Page 13 of The Chaos She Brings

I didn’t ask.

She justvolunteersthis stuff like it’s perfectly normal to share with someone you barely know.

The thing is, as much as her chatter should annoy me—and it does—I can’t help but find it…adorable.

“...and that’s why you should never mix tequila with karaoke,” she finishes, finally taking a breath. Her story was something about being kicked out of a theatre because she got too drunk at karaoke. I’m not entirely sure how the two relate but she seems to think it makes perfect sense.

“Noted,” I say dryly, keeping my gaze on the road.

Tess grins at me from the passenger seat, oblivious to the fact that her relentless commentary is both maddening and strangely entertaining.

“You’re welcome,” she says, as if she’s just imparted some profound wisdom.

I roll my eyes but can’t fight the small tug at the corner of my lips. God help me, I might actually be starting to like her.

To be honest, she kind of reminds me of Nate. Like an overly energetic labrador puppy with zero filter. She might even be worse than him, if that’s even possible.

Perhaps that’s what has me intrigued. Only problem? She has the personality of my best friend, but it’s wrapped up in a sinfully tempting package. That’s a recipe for disaster.

We’re heading towards an old pig farm I discovered months ago that’s become my go-to for efficient disposal. I used to use the Thames, but after one body floated back up—Nate’s dad, ofall people—I had to find a better method.

The farm is eerily quiet at night, practically deserted, making it the perfect spot for disposing of bodies. The best part? No more hacking them into little pieces. It’s just a matter of playing contortionist and stuffing them into a bag. Well, as long as I get to them before rigor mortis sets in. That’s a different story altogether.

I park my car in my usual spot, hidden under the cover of trees, then make my way to the back to grab the body. Hauling the bag over my shoulder, I grunt at the weight. Turning around, I find Tess staring at me, slack jawed.

“What?”

“You’re like…freakishly strong.”

“Uh? Thanks?”

“No. Seriously. How are you carrying a whole human like it’s nothing?”

“It’s not nothing. It’s fucking heavy. Now let’s move,” I grunt, eager to get this over with. I’m not about to get caught because someone doesn’t know how to handle this cleanly.

The two of us head toward the pig pen, their grunting and squealing growing louder with excitement. I swear they’re starting to recognise me as the guy who brings them thegoodstuff.

“This is so creepy,” Tess mutters from a step behind me, her voice tinged with a tremor that’s the only hint of her nerves.

When we reach the pen, I crouch down and start unpacking the bag, peeling back the layers around the body. “This would go a lot faster if you helped,” I say, glancing up at her.

“Right. Yep. Totally.”

She drops to her knees beside me, hesitating for a moment before helping me get the body unwrapped. I’d stripped the clothes off before stuffing him in the bag, so those and anything else the pigs won’t eat can be burned later.

I lift the corpse and dump it into the pen. The pigs are ravenous, tearing through flesh and bone; it’s brutal, but effective. In less than ten minutes the entire body is devoured.

“That is… fucking scary.” Tess stares at the place the body used to be as the pigs retreat with bellies full of her dead boyfriend.

I start to climb over the fence and Tess squeaks. “What are you doing?”

“Collecting his teeth and hair.”

My feet drop down onto the wet mud. I squelch my way over to the centre where I find the few parts of him that the pigs refused. They pay me no mind now, too full to care about me.

A floodlight suddenly blazes to life, flooding the area in harsh, white light. We freeze like deer caught in the beam, our breath suspended. Then, the unmistakable crunch of footsteps heading toward us from the barn shatters the silence.

My heart slams against my ribs, adrenaline surging. “Run. To the trees,” I whisper, barely loud enough to be heard.