Page 17 of Like An Animal

THE SHADOW

“ I ’m not leaving you here,” I groan as I pull my shirt over my head, yanking it down my torso.

Bron is really starting to piss me off. I don’t know what her deal is, but I don’t like it.

I would never describe her as a clingy person, but that’s the way she has been the past few days.

She disappeared three days ago for hours and we got into a major fight over it, but immediately after, she started clinging onto me, not wanting me to leave her sight.

Now, out of nowhere, she suddenly wants me to leave her at home alone while David and Kathy are gone on some couple’s getaway in Dubai.

They barely left an hour ago and what if they come back?

I don’t want to risk her being alone with David, ever.

It might be a small chance, but the possibility is always there.

“Jer, I’ll be fine. I just don’t feel like partying tonight.

If you’re really worried about me staying home alone, you can leave your gun with me.

I’ll keep it on me at all times, I promise.

” She reaches up on the tips of her toes and throws her arms around my neck before giving me a long, deep kiss, one that almost feels like a goodbye.

“I can take care of myself, okay?” Then, she smiles at me.

“Plus, if I stay here, it gives you more of a reason not to stay out all night. You can go see your friends, give Xavi his birthday present, eat some cake, and come back to fuck me into a coma. Seriously, Jer, one night apart won’t kill you.

” Her last sentence takes on a joking edge, but something doesn’t feel right.

The stench of bullshit permeates the room.

“You’re planning to run off, aren’t you?” I ask, but she just laughs.

“And where could I go that you wouldn’t find me?”

That’s true. I have a tracker installed on her phone that she’s completely oblivious to. I always know where she is.

“Then, what are you planning?”

She seems contemplative before she huffs. “Fine. I really want to watch the Barbie movie.”

Ew. Gross.

My face must reflect my thoughts because she laughs.

“It is supposed to be a good look into present day feminism. Don’t judge me.

You don’t have to watch it, but I want to and sometimes there are things I want to do that you don’t.

That’s okay, but you have to give me the space to do them.

You get to hang out with your friends without worrying about who is looking at me and I can watch my girlie movie without you pouting the whole way. It’s a win-win situation.”

My eyebrows knit together. “I don’t pout.”

She rolls her eyes. “Suuuure, you don’t.”

“I don’t.”

She pats her hand on my chest. “Keep telling yourself that, emo boy, but before you leave…” she trails off as she drags down the zipper of my jeans.

My cock doesn’t need any more incentive to be hard enough to cut through steel and the image of her dropping to her knees will be burned into my retinas for the rest of my days.

She looks up at me with those seductive eyes and a playful smile on her face as she whips out my dick, running her tongue up the slit.

“I’d like to give you something to hold you over until you get back.

” She takes me into her mouth and consider me completely fucking distracted as she sucks me all the way into the back of her throat.

Sitting at the kitchen table in Xavi’s house, I watch the tracker on Bron’s phone not leave the house.

I got worried for a minute when it moved really quickly from my bedroom to the kitchen area, but it’s just been going back and forth between the living room and the kitchen like she has been grabbing snacks over and over for the past ten minutes. Then, it stops in the living room.

What the fuck is she doing?

“You good, man?” Massimo asks as he walks into the kitchen.

I lift my head, give him a short nod, and look back down at the tracker.

“So, where’s Bronwyn?” he presses, taking a seat next to me.

“At the house,” I answer quickly.

“Why? She always comes with you.”

I shrug. “She said she wanted to watch a movie, but I don’t know. Something’s going on and she’s not talking to me about it. She’s acting like if she ignores it, it’ll go away. I’ve tried getting it out of her, but nothing seems to work. She’s never lied to me before and I don’t fucking like it.”

Massimo’s eyes widen in shock.

Yeah, I know. I rarely open up at all, which is how messed up this whole thing with Bronwyn has me.

“Well, we’re leaving for New Jersey in a few weeks so you gotta get your shit sorted.”

Once Bron graduates, we’re leaving. That fucking night.

We’re not waiting around for anything. As soon as she walks off that stage with her diploma in hand, we’re going to get in the car, drive to the Bastard’s house to rat the pedophiles out, then drive out of this town and this state.

Massimo and Xavi will be following right behind us and we will never fucking come back.

This part of our lives will be over and we can move on.

“I know.”

“Be sure to warn your grandfather though. If he hears the woman you’re bringing back with you is your step-sister, he might have a coronary. Can men clutch their pearls?”

Massimo is a goofy drunk and I can’t handle that shit when I need him to be serious. “He’s not going to find out that she was seen as my step-sister. The only ones that will know are us.”

Massimo arches a brow in confusion. “How so? Kathy will surely tell him.”

I roll my eyes as I lift my beer to my lips. “That will be kind of hard to do when she’s dead.”

The look that covers his face has shock written all over it. “What?”

“Kathy and David aren’t following us to New Jersey. We’re gonna hand them over on a silver platter to the Bastards before we go. That’s been mine and Bronwyn’s plan for years. It’s either that or I deal with them myself. No one will question it if we hand it off to the Bastards.”

His eyes narrow with concern. “Is there something going on at home you haven’t told us?” he asks, his voice full of worry. “You know we have your back if you need it.”

Neither Massimo or Xavi have any idea of what happens inside those walls except I’m pretty sure they have figured out that I’m fucking Bron. They don’t ask questions and I don’t give them more than necessary.

“Yeah, I know. The only thing I need your back for is getting my grandfather to back off on trying to get me to marry that Petrov girl.” My expression mimics my disgust. There’s nothing wrong with Olga Petrov per say, but she’s not my little ghost.

“If you don’t want her, I’ll gladly take her off your hands.” He winks suggestively and I roll my eyes, but I appreciate him having my back. “So, you’re serious about her? Bron, I mean?”

I give him a curt nod. I’ve never not been serious about her. From day one, it’s been her and only her. It’s not even her or no one. It’s just fucking her. Without Bronwyn Durst, there is no me.

Suddenly, Xavi bursts into the kitchen, huffing and puffing like he just ran a marathon. “Cops,” he wheezes. “The cops are here.”

“Why?” Massimo groans, running a frustrated hand down his face.

Xavi takes a deep breath before he says the words that send me into a panic. “They want Jer. They said there was an incident at the house and they were called. I heard a call in on the radio though. They mentioned the coroner’s office dispatching someone to the house.”

The second that he said “the coroner’s”, I flew out of my seat.

The coroner’s.

Medical examiners, as in the people called to pronounce someone dead.

The only person in that house was my woman, my little ghost.

I dart for the door as Xavi gasps. “What are you doing?”

I growl as I look at him. Grabbing him by his shirt, I slam his back against the wall.

“The only one in that fucking house is Bron. No one fucking else.” I push away from him and head directly for the garage.

I don’t give a fuck about the cops. I need to get back to the house and make sure Bronwyn is okay.

For the love of God, please be okay.

I run straight to my car and jump in before turning it on. My pulse pounds in my throat as I throw the car in reverse and speed down the long driveway. A few cops stand in the middle but as soon as they see me, they jump out of the way before I can hit them. Good idea.

The only life I truly value is in danger. I knew I shouldn’t have left her alone. It’s the only time I’ve broken that rule in the past four years and if I live to regret that decision, I’ll make it everyone else’s problem until I leave this plane of existence.

It’s only a few minutes until I hear the sirens coming up behind me, but I don’t stop until I see the line of cop cars, ambulances, and blacked out vans around the house.

Red, white, and blue lights blind me and it becomes hard to breathe as I park as close to the house as I can get.

I jump out of the car and run as fast as my feet can carry me toward the door.

I slow down when I see an officer leading Bronwyn out the front door, a red blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Her eyes meet mine and I see a sudden flood of panic wash over her face. “I’m sorry. I had to,” she mouths soundlessly, but confusion bubbles in my brain.

Why is she apologizing? What the fuck happened?

Then, an old man in a dark blue windbreaker rolls out a stretcher with a body bag on top of it.

“Are you Jeremy Borza?”

I snap my head around as a cop walks up to me, his eyes narrowed. I return the look.

“What happened?” I demand through gritted teeth.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He slowly shakes his head.

“Turn around. Hands behind your back. You’re under arrest for the murder of David Durst and Katerina Durst.” Then, he pulls out a pair of handcuffs and he holds them up.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.

She’s watching, son. Please, don’t make this more traumatizing for her than it already is. ”

I don’t know what the fuck is happening or why.

All I know is apparently Kathy and David are dead, the cops think I did it, and Bron is involved in that somehow.

I don’t fucking care if she framed me. As long as she’s safe, that’s all that really matters, so I put my hands behind my back and let the officer cuff me before guiding me over to a nearby cruiser.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning. Do you understand your rights as I have explained them to you? Knowing your rights, do you wish to speak to me without an attorney present?”

I don’t say anything. Silence has always been easier anyway. I won’t be locked up for long. It’s just a waiting game.