“It was so sweet. We’d just finished having our first Thanksgiving meal with my family and it was time for dessert. Actually, I decided to pass on dessert because I knew we had another big meal to eat with his family. But Mitch presented me with a dessert plate covered by a silver lid. I had no idea what he was doing and I told him I was too full for dessert.”
“What did he do?” Kate questioned.
“He smiled at me and said, ‘I think you’re going to want this dessert. Trust me.’ So I opened it and inside was a ring box. I sat there frozen for a minute.”
“Then what happened?”
“Mitch got down on one knee. He picked up the box from the plate and opened it, showing me the ring. Then he told me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.”
“Oh, Charlie! I’m so thrilled for you. You and Mitch make an amazing couple.”
“Thanks, Kate. I’m so happy. Having my family there made it so special to me, and my dad secretly videotaped the whole thing. I’ll text it to you so you can see it for yourself. I also want you to hear what Mitch said. His proposal was so heartfelt. We were all crying by the time he was done. I couldn’t think of a better way for him to propose.”
“It sounds wonderful. Have you discussed a date yet?”
“I would like to get married during the summer. We talked about this June or July. There’s so much to plan. Would you be my maid of honor?”
“Of course, I will. I can’t wait to go shopping for everything. It’s going to be so much fun. What are you doing on Saturday? We can go to David’s Bridal and look at gowns.”
“I’d love to do that. We can invite Natalie too, if she’s not working. Maybe a change of scenery will do her some good. I want her to know she’s included in our lives.”
“Today was really tough on her. She left early with Neil’s friend, Mac.”
“Oh no. Well, she’ll probably say no, but at least she’ll know she’s wanted. Not inviting her could hurt her feelings.”
“That’s a good point,” Kate said.
“I need to get started on making decisions right away. I only have about seven months.”
“I think we can get it all done by then. We just need to make a list to stay organized.”
“I’m way ahead of you. I already started a list. I’m going to pick up a wedding planner so I don’t miss anything.”
“Do you think you’re going to have a big wedding or a small one?”
“I really want something on the smaller side. I’ve been to both types, but I enjoyed the smaller one more and the bride seemed to have more fun at the smaller wedding. I want Mitch and me to enjoy ourselves, not be overwhelmed by hundreds of guests.”
“Yeah, I think I would want the same thing,” Kate said.
“Well, you’re next,” Charlie chided.
“I’d marry Neil tomorrow if he asked me, but it’s probably too soon. We’ve only known each other a few months. Plus this whole Roger thing has made our relationship move faster. I doubt we’d be living together if it wasn’t for me being in danger.”
“I think Neil is head over heels for you and definitely wants to marry you. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have flown out to your dad’s funeral to clarify your relationship. He would’ve just waited for you to return home. He’s willing to fight for you, and that tells me he’s serious.”
“I know you’re right. I just don’t want to get my hopes up. He may take a year or two to ask. It’s fun to imagine being his wife. But I can live vicariously through you right now. It’s a good distraction from all that’s been going on.”
“I don’t know how you’re getting through all of this with Roger after you.”
“I feel safer now that I have security with me every time I leave the house. At least he doesn’t know where I am. It would be pretty hard for him to find Neil. They never met and he doesn’t know anything about him.”
“Well, thank God for that. Listen, I better go. I’m going shopping with my mom tomorrow. It’s our tradition, as you know, for us to shop on Black Friday.”
“Okay, well, have fun. I’ll see you on Saturday.”
“See you then.”
They ended their call and Kate was still soaking in the tub when Neil came in.
“So, how was Charlie’s proposal?” he asked.
“It was wonderful. She’s so happy. We’re going shopping on Saturday. She wants to have a summer wedding. I’m going to be her maid of honor,” Kate gushed.
“That’s great, baby. Is the water still hot?”
“Why? Are you planning on joining me?”
“Absolutely,” he said with a sly grin and began removing his clothes.
“If it’s not hot enough for you, let me know. I can always heat things up for you,” she said with a sly grin of her own.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Paulina
Paulina washed her hands for the hundredth time. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder had kicked into high gear after her conversation with Darcy yesterday. She was exhausted after tossing and turning most of the night. Her brain was trying to come up with a plan to evade Roger long enough to go back to Germany with their son. She’d managed to stay in the kitchen most of the afternoon, slaving away while Roger was in the living room entertaining Rose. She’d shown up with a store-bought pumpkin pie and all Paulina could imagine doing was spitting it in her face. Even though Paulina did her best to be civil, everything she said came out with a bite to it. She just couldn’t be gracious and engaging with Rose even after she’d told Roger it was okay to invite her for Thanksgiving dinner.
If that wasn’t enough, she felt goose bumps rise on her arms and neck every time she and Roger made eye contact. She kept telling herself to relax, but she was certain a permanent furrowed brow had remained no matter how hard she willed herself to smile. All she had to do was get through today.
She’d booked a motel room under a phony name and paid cash for two nights. Knowing Roger would stake out the airport, she decided to buy bus tickets to Los Angeles and then book a flight to Germany from there. At least she’d be one step ahead of him. He’d never dream she could be that clever. All she had to do now was keep her cool and let time drift away. The only problem was time seemed to be moving excruciatingly slow and listening to Rose drone on about the DMV made her want to put a bullet in her head. Why did she have to talk so much? How could Roger stand it?
“Everything was delicious,” Rose commented, looking at Paulina. “You’re a terrific cook. Maybe you should think about becoming a caterer. I think you have a natural talent for it.”
Paulina gave a curt smile and said, “Thank you.” She couldn’t care less if Rose liked her food. She’d made this meal for her beautiful son, whom she now had to protect from the monster at the other end of the table.
“Have you had any nibbles on finding a job?” Rose dared to ask.
“No,” Paulina said, not making eye contact.
“I could put in a good word for you at the DMV if you like. We might be hiring.”
“That sounds great,” Roger interjected.
Paulina didn’t look up from her plate. She knew her face had formed a scowl and she didn’t want Roger to see it.
“Excuse me,” she uttered and got up from the table.
Staring into the bathroom mirror a minute later, she realized she was the odd man out in this scenario. Roger could get rid of her and have Rose step in to help raise her son, making a nice little family for himself. The thought made her squat down on the floor and hug the toilet bowl. She couldn’t fathom Jacob being reared by that woman. Hopefully, Roger would invite Rose to spend the night so she could sneak out with Jacob at about two in the morning. She’d already prepared a bag with the bare necessities for their getaway.
She splashed some water on her face and told herself she had to go out and put on a better front. The last thing she needed was for Roger to confront her about her attitude toward Rose. He was smitten with her and would
be on Rose’s side no matter what she said. Her best bet was to play nice and pretend everything was great. She took a deep breath, left the bathroom, and returned to the table.
“Is everything okay?” Roger asked.
“Yes,” Paulina said sweetly. She put her hand on her stomach and said, “I think I ate too much. The downside of Thanksgiving, right?”
“It’s happened to all of us,” Rose said cheerily.
“You mentioned the DMV might have an opening?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“I think so. Are you interested if we do?”
“Definitely. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Rose nodded and smiled.
“Why don’t you all go relax in the living room and I’ll put on some coffee. Do you both want a cup?”
Rose and Roger nodded. “I’d be happy to help you Paulina,” Rose stated.
“I won’t hear of it. You’re our guest. Please go sit in the living room with Roger.”
Paulina took some dishes and placed them in the sink. She prepared the coffee maker with Roger’s favorite hazelnut coffee. Clearing the dishes off the table, she was glad to have something to do. Roger, Rose, and Jacob were watching TV in the living room, oblivious to the fact Paulina had practically cleaned up the entire Thanksgiving meal. Taking out four dessert plates, she began cutting the pumpkin pie. She took the pie out on a tray and placed it on the coffee table. Then, going back for the coffee, she filled three mugs, and brought that out along with sugar and creamer. Playing the role of the gracious hostess had given her an excuse to lessen her interaction with Roger and Rose. It was a perfect cover.
They ate their pie and drank their coffee in silence for a few moments.
Jacob had finished his pie and wanted to do something other than watch TV. “Mom, can I go play Nintendo in my room?” he asked.
“Of course you can.”
He hurried out of the room, leaving the adults alone. The next show coming on was The Big Bang Theory. When the sitcom ended, Paulina got up and cleared the trays from the coffee table. She put the dishes in the dishwasher and stored the leftovers in the fridge.
“Well, I’m beat. I’m going to bed. Good night.”
“Good night,” Roger and Rose said almost simultaneously.
Paulina set her alarm clock for two. She was sure Roger would be fast asleep, especially after the big meal they just had. Spending one second longer than she had to with a possible killer was out of the question.
***
Paulina woke up before the alarm went off. She’d gone to bed in her clothes, so all she had to do was put on her shoes and get her son out of bed. Strapping her duffel bag around her body so the weight of it was on her back, she pulled the covers off Jacob and placed shoes on his feet. He was in a deep sleep and had no idea she was moving him.
The hard part was getting him out of the apartment. She was going to have to carry him and he wasn’t exactly light. She opened the bedroom door to prepare her path. She picked him up, feeling her back strain, but she had no choice. Waking him up was not an option. First, it was nearly impossible to wake him up in the middle of the night. Second, he would start asking her questions and possibly wake up Roger.
She walked carefully into the living room, heading toward the door. Freedom was in her grasp, until Roger turned on the lamp. He was sitting on the sofa, apparently waiting for her. She gasped at the sight of him and froze in the spot where she was standing. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. She knew being caught was going to have disastrous consequences for her. All she could do was hold onto her child, believing it was the last time she’d be able to.
“What are you doing?” Roger said with a coldness she’d never heard before. His jaw was tight, his eyes dead. She felt like she was in open water, staring at a great white rushing toward her. The fear made her feet feel like she was wearing cement boots.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She couldn’t speak.
“I asked you a question,” he said, getting up. “Why are you taking Jacob somewhere in the middle of the night?”
“I-I…I’ve become a-afraid of you, Roger. Everything’s so, so intense with you. I thought it would be good to have some space.”
She watched as he approached her. She wanted to relax, not believing any of this was happening, but it was.
“Is it because of Rose? Are you jealous of her?”
Why didn’t she think to blame it on Rose? That was much more plausible than the lame answer she just gave him. She nodded. “You being with Rose is driving me crazy. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to get away to clear my head.”
This could work if she was believable. Perhaps her life wasn’t over yet.
“What are you saying? That you want to give us another try?”
Absolutely not. No way in hell. I loathe the thought of being with you.
“I have to admit I’ve been wishing we could be a family. Have you thought about it too?”
“Of course. Why don’t you put Jacob back to bed and we can talk. I’ll cut us each a piece of pie and we can get things out in the open.”
“Okay.”
She walked back to the bedroom and placed Jacob onto the bed. She removed his shoes, covered him up, and kissed him on the forehead. “Sleep well, my wonderful boy,” she whispered to him. Perhaps all wasn’t lost. She might have to go to bed with Roger to convince him she wanted him, but she could do that if it meant saving her life. She could try again when Roger was working next week. She’d take Jacob out of school and head straight for L.A.
As she walked out of the bedroom, she felt Roger grab her from behind. “I suspected you were up to something, bitch. I had to send home Rose so she wouldn’t be here to see this. I missed out on sex because of you, but I won’t be missing out on that again.” He stuck her neck with something and her body went limp in a matter of seconds. He pulled her into his bedroom and then into his bathroom. She couldn’t quite make out what was wrong with the bathroom walls. Then she realized by looking at the floor he had covered his bathroom in plastic. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t utter a sound. All she could do was take in the scene with her eyes and accept Darcy’s warning had come too late. He was going to kill her and Jacob would be motherless.
Roger placed her in the tub. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you? I knew the minute you started being nice to Rose that you were up to something. What clinched it for me was you accepting help from her finding a job at the DMV. That was over the top. I knew then you’d either figured things out or someone had said something to you. But don’t worry, Paulina. I’m going to take good care of our son. I’ll make sure he wants for nothing. It’s really too bad it has to end this way. You were a good mother.”
Tears streamed down Paulina’s face. Her precious boy was going to grow up with this monster. How would he not turn into a monster himself? The fear of what was about to happen caused her to hear the blood rushing through her body. As he came toward her with a knife, she screamed in her head, no, please don’t kill me. She managed to scream it twice and then he slit her throat. She could feel the life draining out of her body. Please, God, save my son.
***
Roger
Roger was pissed it had come to this, but he wasn’t going to lose his son, not again. Paulina had given him no choice. She was planning on leaving and taking his son. The only mistake he’d made was not finding out how she found out. All he could do now was speculate. He could only assume she’d found the fake drawer where he kept his knives and saws. Damn it.
He knew he was going to have to move quickly. It was four in the morning when he was done wrapping Paulina up in trash bags. The only place he could think to put her without leaving Jacob alone was in the trunk of his car. Doing it now was the safest since everyone was sleeping and he could slip in and out of the apartment undetected. He’d have to come up with a place to discard her later. Fortunately, Jacob slept through anything, so he could do i
t in the middle of the night.
Now, on to more pleasant deliberations—finding Kate. He had the tools he needed to take out her security guard. He just needed to have access to her and the guard. Friday would be a big shopping day. Perhaps Kate would venture out shopping and he could make his move then.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Neil
Neil woke up before Kate to make the preparations he’d been contemplating since their fifth date. He’d wanted to propose on Thanksgiving, but Mitch had beaten him to the punch. So he came up with a plan for the day after. He wanted this to be the most romantic day of Kate’s life—a day she’d never forget—a day that’d make all of her friends swoon when she told them about it. He was extremely pleased with himself. It was way better than Mitch’s proposal to Charlie, not that it was a competition or anything.
He made his way downstairs and then into his office. He took the envelope out of his desk drawer and wrote ‘Kate’ on it. He knew she would reach for the coffee maker first thing, so that’s where he would put the note. Then he’d leave the apartment to finalize his arrangements for the evening.
His mind wandered to her stunning face and he imagined the delight he hoped to see this evening when he got down on one knee. She was his everything, the woman he desired more than any other in the world. His beautiful Kate.
He heard some movement upstairs and took that as his cue to make his departure. This only worked if he wasn’t here. He quietly closed the door behind him and told Porter, who was just getting off the elevator, to keep an eye on his girl today. Porter would be her shadow throughout the events he’d planned.
Uncharacteristically, Porter smiled broadly and nodded. “I know the plan, sir. I’ve got it covered.”
***
Kate
“Neil,” Kate called, bounding down the stairs. When she didn’t hear a response, she called for him again. That’s strange. He didn’t mention going into work today. It was a four-day weekend and she was hoping they’d spend the day together.
Taken by You (Killer Next Door #2) Page 17
