I didn’t say anything. I was too busy mentally calculating how long it would take Lachlan tohandlethe situation before I could bring my parents back inside without a possible blood trail leading from the closet. And what exactly did handling it entail? Beating him up and letting him go? Killing him? He wasn’t one of Lachlan's targets, so I wasn’t sure how this would work in the long run.
Finally, we reached the mouth of the sleigh ride trail. A little wooden arch stood over the entry point, decorated with pine garlands and twinkling lights. Motion sensors were rigged up just past it, Lachlan’s idea, which only seemed to make the guy more attractive. He thought it would be cute if it played instrumental Christmas music whenever someone started down the path. For a grump, the man was way more romantic than he made himself out to be.
“Well, this is it,” I said, sweeping an arm out. “Still a work in progress, but we’ll have hay bales along the edges and lights all the way through.”
Before my mom could respond, a low, mechanical rattle tore through the stillness. What the hell was that? It came again, louder this time, a grinding, growling clatter I realized was the woodchipper in the distance. Lachlan had started the goddamn woodchipper. Damn, he was really selling this whole working at night thing too.
“Oh! Look!” I blurted, waving my arms in a wide motion like a magician mid-trick, stepping forward quickly to cross the motion sensor line. “The trail has music! Watch this—ta-da!”I’d rather them keep their attention here than get curious about anything Lachlan was doing.
The speakers hidden in the trees clicked on and exploded into tinny, overenthusiastic Christmas music. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” blared out into the woods.
I smiled so hard my face hurt.
My mom gasped in delight and clapped her hands. “Oh, this isadorable!It’s like being in a Hallmark movie!”
The rattling in the distance continued, but it was barely audible now.
My dad chuckled. “Well, that’s one way to get into the holiday spirit.”
“Yup,” I agreed, voice tight. “Just pure holiday magic.”
Tony barked again, confused by the commotion, and tried to chase a squirrel into the trees, but I held onto his leash.
I stood there for what felt like forever, praying that by the time we made it back, Lachlan wouldn’t be in the middle of whatever “get rid of him” meant.
Chapter 16
Lachlan
Iwaited until they were a good distance away to start dragging the piece of shit outside. He was whimpering in the back of my side by side, way more conscious now as I pulled up next to all my heavier machinery I kept farther out in the woods behind the house. I thought this was far enough, plus I could use my excavator to dig his grave in half an hour, maybe less.
I pulled him out and let him hit the hard ground with a grunt. He tried to scoot away from me like a worm, but I kicked him and it flipped him over.
“I don’t know what you want with me—please, I-I didn’t do anything.”
I couldn’t just kill the man without him knowing what he did wrong, could I? What was that phrase? Connect before you correct? Had to let little Johnny know what he’d done before correcting this world by taking him out of it.
“I’ll give you a hint. You fucked up at the bar.” I waited and his eyes narrowed, well, as much as they could with the current condition of his face.
“You talking about that bitch that wouldn’t spread her legs for me? C’mon, man. You know how women can be. Just let me go—” I saw red. I had wanted to take my time and make him suffer, but now I just wanted to be rid of him. I decided then, he’d make good mulch for the trees. I turned the ignition key on my woodchipper and the man’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“Wait, wait, wait, no, nooo—” he started screaming and went back to trying to squirm away from me, but I grabbed the pipsqueak by the ropes and carried him to the chute. He wailed as I set him there.
“Good riddance,” I said as I released him, and he screamed and screamed as the woodchipper ripped him to shreds, starting at his toes. I could see the spew of meaty sinew and bone spurt out the other side landing on the big green tarp I had set up, mixing in with the wood I had shredded earlier this week. At least the trees would get something good out of this.
“What a mess,” I grumbled. This would take all night to clean, but honestly, worth it.
I trudged up the path to the cabin, the dark, early hours of morning swallowing the world in a cold, eerie silence. My shirt clung to my back, damp with sweat and splattered with blood. It should’ve been worse, honestly, considering what I’d just done. But I had hosed myself off the best I could.
I kicked off my boots at the back door, careful not to wake anyone. Sliding it open, I stepped into the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge. I grabbed the first beer I saw, cracking it open with a hiss. It was five o’clock somewhere, right?
The cold drink slid down my throat, and for a second I let myself breathe.
Then I went to my bedroom.
And Logan was there, waiting for me. Her arms were crossed, jaw tight. But when she saw me—reallysawme—her breath caught, eyes widening as they took in what I looked like, the red spatter dried on my shirt, the emptiness that I was sure lingered behind my eyes.
Her voice was tight. "Fuck, Lachlan, what did you do?"
