take a sip from my wine, the glass at my lips, when she spoke, giving me pause. “So you were the one who attacked Adam, weren’t you?” Her dark eyes narrowed at me.
“Would that bother you?”
She hesitated a moment and seemed to really be considering it. “No, not really. But why would you do it?”
“As I said, you’re mine. He was attempting to swoop in and steal what I’d already claimed.”
“Oh god,” she rolled her eyes at me. “I seriously doubt he even knew we’d been seeing each other.”
“He does now.”
“A bit of an overreaction, if you ask me.”
“I’d do it a dozen more times if need be.”
“You realize I can take care of myself, and when it comes right down to it, I’ll be with you if and only if I want to be.” She stressed the only, as if to prove her point.
I cocked a brow up at her as a grin spread across my lips. “Funny, for a woman who can take care of herself, you managed to get yourself kidnapped.” I saw a flash of anger in her eyes.
“In my own defense, you were working me the entire time.”
“Still, you can take care of yourself, but you’re here with me now.”
“Again, you worked me.”
“That’s irrelevant.” Our gazes locked, and I could see her getting more and more pissed with me. It was cute seeing her angry, winding her up and watching her spin.
“Besides, I’m here now, not because you’re forcing me, but of my own free will.”
“So, is that you admitting you’re into me?”
She huffed. “It’s me telling you that I need your help in finding my sister.”
I didn’t feel slighted by her comment. I knew the truth. I could see it in the dark depths of her eyes. She was falling for me. Maybe not in the traditional sense of the word, but she was infatuated with and drawn to me on an emotional and mental level. Sexually, there was no question. We were perfect together in that regard.
She was just the right amount of fucked up to match me perfectly.
“So what is this big plan you have to lure them out of hiding, or track them down? I’m assuming this Tanner guy isn’t exactly stupid. I’m guessing he and my sister are pretty well hidden.”
“I already told you.” I became amused all over again.
“Told me what?” Her brow furrowed, and she looked at me as if I’d grown an additional head.
“The plan. If your sister is as good and noble as you claim, it’s our best chance.”
I could see her grasp on her fork tightening, her knuckles turning white. Damn, she had one wicked temper. “What is the plan?” she growled through clenched teeth.
“We’re going back to L.A.”
“And…”
“I’m going to have to shoot you. But don’t worry, it won’t kill you. It’ll only hurt a little bit.” I gave a nonchalant shrug, “Okay, maybe a lot.”
“You’re out of your mind.” Her eyes widened, and she wasn’t laughing this time.
“No, I’m taking the path of least resistance.”
“For you maybe!” Her voice went up an octave with each word.
“I never said it was going to be easy.”
“You could kill me!”
“I’ll be using a sniper rifle, and I’m an excellent shot. You’ll be placed perfectly for a clean shot.”
“Fuck you!”
I grinned. “Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are when you get angry?”
“You’re a certified lunatic!” She stood up suddenly, the stool falling backwards behind her. Without another word, she fled across the room and into my bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Chuckling, I stood and followed behind her to the door. Knocking on the it, I called out, “Does this mean you’re not going to make love to me tonight?”
“Kiss my ass, Kyle.”
I continued to smile as I walked back to the counter and finished my romantic supper, solo. Oh well, I had a plan to formulate, because I had to be precise with my shot, otherwise, I’d risk actually killing her for real. She was really missing out. The lobster was divine.
Chapter 21
Rebecca
I was fucking insane. This whole situation was insane. I paced the floor of his bedroom attempting to figure out if this was indeed the best way to go about it. I knew without a doubt my mother didn’t know where Emily was because besides whining about my father, Emily was her second favourite topic.
Considering this newfound knowledge about myself, I’d have thought I wouldn’t care if anyone went after my mother, but I did. She was my mother after all, and if they wanted to touch her, they’d have to go through me. By hurting her, you were attempting to hurt me. That wouldn’t be tolerated. Was that love? I didn’t think so. It was something more convolut
ed. I had yet to figure it out.
After mulling the situation over in my mind, I came to one conclusion. His plan had merit, and there was a certain fucked up thrill that went with it. Damn, good news was I wouldn’t need to find a case study the next time I was assigned psychopaths for one of my classes. I could just ask myself or my boyfriend the questions.
I stopped pacing and chuckled as I crinkled up my nose. Turning to face the wooden door, I stared long and hard at it. Boyfriend? A whole new slew of questions pummelled my brain, the premier one being; could we possibly have a relationship?
It sure as hell wouldn’t be a healthy one. But then again, every relationship was fucked up in its own special way. For someone like me, this could be the most normal relationship I’d ever be in.
Deciding I needed more information on his so-called plan, I exited the bedroom to find Kyle finishing up our supper slash lunch. “Prove it to me.”
“Huh?” His brow furrowed as he stared blankly at me for a moment.
Planting my hands on my hips, I got more specific. “What if you miss?”
Recognition as to what I was referring to lit up his eyes. “I never miss.”
We’d been through this conversation already, numerous times. It’s not I wasn’t confident in his abilities… You know what, yeah, that’s exactly what it was. The proof was in the pudding. Taking his word for it wasn’t going to cut it.
Crossing the room, I stood before him, my arms over my chest, and I stared at him. “Prove it.”
He finished the glass of wine in front of him and nodded. “Sure. What the hell.” Standing, he motioned for me to follow him into the bedroom.
“I’m not in the mood right now, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He looked over his shoulder at me and smirked as he opened the closet, and pulled out a duffle bag, which he put off to the side. He fussed in the closet another moment, and as I stepped forward, I noticed he’d opened a trap door in the floor. From inside the compartment in the floor, he pulled out another army green duffle bag, picked it up, and carried it over to the bed. I followed him over and watched him unzip the bag. Inside was an assortment of guns and accessories.
He pulled out a pistol and then a sniper rifle. Leaving the rest of the guns inside, he walked away from the bag. “Grab some of the targets from the bag and meet me behind the house.”
I frowned. “Aren’t you scared I’ll just grab a gun, load it, and shoot you?”
He paused just before he exited the room and turned back to face me. “Nope. Not at all.”
“You think I wouldn’t do it.”
Heaving a loud sigh, he leaned one shoulder against the door jamb and caught my gaze. “I know you’re capable of doing it, but I just know for a fact you won’t.”
I lifted my chin, annoyed with his arrogance and the fact he was right. “What makes you so sure?”
“For the very reason I wouldn’t kill you.”
I cocked a brow up at him, planting my fists on my hips and waiting for him to continue.
“Because it’s hard to find people who connect as well as we do, or understand who we really are and accept it at face value. So now that we’ve found each other, it would be crazy not to hold tight and see where this goes once the dust settles. We may be a little on the psychotic side, but we’re hardly crazy or stupid.”
Without another word, he turned and exited through the door.
Hmmm, he did have a point. I looked down at the array of guns in the bag and found the targets. My fingers slid along the cold steel of the barrel of one of the revolvers. Maybe he was right. He kept me interested unlike anyone I’d ever met. I hadn’t known him for very long, but I knew in my heart I’d feel empty without him – despite everything that had transpired between us.
“Rebecca!”
I smiled hearing Kyle bellowing from outside for me. I wondered how far from civilization we truly were. We had to be a good distance to be shooting in the back yard. Of course, I supposed Kyle wouldn’t be too overwrought if someone did walk in front of his bullet.
“Coming!” I yelled back, pulling my hand from the revolver and leaving the room with the targets, which were two by two feet sheets with a three-ringed bullseye in the center. Exiting the cabin, I walked around back to see him reclining against the wall, waiting for me, the sniper rifle propped up beside him and the pistol in hand.
“Bout time.”
“I was examining the guns in the bag. You have quite an arsenal there.”
“I do.” He smiled, pushing off of the wall and extending his hand. “Targets, please.”
I passed the three of them to him, and he began walking into the wooden area, though the trees were very sparse. He seemed to keep walking for what felt like forever, though in reality, it was roughly the distance of a football field, before he came to a tree and pinned it to the bark.
“That’s quite a distance,” I remarked when he returned to my side.
“It is. Which should tell you exactly how good I really am. That distance is much further than I would be from you when it happened.”
“It, meaning shooting me.”
“Exactly.” He gave me a wink, and after shoving the pistol into the back of his jeans, he walked up to a tree stump and positioned the sniper rifle onto it. Crouching down, he looked through the scope and angled the rifle until he seemed satisfied.
I watched, wordlessly, as his body seemed to tense and every ounce of his concentration seemed to be focused on the target. “I’m going to center it out.” Without another word, he fired.
I squinted, but couldn’t tell if he hit or not.
“Come here.” He motioned with his hand for me to crouch with him. He moved aside and urged me to look into the scope. Obliging, I peered in to see he had indeed hit his mark - dead center.
“Not bad.” I smiled and nodded.
“Not bad?” He appeared to be slightly offended. “I’ll have you know I’m one of the best shots in the UK.”
“Says who?”
He laughed. “Let’s just say I’ve won more than my fair share of championships.”
“Not to brag or anything.”
He tapped the tip of my nose with his index finger. “Exactly.”
“Doesn’t mean you won’t miss when you shoot me though.”
“I never miss.”
“Always a first time.”
He gave me a cocky, lopsided grin. “Then I guess you’ll be dead, and it won’t matter anymore anyhow.”
“Unless you get me in the head and make me a vegetable.”
Kyle’s head fell back, and a roar of laughter erupted from him. I tried to maintain a straight face, but it was hard. “Again, if you’re a vegetable you won’t care anyhow.”
“Maybe that was a lucky shot.”
He huffed. “Fine. I’ll play the role of dancing monkey for you a little longer.” He got back into position and fired off three more shots. Without another word, he got out of the way and waved me over to look through the scope. Sure enough, three more bullet holes had hit the target. There wasn’t any red left. I wasn’t surprised. I was fucking with him at this point.
“All right.” I pretended to not be impressed. After all, the whole reason he was proving this to me was because he wanted to shoot me.
“And I figured since we’re out here, I’d show you how to shoot a pistol, just in case.”
I frowned. “Just in case what?”
Taking the second target with him, he walked about twenty feet away and pinned it to a tree. “Just in case Tanner gets the upper hand. From the way I figure it, the shooting will make headlines. You are the daughter of a fairly famous preacher who was murdered, plus you’ll be shot in the middle of the courtyard between classes. That’s news.”
“Excuse me?” Vanessa would be with me. There’d be tons of people. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“A public place gets you the quickest help. Plus, it makes headlines. Of course, Emily will come to see you,
and Tanner would never let her come alone, suspecting it was a trap – which it will be. Long story short, I want you to know how to shoot a gun, just in case.”
“I’m not shooting my sister.” The statement came out with more force than I would have anticipated it would. “And neither are you,” I added for good measure.
“You won’t have to. Just Tanner, if needed. They prefer him alive, but they’ll take him dead.”
“What’s the big deal about Tanner anyhow? I mean, is the guy causing problems for your people?”
“No.” Kyle sighed, raking a hand through his hair and grasping the back of his neck. “To be honest, I’d prefer to just forget about him and your sister. I don’t see the point in wasting resources - ”
“AKA you.” I cut in.
He grinned. “ – Yeah, AKA me, to track down someone who’ll never pop up again. He’s done. He’s been done in his mind with us for a long time.”
“Then why come here?”
“Because my father, who runs this whole operation, can’t just let things go. He’s too damned prideful, to the point he lacks common sense sometimes.” He took aim and fired the gun. No surprise, he hit dead on each time. Turning to me, he passed me the gun.
I positioned my hands on the gun, holding it level and aiming.
“Wait.” He stepped behind me and helped me aim. The smell of his aftershave drifted to my nose. I loved that smell, and for a moment, I was lost in the scent and feel of his body, which was hard against my back. “Rebecca?”
“Huh?” I looked over my shoulder at him, embarrassed his presence was having such an effect on me. I cleared my throat and straightened my back, squaring my shoulders.
“Loosen your grip. Try not to freeze up and then gently pull the trigger.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t close your eyes. Sometimes, the noise and kick back will make you lose focus when shooting. Don’t let it. And remember to breathe between shots.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
