Page 12 of Within Shadows

Knox

I’m pretty sure I am working my way towards locking my jaw at this rate.

Knowing that Maeve is opening her body for another man, wanting to sleep next to him in his bed.

The gun in my hand is heavy, but nothing compared to my chest. Seeing her so carefree on the dance floor, only to be interrupted by some dirtbag who doesn’t take no for an answer, had me feeling both jealous and in awe.

I pull his wallet out of my pocket and flip it open to stare down at the name and address again.

Steven , it’s always the douchebags with the simplest names.

I slide around the side of the house, fully prepared to break in, when I see a figure slumped over on his own front porch.

“Couldn’t even bother saving me a dance?” I sigh, reaching down to check his pulse. Steven groans when I push my fingers against his throat, and my lip curls in disgust as I pull back. The guy smells like vomit and stale beer. It’s almost enough for me to turn around and leave. Almost .

“You’re not going in the back seat, Steven. I’ve heard the trunk is spacious though and dark. It’s a great place for a nap.” I grip the back of his jacket and shirt before I stand and drag him behind me.

“Your carriage awaits, princess.” I chuckle to myself as I pop the trunk of my car open, tossing Steven inside and grinning in amusement when he groans.

His eyes flutter for a moment before he finally opens them, blinking in confusion before I slam the trunk shut.

The sound of it hitting his head when he tries to sit up is beyond satisfying.

Al is sitting in the passenger seat and frowning at me when I get in and start the car.

“You could have just shot him on the front porch. Dude pissed off a lot of people at the bar earlier, and it would have been easier to cover up.” He yawns, and I roll my eyes at him as I drive straight towards one of the bumpier roads in the city.

“You melted the skin off of a guy's hands because he groped Jess, then made him beg for mercy while you tied a noose around his neck, and you killed him anyway,” I remind him, and he cracks a smile, nodding with a gleeful smile.

“But I burnt his house down afterwards, so it was written off as if he did it to himself. What are you going to do to him?” Al asks, leaning his seat back as he stretches out. It’s nearly two A.M., and I’m on a tight schedule, so I won’t get to have as much fun as I want to.

“Going to take him for a joyride, then dump him in the woods. Without his shoes, phone, wallet, or anything else.” The sound of panicked thrashing comes from the back of the car and Al grunts, reaching out to turn up the volume on the stereo.

“Not very creative and a little extreme for some innocent dancing,” Al says.

I dig my phone out of my pocket and unlock the screen, handing it to him.

Al reads down the massive list of charges that were dismissed or that Steven was given community service for.

Ranging from petty theft to domestic violence, drugging his dates, and other vile shit.

“Take a left off Applegate, there’s that shitty road they haven't finished repairing. Floor it.” Al’s tone is clipped, and I can feel the tension rolling off of him.

I follow his direction and damn near jostle us to death on the crumbling road that is more potholes than pavement.

Steven is now screaming from the trunk, and I’m running out of time, so I head towards the dense woods far out of town.

Al and I spend the drive talking and joking until he brings up our upcoming concert next week.

“Jess and Maeve will be there,” I say, and he shakes his head.

“Maeve is going to want Garrett to come,” Al warns me. I shake my head once as my grip tightens on the steering wheel.

“Well, she’s not always going to get what she wants.” I try for a stern voice, but Al throws his head back with a deep laugh, making me crack a small smile.

“You’ll give that girl anything she asks for.”

“I’d fall to my knees and worship the ground she walks on with one heated look from those beautiful brown eyes.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll be selfless enough to humor her infatuation with him.

” I shrug and put the car into park. Al follows me around the side of the car and puts his hand on the trunk before I can open it.

“What do you think will happen when she finds out the truth about Garrett?” he asks, and I pull my ski mask over my face before I cross my arms and tilt my head.

“She won’t want him once I finally get my hands on her.

Maeve doesn’t want the gentle and polite little fucker as bad as she thinks.

It’ll get boring, and when she finds out the truth, my little muse will realize I did everything for her,” I say confidently.

Al is skeptical, but he lets the conversation drop as he pulls on his own mask.

There isn’t a way this ends without Maeve by my side.

Her incessant use of her middle name is almost funny, as if she is two different people like me.

Maeve is the sweet college girl who just wants to keep her head down and get through life in peace.

But my Thalia is a spitfire who welcomes my touch, lets me pull her into my lap so I can breathe in her sweet scent.

The one who will wrap her body around mine and beg me to give her everything she needs.

“You better be imagining fucking Maeve and not hard at the idea of tossing this guy into the woods.” Al turns his head away and I glance down at my aching cock, adjusting it to sit more comfortably behind my jeans.

I pop the trunk open, and Steven does exactly what I expect him to.

He screams and tries to crawl away. Al has to brace a hand on the bumper as he doubles over with uncontrollable laughter while I groan and rub my forehead.

“That’s so embarrassing for you, man,” Al says as he catches his breath and straightens up. Steven is still curled in the fetal position but slowly looks back up and scrunches his face in confusion.

“Wait, is this just some stupid prank?” he croaks out, leaning closer to us, and I pinch the bridge of my nose to hold off the urge to snap his neck and drop his body right here.

“Was it a stupid prank when you beat your ex-girlfriend, or drugged all those innocent girls at the bar? The very same fucking bar where you put your hands all over my girl last night,” I snap and he shrinks away, shaking his head and holding his hands up in defense.

“Nah, man, those charges didn’t stick! You gotta believe me, I was trying to have fun. They were basically throwing themselves at me-” he blubbers, only stopping when I lurch forward and slam my fist into his jaw. Steven’s face scrunches as he sobs, rolling away to clutch at his face.

“Oh, fuck’s sake, did he just try the whole ‘she was asking for it’ bullshit?

There goes my patience, grab his legs,” Al grumbles, all amusement bleeding out as he drags Steven out by his wrists.

The idiot has enough sense to try to struggle and fight as I grab his ankles and we trudge through the dark woods.

Steven switches between pleading to bribery to even trying to threaten us more than once, but Al and I continue to talk over him, deciding how far we should go.

Finally finding a good spot amongst the dense trees, we drop him, and Steven whimpers on the ground.

“You should probably start running.” Al reaches down into his waistband and pulls out a knife, flicking the blade open as he inspects it beneath the moonlight.

Steven struggles to get to his feet, and I realize he’s only wearing one shoe.

I point my own knife at his foot, waving as he finally gets up and scrambles away, looking over his shoulder as he trips and stumbles deeper into the woods.

“You’re doing great, bud!” Al calls, and Steven lets out an echoed whimper of fear.

He pulls his arm back and over his head, swinging forward as he lets the blade sail through the air.

It sinks into the back of his neck with a soft thunk .

A cold, wet droplet lands on my hand, and I frown at it.

I don’t bother following after the guy or giving him a second thought.

These woods are full of wildlife, and they’re hungry.

His body will be picked clean by morning.

“Time to go. I don’t wanna get soaked.” I nudge Al to head back towards the car.

Al is glaring daggers at me as we both shiver in the car, even with the heat cranked all the way up.

“ I don’t wanna get soaked,” Al mocks my voice and motions to where we’re both drenched.

“Famous last fucking words,” he yells, and I shrug as I pull up to the front of the house and motion to the door.

“Quit bitching, go inside and whine to your girlfriend.” I wave him off, and Al gets out, giving me his middle finger before jogging for the door in the pouring rain.

The drive back to Garrett’s house is nearly silent as I contemplate what to do next.

I want to see her again, but this time I want her to see me and reach out for me—as Knox.

I decide to make a stop at Maeve’s house and let myself in after taking my shoes off at the front door.

Her house is too quiet, but it still smells like her, and I bask in it for a moment before heading to her kitchen.

I pull out the tickets and backstage passes, wrapped with a pretty bow, as I set them on the counter.