Hopefully, this is the last body.
“Let’s get this over with,” Ezra said as he grabbed one end of their former boss’s body, while Ryker took hold of the other.
***
The drive to the dumping spot was tense. Every car they passed set his nerves on edge, wondering if it was a cop. He’d never been so worried about getting caught before.
Maybe it was because he had someone to care about again. He cared about his aunt Patty, but she had cut him out after Rick died. He couldn’t blame her.
“Do something with your life, Ezzy. For your uncle’s sake.”
The words had come too soon after, and he’d disappeared for days. When he showed back up on her doorstep, she told him he had seventy-two hours to find a new place to live. He’d been crashing with them for so long, and he could tell she only tolerated him to keep Rick happy. So, he left—aimless and finding odd jobs while crashing with friends. Eventually, he landed a job in a garage putting the skills his uncle had taught him to work.
But then he fucked up. He stole from one of Xan’s dealers, and the rest was history.
Ezra stopped the van and killed the engine. The area was deserted. It was all dark trees swaying in a light spring breeze and the sounds of rushing water. “Think this is our last body?”
He hoped it was. There was no telling what the future held with their former boss being dead. They had to frame it so it looked like Davidiuk had done it.
His friend let out a sigh. “If we do everything right, then I think so.”
Ezra nodded, then hopped out of the van, meeting Ryker by the door as he opened it. Xan’s body was wrapped tightly in the tarp.
They lifted the limp corpse and hurried toward the water’s edge. Ryker cut open the tarp, and they tugged on the end, rolling the body out. The incline was fairly steep, so it tumbled quickly down before they heard the splash against the bank.
“I hate to say it,” Ezra said, “but I think he needs to be fucked up a little more to be believable. A few stab wounds aren’t enough.”
Ryker groaned, but pulled out his knife. They quickly cut the body in a few places, including his face. Davidiuk loved cutting faces.
“I think that’s good,” Ryker observed. “Chances are some fish will chew on him, too.”
Together, they used the tarp to finish the job of pushing him into the water. The more water damage to the corpse, the less likely there would be any traces of DNA.
“You call Thompson,” Ryker said, “Let him know that Xan went missing when you left. Sure, you escaped, but you can plant some seeds since he heard when Xan was talking to Davidiuk. It won’t take long for this to be found.”
Ezra offered a curt nod and rinsed his bloody knife before pocketing it. They would need to destroy everything they were wearing.
This better be the last.
Chapter 39
Willow
They were taking too long. Willow checked her phone more than a few times, but didn’t want to send them a text or call, just in case they were sneaking around. That would be her luck, getting them caught with an ill-timed phone call.
She stood and paced the living room again as Stahma watched from Landon’s lap. He wouldn’t go back to his hotel until they showed up because he didn’t want her to go out to find them. She wasn’tthatstupid. Plus, the river was huge. How would she know where they would be dumping the body anyway?
“You need to chill,” Landon chided as he flipped through her streaming services. The last episode of his anime show had ended, so he was on the hunt for something else.
“I’m trying.” She gnawed on her lip. “How long does it take to clean up and ditch a body?”
Landon scoffed. “How the fuck would I know?”
“Don’t you think three hours is a long time?”
He rolled his eyes as he hit the start button on some movie—it looked like a comedy. “I don’t know. You can ask your murder boyfriends when they get here.”
“If they get here,” she muttered.
