She’s not far off. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that’s exactly what happened. I shrug and throw an eye roll her way before pulling out glassware. She has already done damn near everything we need to open, and I huff with frustration. There’s nothing to distract me from my thoughts and push back the inevitable uncomfortable conversation.
Tally’s heels clack across the eternally sticky no matter how much we mop the floor. I brace myself for impact inthree…two…one…
“Mattie Mae! What on God’s green Earth happened to your neck?” she shrieks, each word rattling through my head. Before I can defend myself, her hands flutter around me, forming an opinion about every scratch and bruise she can find. My chest tightens, and I press my molars together hard enough for my jaw to ache. Her words come out in an indecipherable string, filled with enough curse words that Wiley is now paying attention.
“Tallulah, would you let the girl live?” he chuckles. A grin spreads across his face, and he winks at me before going back to minding his books. It’s Tally’s turn to roll her eyes now, but Wiley’s interjection is enough to make her pause her frantic inspection. She lowers her head like it could give her a better vantage point and peers out at me through blonde wisps of hair. Her eyes are full of questions, ones I’m not ready to answer—ones I’m not entirely sure Icananswer.
Finally, she backs up a step in retreat. “You’re okay, Mattie girl?” Her voice is full of concern and at a much lower decibel than before. I slide my social mask into place and relax my jaw before giving her a nod, rubbing it with my hand.
“Just had a wild night is all,” I say, adding a little laugh at the end to sell it.
“Alright fine, keep your secrets.” Her twinkling laugh disperses the awkward tension between us. I’m able to enjoy the relief for almost a minute before she knocks the air out of my lungs with her next words.
“Oh, a man came in looking for you last night.” Her eyebrows dance, and she smirks at me. “I didn’t know you were seeing Sheriff Danvers.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
mattie
The room spins around me, and I blink furiously to stabilize myself. I go through the motions of my shift, pouring drinks and cleaning glasses. Tally’s chatter is a constant static in the background, mixing in with the nonstop news reports playing on every television. Every reporter calls for the monster who left body parts strewn about the Blackwater river to be caught.
A hand rests on my shoulder, jolting me out of my spiral. “Sugar, I’m headin’ out. We should walk to our cars together, with there being a murderer on the loose and all.” Tally shakes her head and fishes for her keys in her oversized purse.
“Hmmm,” I mumble, but I nod my head. It’s me. I’m the murderer. I’m the fucking murderer, Tally. She grabs my hand and stares at me for a second before leading me out of the bar.
“Night, Wiley,” she calls, waving her hand out behind her just before the back door closes. With each robotic step to the car, my heart pounds louder. Cold sweat rolls down my back. “You alright, sugar?” Tally turns to me one last time before we get into our cars.
“Oh, yeah Tally. I’m just a little tore up about everything that’s goin’ on.” I sigh. It’s not a complete lie. I try to hide the high-pitched panic bleeding into my voice.
Tally’s eyes soften, and she smiles. “At least you got a sheriff warming your bed. I’d be worried about you living way out there like you do.”
I’m torn between laughing hysterically and crying. Instead, I pull my lips back in a smile and get in my car. I fire up the Pinto and grip the steering wheel, staring out into the darkness of the night. Once the spots clear from my vision and I manage to take a breath, I peel out of the parking lot and head home.
Concealed by the cloudy night, my cabin sits in darkness until the headlights hit it. There’s no surprise waiting for me on the porch tonight, no squad cars with flashing lights ready to haul me away. Relief floods me, and then the tears come. I stumble out of the car, wiping my face, but only make it halfway to the door before my knees buckle. My melancholy wail echoes around me, piercing through the night’s silence. Each kill flashes through my mind as I try to piece together which mistake will be my undoing. The tears stream hot and fast as I try to get breaths in between sobs and hiccups.
I don’t realize I’ve curled into the fetal position on the ground until I feel arms around me hoisting me up. A familiar scent envelops me, and I give in instead of struggling to break free. I bury my face in his chest, calming slightly with each inhale. The vial resting against my skin pulses with each heartbeat, and the strangeness of it draws me back into the moment. I peer up to see two icy pools staring back at me. My stranger came for me.
He sets me gently on my bed before curling up behind me. His finger traces gently down my arm, and his hot breath fans against my neck. “Why is your face leaking, Mattie?” And the moment is gone.
“Shouldn’t you know?” I sneer, shifting to face him. “You’re my stalker, after all.” I’m too exhausted to stay angry, and I roll to my back, staring up at the ceiling.
His chest rumbles, and he lets out a chuckle. “I’ve been around a long time, but I still can’t read human minds. Was it something the blonde one said?”
“So you were fucking watching me?” I growl. The accusation hangs in the air a moment before he nods. I turn my head to him.
His grin spreads across his face without shame. “Guilty.”
I huff and face the ceiling again. A sob lodges in my throat, but I push past it. “Tally said the sheriff came to the bar looking for me. Then, all the TVs played the newscasts on loop today, talking about how some depraved maniac left body parts littered along the Blackwater river.”
“And you’re upset because you’re the depraved maniac.” His words aren’t a question, and it’s my turn to let an accusation hang between us.
“I’m not a maniac,” I whisper. I bite down on my bottom lip, straining to keep my emotions from becoming a tidal wave that will swallow us both. “The men I kill deserve it.” My voice wavers. “I’m making the world safer for women who aren’t damaged yet, like me.” I thought saying it out loud would lighten my burden, but the heaviness of speaking my truth sits on my chest like a boulder.
“Little bug, you don’t have to tell me about the wretchedness of humans. So many of their souls are a stain on this Earth.” My stranger’s arms wrap around me, pulling me against him. A shiver rattles through me, and I’m on the verge of crumbling again. “Nothing’s going to hurt you again, not unless I’m the one making you come undone.”
His words are firm, and I want to believe him with every bone in my body, but trust is not my strength. A hiccup escapes me, and my cheeks flood with heat. I’m not used to this much vulnerability, my mask fully removed. “You’re mine, and no minuscule human being can take you from me,” he speaks again, confirming his promise to me.
Memories flitter across my consciousness, like there’s a piece of this puzzle I’m missing. “What’s your name?” I ask.
