Page 23

Greyson

I let Alora sleep as I processed how much I enjoyed laying beside her for the first time. She was curled in a ball, her back pressing into me as she gripped my hand to her chest. It had been a long time since I slept in bed with a girl. The only other times had been because I was too intoxicated to give a fuck and passed out. I’d also never fucked anyone without a condom, which explained where my mind and emotions were sitting. Lennox would call me a fucking idiot, but there were only two things I craved in this world, death, and my doll. I wasn’t giving either of them up.

Kissing her cheek, I untangled my arm from her tight grasp and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before heading downstairs. I only had a few hours before I needed to head out for the party I was hosting. It was a combination graduation and demonstration as four more dogs had passed the program. Rodney had already made the arrangements to show off their skills. Grabbing a pot, I put the grits in to boil while I mixed the biscuit dough from memory. My mom loved making them and taught me how before I could talk. As soon as they were rolled out, cut, and tossed in the oven, I got to work on the meat. I twirled the panhandles before sitting them on the stove.

“Those are pretty fancy cooking skills,” Alora said, and I smiled as I turned to see her walking toward me. She was wearing one of my T-shirts while her hair fell around her shoulders in unruly waves, and a blush dusted across her cheeks. She didn’t look worried as I picked her up and placed her on the counter.

“Well, hello, breakfast.”

She smiled, and it was the first time I’d seen her truly smile for anything or anyone. If she didn’t already own my soul, she would’ve captured it then.

“Hi back.” Wrapping her arms around my neck, Alora kissed me as I ran my fingers through her hair.

“I’m tempted to turn everything off and just lay you out on the table.”

“I think I’ve laid on that table enough for at least a year,” she said teasingly.

“Trust me, there is never too much of you spread eagle on a table. That is a vision I never want to forget.”

“Okay, but could we do it without the pesky nose tube and catheter this time?” I burst out laughing and kissed her again before leaning over and pouring her a cup of coffee.

“You not going to ask how I take my coffee?”

I smirked. “You take your coffee black or with a splash of milk. Am I correct?”

“You are. I should’ve known you would already know the answer.”

“You’re right. You should’ve known. I take in everything.” I stared into her eyes and poured in a bit of milk. “Especially when it has to do with you. Here you go.” I nibbled at her neck, loving that she giggled, all of her walls down. “Wanna go for another chase today,” I asked as I walked to the stove and then looked back to see Alora staring at me with wide eyes. “I’m joking.” She relaxed and took a sip of her coffee. “Next time, it’ll be at the cemetery,” I said as she started to choke.

“Do you need any help?”

“If you wouldn’t mind manning the toast,” I said, putting a massive T-bone in one pan and some bacon and andouille in the other.

“That sounds difficult. I don’t know if I can manage that complicated task,” she sassed.

“So adorable when you’re feisty. How would you like to work for me today?”

“Doing what?”

I didn’t need to see her face to hear the trepidation in her voice. We still had a bit to go before she fully accepted what I was, but I was confident we were on the right path. If we weren’t, she would’ve grabbed the large knife I purposely left on the counter by her hand, and she would’ve tried to stab me with it. She hadn’t even glanced in its direction.

“I need a server for my event this evening.”

“Sure. I can do that, but I need my backpack from wherever you have it stashed.” Alora glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I shook my head at her. Bold, so bold, and I was really loving it. “I have my black pants and a clean T-shirt in it.”

“You can have your bag back, but you might as well unpack it since you’ll be staying here from now on.” I almost expected her to argue, but she nodded and walked around the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers and taking out plates and utensils. “Also, you don’t need the clothes in it. I took the liberty of buying you a few things.” Alora leaned against the counter with her arms crossed.

“Did you now?”

“I did. You’ll find it all in the bedroom closet.” She ran her hand through her hair but didn’t complain. Flipping the meat and stirring the grits, I made sure to season everything. “Look around if you’d like.”

“This is really a beautiful home,” she said as she looked out the window and then wandered into the living room. “Are you shittin’ me?” I smirked, knowing what she was looking at. There was a framed aerial of the entire property. It was a great shot, but Alora would clearly be able to see she hadn’t made it halfway to the property line. “Do you seriously own the next property over in each direction,” Alora called out.

“I do.”

“So, I was never close to leaving the property?”

“Nope,” I said, chuckling under my breath.

“You’re an ass,” she said, but there was no heat to her tone, and I couldn’t deny it anyway. Alora walked in holding a family photo. “You have a beautiful family. Both you and Lennox look so young and happy in this picture. One would never suspect that you’d turn out…well…you know.”

“First, I’m still happy, more so now,” I said and loved how her face flushed a deeper shade of red. “Second, I was always like this, and believe it or not, I had a much harder time controlling the urges or rages then. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point.”

“Your parents don’t come here anymore?” She looked around. “I don’t understand, why is that? This place is like a dream. Spacious home with lots of light and a massive porch.”

“They got spooked when a body was found on the property,” I said, checking on the biscuits to make sure they weren’t burning.

“A body? I’m going to assume this wasn’t a random, run-of-the-mill body that washed up on shore, type thing?”

“No. It was before I had control. I ended up killing my guidance counselor. She was concerned about my behavior in school. Not that I got into a bunch of fights, but I talked back, pushed the boundaries, and saw what I could get away with as the star of the school. At the time, I thought she saw what I was. Heck, maybe she did. Anyway, she was friends with my mom and came out to the property to talk to my parents. She found me instead. My parents were in town, and I thought she was going to ruin me, so I acted.”

“How old were you?” Alora seemed hesitant to ask like she couldn’t picture the sweet kid in the photo bludgeoning a person’s head in. She was having the same reaction as the police that day.

“Ten.”

“Jesus, Greyson. I’ll take it they thought you were too young?” I nodded.

“Yeah, I was supposed to be out riding my bike with Lennox, but his chain broke, so I’d come home to get him a spare while he stayed with his bike. I’d just walked out of the shed when she arrived. I didn’t even think that my parents might be accused, and thankfully, they were seen at the time by a number of store owners and a lady from church. They were cleared, but we moved out a month later.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, but just be positive you want to know the answer,” I said, moving the bacon and andouille out of the pan before flipping the steak and making sure my grits didn’t burn.

“Why me?”

Turning around to face her, I ran my hand through my hair. “Honestly?” She nodded. “I planned on killing you at the start.”

“Oh.” Alora held the frame to her chest as she looked away.

I walked over to her and cupped her face, running my thumbs over her cool skin. She was always so cool to the touch. “I said that was all I wanted at the start, but why I want more is what’s important.” Alora looked up, her eyes locking with mine. “I claimed you because the fractures in your soul align with mine.”

“You want me because I’m broken?”

“I want you because we both are, but together we’re complete.” I placed my hand over her heart. “I am you.” Grabbing her hand, I laid it over my heart. “You are me.” I let my lips brush against hers, a shiver of need kindling and unfurling itself inside of me. “We are one.”

Her eyes glistened just like the stars twinkled in the night sky. A single tear trickled free and slid over my fingers. “I…I….” she gripped my hand over her heart and closed her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, Alora.”

“Call me Doll.” Surprising me, she attacked my mouth, and I opened for her. Taking the frame from her hands, I set it aside before pulling her close.

Fuck breakfast.

She wrapped her legs around my waist when I picked her up. I walked over to the stove and turned everything off before pushing her back up against the wall. Alora wiggled against me as she deepened the kiss. I pulled my sweatpants down and lined myself up with her.

“Scream for me, Doll,” I said as I thrust into her.

Mine.

Alora

You have got to be kidding me.

I was serving drinks to police officers, military officials and heads of special needs organizations. Not only was I serving them, but Greyson, the serial killer, was shaking hands, smiling, and joking with everyone like he was their best friend. There wouldn’t have been a cop in a hundred miles that believed my story of this man being my stalker. No wonder the detective looked at me like I was losing my mind. He probably thought I was his stalker. Fucking ironic.

Not that I wanted to go anywhere now, but that was beside the point. It felt like the deck had been stacked against me before I knew I was playing the game. I wandered around with a tray of wine and beer and knew that Greyson had given it to me on purpose. It was not only a test, but there was a deeper meaning I was still trying to sort out. Maybe he was trying to prove to me that I didn’t need it. Perhaps, between here and the bar, it was a way of desensitizing me with overexposure.

Whatever his reasoning, so far, not a single urge had risen. I wasn’t cured. It wasn’t like you could cure what was wrong with me, but my addiction had taken a turn in another direction. I struggled to rationalize how I could know all the terrible things he’d done and yet feel like I had to have him in my life. Maybe I was addicted to pleasure that caused me pain because Greyson checked both those boxes.

I finished adding drinks to my tray and walked to the high-top table where Greyson was chatting with a General.

“Mr. Laurent, General, would either of you care for another refreshment,” I asked sweetly and smiled.

“Thank you. I wouldn’t mind another.” The General took a glass of wine and then pointed to the plush seats that were set up by the demo arena. “I think I’m going to go get a prime spot before the show starts.”

“Remember what I said. We can train them to do anything you need. We only breed the best,” Greyson said before the General nodded and walked away. “Thank you for doing this,” Greyson whispered in my ear before giving my cheek a chaste kiss. He swiped a small napkin and some fresh fruit and cheese off the table. “Did you like the tour of the operation?”

“You mean, did I like how you managed to smack them all in the face with the evidence they are looking for? Then sure.” I was never going to forget Greyson taking large handfuls of meat, vegetables, and fruit and putting them through a grinder to show what the dogs ate. I didn’t even have to ask. The look in his eyes as he glanced my way told me all I needed to know.

“Not impressed?”

“Um…it’s certainly ingenious, but I’m not going to be volunteering to make their food any time in the near future.”

Greyson smirked. “You might surprise yourself. It’s quite cathartic.”

I wanted to gag. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Does it really bother you that much?” There was concern in his tone, but I shook my head, and he visibly relaxed, popping a strawberry into his mouth. Greyson nodded to the demo area as Rodney and four dogs walked into the sandy arena. “Let’s go,” he said, with pride in his voice. For all the insanity that surrounded him, there were parts so normal that it was difficult to wrap my brain around the fact that the two sides belonged to the same person.

Setting the tray down, I let Greyson guide me to an empty seat. His hand was hot as it lay at the small of my back. When I sat down, I realized I was sitting between two of the most powerful men in the country. Didn’t they have people under them that could come to a demo like this? Then again, maybe they liked the downtime.

Greyson stepped over the low fence and picked up a wireless microphone. “Good evening, everyone. I want to start by thanking each of you for your interest in my breeding and training program. The dogs that you see tonight are only a few weeks away from graduating and will be ready to go to their prospective handlers. There will be a total of eight demonstrations, the first four dogs that you see before you are learning a variety of military and police tasks.” Greyson made a wide sweep of the arena that had been designed with four distinct quadrants: grass, sand, water, and extreme obstacles. At the very center was a course with little flags. “Here at Bourbon Bayou, we do things a little differently than other breeding programs. We will not allow a single dog to leave before they are fully trained, and we let the dogs tell us what tasks they enjoy and then enhance their natural personality traits. Whichever dog you choose, you can’t go wrong. We’ll start with Boomer. He is aptly nicknamed for his bravery and nose for sniffing out landmines. Rodney, take it away.”

Everyone leaned forward to watch the dog work, and I found myself following suit. I hardly saw Rodney move, but Boomer stepped forward from the group sitting like perfect statues, turned, and walked by his side. I’d never seen anything like this before, and I watched in complete fascination as Rodney gave a command, and Boomer began sniffing the ground, weaving back and forth in front of Rodney. As soon as Boomer detected one, he would stop, point with his nose, and whine. Rodney marked the spot with a tiny white flag. This went on eight more times. Some of the devices were only a foot apart, and what I assumed could’ve been confusing for the dog was quickly pointed out. The very last one, he pointed, and instead of whining, he began to bark. Rodney placed a blue flag on that spot before giving Boomer a treat and sending the dog running back into line with the others.

“Let’s see how well he did,” Greyson said and picked up a shovel. He dug around each flag, and sure enough, he lifted a wide assortment of landmines. “I assure you, none of them are active,” he said, setting them aside before going to the last one. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why this spot was treated differently.” Greyson dug around the flag and pulled out a garbage bag. Inside was a tiny baggie of pills. Greyson waved it in the air. “Not only can Boomer find landmines and drugs, but he is an exceptional tracker and cadaver dog. You need it sniffed out. He will find it,” Greyson said, smiling. “Sheriff Moore, did you ever find your wedding band?”

“Shh, don’t mention that. My wife still hasn’t forgiven me.” Everyone chuckled.

“Well, I can guarantee that if you take Boomer home, he will find it for you.”

“I might just have to try that,” the sheriff said, laughing and lifting his beer into the air.

The rest of the demonstration was similar, with all the dogs showing off what they were bested suited for. As impressive as it was to watch the dogs walk along ropes, climb walls, and, in general, look like fur-covered soldiers, it was the service dogs that had my mouth falling open. Cancer detection, seizure warning, leading those with visual impairments, the list of what they could do was endless. For some reason, watching them work and knowing the good they would do and how they would give someone protection and independence brought a tear to my eye.

I watched as a man wheeled himself out to meet Greyson in the center of the arena and shook his hand.

“Ken is a marine who took a bullet in the back that paralyzed him from the waist down. He still wants to live a full life, which includes work, playing sports, and hanging out with his family, but when other health complications began to arise, Ken became apprehensive about leaving his home. I asked Ken to do a demonstration for you today, and he graciously decided to humor me. What Whiskey will show you is just one of the things he is trained to do.”

Ken held out his hand for the microphone, and Greyson smiled and handed it over. “Hi, folks. I promise not to talk long. I just want to say that I’m not sure where I would be if it weren’t for Whiskey. As much as I love my family, I felt like a burden, and everyone was always fearful when I left the house. Whiskey has given me back my independence.” Ken cleared his throat. “I’ll just finish this by saying thank you to Greyson, Rodney, and this place.”

Greyson smiled as he took the microphone back. “Thank you for the kind words. So, this is what’s going to happen. Ken will pretend he fell out of his wheelchair and lost consciousness,” Greyson said. Ken got out of his chair and moved onto the ground, laying on his back. Greyson eased the wheelchair on its side. “We have purposely left Whiskey in the kennel so he couldn’t see what happened. Are you ready?” Ken lifted his hand in the air, giving the crowd a thumbs up.

Greyson stepped back, and a moment later, a bullet of a dog raced out of the kennel and ran straight for Ken. He nudged him and sniffed all around his body before nosing a phone out of Ken’s front pocket. My mouth fell open as the dog placed his paw on the screen, and it unlocked. Then, it began to ring. As soon as we could hear the person answer, Whiskey barked into the phone. Racing around to the other side of Ken, he stuck his head under his body. I covered my mouth as Whiskey rolled Ken onto his side in a recovery position. Running back to the phone, he pushed it with his nose so it was close to Ken’s mouth before laying down and placing his head on his side.

“I’m sure you can figure it out, but there are several things that have happened. Whiskey first assessed the situation to make sure Ken was indeed breathing. After not getting a response, he removed the phone from Ken’s pocket. As you can see, it has a special app that will read Whiskey’s print and automatically dial help. Don’t worry. We warned them we would be calling today. Once that is done, Whiskey is trained to make sure that Ken is in a position to help him breathe and protect him from choking, hence the recovery position. Finally, he moves the phone close to Ken’s mouth so that if he does come around, he doesn’t have to try to move to talk to the emergency responders. Lastly, he lays with his head on Ken to offer comfort, to make sure he is guarded, and to keep an eye on any other symptoms he is trained to help with. Believe it or not, Whiskey here is also trained in CPR.”

Ken smiled, and Whiskey licked his face as he spoke. Everyone clapped as Greyson offered Ken a hand, but he waved him off. Ken got back into his chair and tapped his lap. Whiskey jumped up and hugged him.

For all the darkness and bloodshed that I knew Greyson wasn’t just capable of but happily doled out, he could steal my breath away the next moment. Regardless of his reasons, he was helping people, a lot of people, and another patch was placed over my heart. It might look like a Raggedy Ann doll by the time he was through, but as Greyson gave me a wink, I knew that I’d be his doll forever.