Page 10 of Wicked Winter Night
Instinctively, my fingers touch my lips, remembering the salty taste present this morning, and my blood runs cold. “You. Fucking. MONSTER!” I scream. “GET OUT! GET THE FUCKOUT OF MY HOUSE!” I yell, throwing anything I can at him. Lamps shatter, water bottles crash, remote controls bust, and anything I can get my hands on goes flying. He throws his hands up, trying to duck from each object thrown. I am full-on crashing out right now, destroying this room completely. I feel so violated. “IN MY SLEEP, YOU SONOFABITCH?!”
He chuckles, dipping out of the room and heading down the stairs. I follow, still throwing items at him along the way. “I don’t ever want to see your goddamn face ever again!”
He chuckles again. “Oh, you’ll be seeing me, little dove. You’re mine, make no mistake about it. I’ll give you a minute, but I’ll be back.” He dodges a picture frame to the head, hitting the staircase wall and shattering above him. “I’d think twice about calling the cops, baby girl. If you do,” he states, opening the front door, “you will be punished. That’s a promise.” And without another word, he walks out.
I stand there, staring at the door, the last item in my hand slipping to the floor with a loud crash, before I run to it and bolt it shut, turning around and sliding down its smooth surface. Then, I scream. I scream for all of the bullshit this holiday season has brought me. All the betrayal I’ve felt by people who were supposed to love me, and for the woman who just let herself feel again, only to be shattered into more broken pieces. Then, I cry. The tears fall down my cheeks, and I can't hold them back. The universe is challenging me right now, and I really don’t know how much more I can take.
Then, when I’ve finally let it all out and have nothing else to give, I do the one thing I was explicitly told not to.
I call the cops.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Fucking finally. Every time she screamed out the fake name I gave her, I was one step closer to losing my shit. I knew my little dove’s curiosity would get the best of her, which is why I left my wallet lying on the floor for her to find. She was going to find out sooner or later, so why not sooner?
I could practically taste the fear radiating off her, and she tried her best to maintain her composure at first. She’s cutewhen she’s angry, and boy, did she get angry. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. I’ll let her cool off for a bit, but I fully intend on keeping her as my gift this Christmas.
The walk to the woods is a peaceful one, calm and quiet, until the jarring ring of my phone breaks the serenity.
“Talk to me,” I answer.
“Everything taken care of?” David responds.
“Always,” I state, ducking down behind the trees.
“Good. Dean’s on a job now. I’ll have another for you in a few days.”
“Copy that. Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“What’s up?” David asks curiously.
“I need you to run a check on an Ella Jacobs. Native Colorado resident. Thirty years old. Family owns a cabin at my current location. I wanna know everything about her.”
“Sure, on one condition,” he deadpans.
“What’s that?” I ask, now the curious one.
“Tell me, is she safe with you or will she need rescuing from you?”
I chuckle. “Both.”
I hear David sigh through the phone, a deep, what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-this-guy type sigh, but then he says, “Don’t make me regret this. I’ll call you when I have something.”
“Thanks, man,” I respond before ending the call.
This woman just might be my undoing. I’ve been able to steer clear ofemotionsfor several years now, only getting a random fuck in here and there, usually after a kill. Killing pieces of shit for a living really gets the blood pumping, ya know? But I haven’t actuallyfeltanything since Laura. At the thought of her name, a memory floods back from eight years ago.
Laura looks absolutely gorgeous as she steps out of the bathroom in our brand new home. We just moved into our first home together and are celebrating five years of marriagetonight. I love her even more now than the first day I met her, and I didn’t even think that it was possible.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her, finishing up my tie.
“You look handsome yourself.” She winks, adding some jewelry to her outfit.
We’re headed out the door ten minutes later, rushing to get to our reservation at one of the fanciest Italian places in town. I swing us through the valet line, handing the attendant an extra forty dollars in tips in a silent apology for the way I peeled into the lane.
Once we’re inside and finally led to our table by the hostess, I pull the chair out for Laura before taking my own seat. I look up at her, and the way the lighting in here illuminates her skin makes her radiant. I really won the lottery when she decided to take a chance on me. I don’t come from much, but I’ve made a decent living in sales. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
“I have something to tell you,” she blurts out, taking a sip of her water. She’s trying to hide a grin. “I wanted to wait until we got home tonight. I had it all planned out, but I just can’t wait anymore.” She’s practically bursting at the seams with excitement.