Page 10 of Dark Things (Payback Duet #1)

Rebelle

W e never made it into the shower together.

Cat was home and she wanted to hear about our day.

She seems genuinely excited to know more about me, but it’s not something I can indulge in.

I know she’s Haunt’s sister and she means the world to him, but trusting people doesn’t come natural to me anymore.

I’ve been hurt so much by the people that were supposed to be there for me.

And now we’re here, outside a strip club in the middle of night waiting for our mark to walk out. It’s been a couple of days since Stan gave us this job, but it was easy enough to piece together his movements. Dude is seriously boring and predictable.

“How long is this asshole going to stay in there? It’s been, like, four hours,” I complain, taking another bite of the cheese stick we got at the gas station before coming on this stakeout.

“When you’re not getting any pussy at home, you have to be inventive. Besides we know he spends most days there for the wings,” Haunt smiles.

“Yeah, definitely the wings. I mean where else would you get quality wings from.” I sigh. Men are so predictable.

The front door to Sally’s Sensations opens up, and Mr. Jared Mackey stumbles out, shirt untucked, hair in disarray. He makes for the back parking lot as I click off my seat belt.

“Definitely the wings,” I murmur before leaning over and pulling Haunt down to me. I press his forehead into mine. “In and out, no regrets. Job gets done and we go home.”

“Home,” he replies.

Pulling up my hood, I slip out of the car. The darkness hides most of me as I make my way over to Jared’s car. He’ll be sitting inside wondering why his car isn’t starting.

I can hear his cursing as I approach the driver’s side window. He flinches when he notices me giving him my wide smile. I remove my hood and give a little wave.

“Having car trouble?” I ask when he rolls down the window.

He looks around in confusion. “Yeah, it won’t start. I’m gonna have to call a fucking tow. ”

Before he can grab his phone out of his pocket, I unzip my hoody flashing him my hot pink bra underneath. His eyes catch on my tits and the phone drops into his lap. So fucking predictable.

“Mind if I take a look? I’m pretty good with cars, and since I just finished my shift I have some time to help out a client.”

His eyes never leave my chest, but he leans down and pops the hood, lost in a trance. I don’t bother zipping the hoodie as I make my way around to the front of the car.

I pull open the hood and take out the spark plugs from my back pocket, slipping them back in place before he even gets out of the car to see what I’m doing.

“Try it now,” I say leaning over the side of the hood.

He sits back down and presses the button for the ignition. The car purrs to life, and I unhook the hood, letting it slam back into place.

He steps out then with a smile that I’m sure at one point women found attractive, but at this stage in his life only makes him look creepy.

“How’d you learn that, girly? Daddy teach you?” he asks, the creepy smile now widening.

If he knew who my Daddy was, he’d have shut his mouth by now, but no one knows who I am anymore, so it’s pointless to remind people.

“Something like that. Well, have a good night.” I turn away and start to count .

One.

Two.

Three.

“Where are you going honey? Let me repay you somehow; you saved me a few hundred calling in a tow,” he says.

I smirk before turning around, popping my hip and pretending to look him over. He shifts from foot to foot as if he can’t quite manage to understand how he got this lucky.

“Do you think you could give me a ride home? I had a huge fight with my boyfriend and he took off with my phone and bag in his car. I can’t even call an Uber.”

You’d think I’d just offered this man a lifetime supply of lube with how happily he’s looking at me. “That’s the least I could do. Come on, hop in.”

I zip up my hoodie this time as I slide into the passenger seat. The car is as gross as the man sitting next to me. Fast food wrappers and empty bottles litter the floor, and cigarette ash is all over the center console. It smells like a locker room and a shit-hole bar had a baby in here.

“I’m not far. I’ll put my address in your GPS, is that okay with you handsome?” I ask.

He glances over to me before handing over his phone. Sucker.

I disable his location and pull up the maps app. I type in the address of a grocery store with an abandoned lot in the back. It will be where Haunt is waiting for us.

“How long have you been working at Sally’s?” He asks gaze darting over me, sucking his teeth. Like I’m a plate of wings.

“Not long. Actually I kind of work in the back rooms. I’m not great at dancing, but I do other things.”

He’s practically vibrating, hands sliding up and down the steering wheel. The car speeds up a bit, and I check the side view mirror, making sure Haunt is following.

I clock him two cars behind before his blinker turns on and he takes the faster route to get to our destination. Reaching down my leg to unhook the secret pocket of my pants, I pull out my switchblade and palm it just in case this asshole has other ideas before we get to the main event.

“How much do you charge for a private visit? Maybe I could come up to your place.”

I squash the vomit about to come up. “Sure, handsome. For you I’ll charge two hundred for a few hours. And I’ll let you do anything you want. I can even call another girl or guy.”

“Yeah, I only need you, girly. Even if you saved me from the tow, that's a little steep.”

I slide my hand over the console and grab his thigh. He tenses up and then relaxes, a smile on his face.

“Trust me, this will be worth it in every way. ”

My smile this time is genuine because it really will be worth it. Maybe not for him, but for me, at least. Mr. Mackey happens to be an abusive asshole, as well as owing Stan’s client a whole lot of money that he has no intention of paying.

He’s a warning to the rest of the gambling dickheads in this county. It’s a bonus that I can’t stand woman beaters. Makes my conscience feel a little better, even though Jiminy Cricket left the building a long time ago.

We pull into the lot of the store, and I direct him to the back.

There’s a trailer parked on the far side next to a bunch of trees.

I hop out of the car without waiting for him.

Walking around to the front of the car, I give him a come hither motion before disappearing around the trailer into the darkest part where no one will see.

I feel Haunt behind me, gun raised, silencer on. I just have to get Mackey in position so Haunt can make the kill.

“Girly, where are you leading me? You got a special spot here?”

“Oh yeah, real special, you're gonna love it.” I call out, my voice dropping to a seductive note while I roll my eyes and stand to the side of Haunt.

Mackey rounds the trailer stepping onto the tarp. It takes Haunt three seconds to put a bullet in his head. Lights out.

His body drops onto the tarp, minimal blood splattering onto the ground. Most of it was caught by the plastic.

“God he was fucking gross. I hate that I have to drive his car,” I pretend to vomit.

Haunt unscrews his silencer and puts his gun into his shoulder holster. The silencer goes in one of the pockets of his cargo pants.

“ Gioia mia , we’ve had a lot worse. Remember that guy in Tennessee? The crackhead who was stealing. His house…”

Haunt exaggerates a shiver and pulls me into a hug, kissing the top of my head before giving me a small push.

“Get out of here. Dump the car in the woods and torch it. I’ll pick you up, and then we can take this asshole to the funeral home. Stan finally got a new contact. Just be glad we don’t have to dig a hole. I need some alone time.”

He wiggles his eyebrows and gives me his panty melting smile. His tongue dips out to run along his bottom lip, the minimum lighting catching on his piercing before it disappears back into his mouth.

A shock of desire shoots through me and I reach up, sliding my nails through his scalp. He leans into me, but I push back with a wide smile. “See you in a bit, my love.”

His face lights up. He loves when I call him that. I pluck the keys from Mackey's grip without touching him .

I round the trailer, pulling out my gloves and slipping them on. My hood goes up and I grab the gas can walking toward the car. I slide into the driver's seat and start the engine.

Fuck I hate this part.

We make it through the door without Cat or Marc seeing us. It’s pretty late, but there’s always a chance for a midnight snack or a sleepwalk.

I lead Haunt into my bedroom and directly into the bathroom, where I pull out the garbage bags and start stripping. We took our boots off at the door, but we’ll have to torch our top layers in case fibers or evidence was transferred.

My gun goes into the lock box under the sink, knives on the counter. Once all the clothes are bundled, Haunt crowds me toward the shower, lifting me up and walking in. He turns the water on with one hand before slamming my back against the tile.

“Fuck, I missed this so much,” he purrs, mouth going to the crook of my neck and sucking lightly before biting down. I lean my head back, giving him better access, while I run my fingers through his inky strands.

“Not as much as me. Do you know what it’s like to not be able to touch you whenever I want? It’s driving me crazy that Cat is here. ”

He picks up his head to stare into my face. “It’s not like she doesn’t know. Even if we keep most of it away from Stan, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out we’re together.”

“Yeah, but isn’t it weird if we’re all lovey-dovey in front of her? What if she doesn’t want us to be with each other?”

He chuckles, “Nothing anyone can say can keep me from you. Besides, she likes you. Call it twintuition.”