Keaton looked exhausted. He’d been quieter than usual all evening, and the urge to do something for him had been building until I couldn’t ignore it.
“Why don’t you go to bed?” I asked, kissing his temple near the shrinking goose egg that had darkened to a vibrant bruise.
He nodded and we went upstairs together. It wasn’t a shock that he fell asleep faster than Ginny. I waited about a half hour to make sure he was down for the count, then got ready to go on the hunt.
Thankfully, I hadn’t had time to remove my toys from my office upstairs. Dressed in tactical black, I went out.
I’d searched online until I’d found Roger’s home address. He’d bought the house three years ago. The fun thing about public records was how verypublicthey were. Anyone could access them if they knew where to look. I didn’t just park a few blocks away. That was amateur hour. I left the car a few miles from my next victim and walked in.
Once I hit Roger’s neighborhood, I slipped on a face mask and gloves, then kept to the shadows.
The security at the house was a joke. There wasn’t even an alarm. I broke into the kitchen by popping out a screen and crawling through a window. I jostled a knife block on my trip to the floor, and when I stood, I grabbed a butcher’s knife with a grin, twirling it in my gloved hands.
Perhaps it was overkill. It wasn’t my usual style, but that was all right. It wouldn’t do for the police to tie my handiwork together.
That good feeling from earlier surged inside me. I finally had a name for it—love.
IlovedKeaton.
I was doing thisforhim.
This vengeance wasn’t to soothe my own bullshit. This wasn’t to allow me to block out my past for another day. No, this was all to make Keaton’s life better, even if he never realized the man who’d hurt him was six feet under.
My first kill for another person.
As I found the bedroom, where Roger lay sleeping the sleep of the soon to be gone from this fucking world, I considered him. I would make this gruesome. He’d hurt Keaton, abused him, and he would pay in blood.
And he’d beg for me to end his life before I was finished.
Hours later, I was exhausted as I climbed into bed beside Keaton, fresh out of the shower.
He stirred, cute face slack with sleep. “Where were you?” he murmured.
“I let Bernadette out to take care of doggy business,” I whispered.
He smiled and gathered me close in those strong arms. “Thanks.”
Kissing his neck was so simple. I loved the warm, smooth skin close to his stubble. “No worries. I’ll take care of you.”I love you.It was right there on the tip of my tongue, and I wanted to say it so bad.
But what if I just chased him away with it? My gut twisted. An unfamiliar panic had Keaton hushing me and rubbing my back as I tensed against his front. No, he had to say theI love yous first. That was the only way this would work.
“Good night,” he murmured in my ear.
Shit, what was I going to do?
15
KEATON
Work was better than sitting around being sad. Fuck that. Instead of staying home, I’d decided I needed to be here. It wasn’t like there were enough people to invite to justify paying for a funeral for Mom anyway.
I rolled my shoulders, staring at the thick tree trunks scattered around the forest we used for harvesting. We were in the process of removing the limbs so we could buck them—cut them into portions—before transporting them to the mill. My muscles ached like they always did after a hard day’s work, but I’d also been fucked within an inch of my life this morning by Zayn before we both left in the car to take Ginny to kindergarten. He’d dropped me off at work with a deep kiss, one I was able to enjoy without worry since I didn’t live in the park, before he sped off to head to his own job. None of my coworkers said anything, but I got a few strange looks when I walked in with an extra skip in my step.
It was a nice day, not too hot and not too cold, and a soft breeze weaved through the trees, ruffling my hair. The scent offresh air and leaves tickled my nose. I’d never get sick of the smell. There was something calming about it.
“Hey, Moose.” Thorley’s heavy boots crunched the leaves on the ground as he stomped toward me, a wide smile on his round face. The wind swept through his shaggy blond hair, making the mop messier.
I winced at his use of my nickname but let it slide. He came from the park and probably had no idea what my real name was. Stretching, I nodded at him. “Hey, dude. What’s up?”
