Page 53 of Bound to a Killer

A car that I have no idea how he broke into or if anyone was hurt in the process of obtaining it.

Nothing good will come out of asking, so I don’t. He would either respond with silence or something worse. I turn to face away from Frankie’s scrutiny and glance out the window. Tremors continuing to tear through me between every shallow breath and gut-wrenching cry. It’s the only sound that fills the car as we go over a speed bump, as we drift further and further away until the glitching glow of the supermarket sign fades from view.

16

LEDGER

Thankfully, we make it to Chicago without any more bumps or surprises. Just a few more minutes to the warehouse Tanner sent the location for days ago.

I’m reluctant to take either of them inside with me, but it’s not exactly safe leaving two young girls alone in the car, either.

Then again, neither was last night’s pit stop.

It was a gamble, sure, but I thought I could get away with it given the time crunch. With Antonio on the hunt, I couldn’t risk driving the same car for too long. At the very least, the license plates needed swapping.

Everything was set. The door was locked, her hands were tied, and she looked like she was in deep enough sleep that I could finish what needed to be done. I even drilled Frankie to text me if she even saw so much as a twitch come from her.

But that girl is clever. I’ll give her that. Shrewd and determined. She’s caught me off guard twice now. But it won’t happen again.

Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice, and it’s shame on me.

My fingers dig into the steering wheel of the stolen Mazda, the interior reeking of weed and stale French fries.

I couldn’t believe it when I spotted it parked off the curb as I came out of the shop, brand-new screwdriver in hand. The engine hummed low, no one in sight.

Even the security cameras were rusted, their angles skewed.

Glitching lights and missing letters on the shop’s sign made it clear those dark lenses weren’t part of any sleek, modern design. No. That place hadn’t seen proper maintenance in years.

Everything lined up too perfectly.

For a moment, it felt like the universe was on my side.

Then the car alarm went off, catching me on my knees, black hood up, halfway through screwing on a new license plate from one of the few cars left on the lot.

Guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised.

In any case, it’s all been taken care of now.

I veer off into a narrow path, cutting through the back toward a secluded road that leads to the abandoned warehouse where Tanner’s guy is waiting.

The past few hours in the car have been tense. The threat I made earlier about tying her in the trunk was enough to quiet her sobs until they gradually wore off into a weighty silence.

Her eyes lack the tiny glimmer I’d once seen in her gaze that time we kissed as she listlessly peers out the window. An empty shell is all that remains.

This isn’t what I fucking wanted for her. Yeah, I wanted my threats to keep her in check, but not like this. I meant to protect her from The Ringer, but all I’ve done is kill her spirit—the spirit that made her,her.She’s too young to feel like her life’s over.

This is all my own doing. But things will change.

Not long from now, she’ll settle somewhere far from here,free to start anew. Even then, she might never forgive me. I wouldn’t expect her to, either.

I know I’m not a good guy. I can’t hide all of the ugly that lives deep within me, the monster that she’s witnessed first-hand and up close. Every part of my being disgusts her. I’m a repulsive killer with skewed morals that she’ll never be able to look past. How could she? How could anyone?

As I steer past a crooked stop sign, a red pickup truck comes into view, parked tight against the building’s run-down back door. Weeds sprout through the pavement cracks as I slowly drive over.

“I have shoes for you,” Frankie says to Aria out of nowhere, a slight hitch in her voice.

My eyes lift to the rearview mirror, flicking back and forth between the two of them. Aria doesn’t turn to look at her. Frankie fumbles as she takes the sneakers out of the paper bag as I cut the engine.