Page 14 of To Obsess

“The fuck?” He makes no move toward the car, only stands there with an eyebrow quirked up at the demand.

An exasperated sigh escapes, despite my attempt to reign in my growing frustration. I’d hoped he would go easily, but Lady Luck isn’t in my corner tonight. “Get in the car, Gunnar.” A slight wave of the pistol, almost like it’s a traffic flag directing him to the car, has his eyes widening a fraction.

“How do you know who I am, man?” The tension in his voice is delicious.

“I’m growing rather weary of this interaction, man. Get in the fucking car.” I take two more steps in his direction, feeling the pull of a smirk when he steps back.

He reaches for the handlebar closest to him, ready to swing a leg over and take off. Unfortunately for him, the action leaves his back to me for a split second. I take the opportunity. If he doesn’t want to come willingly, I’ll simply take the choice out of the equation.

The butt of the pistol connects with the back of his head, emitting a nearly sickening wet crunch. My stomach somersaults at the sound, threatening to spill my dinner over the potholes in the parking lot. His body goes semi-limp, leaning against me for support. He's a fuck of a lot heavier than I anticipated.

Heaving and grunting with every half-step, I finally manage to get him to the car. I lean his body against the trunk, pop the back door open, and slide his nearly lifeless form down onto the seat. Sweat drips along my brow as I walk to the other side, opening the opposite back door. Arms looped under his, I lean back, pulling with every ounce of willpower I can muster. For a second, I wonder if the guy has concrete lining his pockets, weighing him down.

The door shuts, only offering a bit of resistance as it collides with the top of his head. Satisfied, I make my way back to the driver’s side to stuff his legs in the car. As I slide into my seat and close the door, I let my head hang forward until I feel the cool leather of the steering wheel against my forehead.

“Fuck.” I hadn’t thought this through.

I’d nearly worn a path in the sodden leaves when the first noise left his mouth. It was nothing more than a groan as he tried to make his way back to consciousness, but it harnessed my attention in an instant.

I knew I couldn’t take him back to my apartment—too many nosey neighbors. I also know better than going back to a previous murder scene with a new victim (thank you, true crime shows), so that’s out the window, too. With next to no options, I opted for this place.

When I was a kid, I would go out exploring all over the town. I pretended to hunt ghosts in the abandoned houses down by the river, walked along the railroad tracks for miles, and investigated caves along the cliff lines. That’s how I found this place originally.

Unfortunately for lover boy, it wasn’t an easy hike. There’s no road access. I parked as close as I could, but that still left us about half a mile from our destination. He’d woken as I put the car in park, still groggy from the hit to the head. I quickly tied his wrists behind his back before leading him along the path I’d discovered so many years ago.

If I was going to do this, I wanted to have a decent view. The cave at my back was a bonus should I need to take shelter at some point. The view of the river had always been my favorite. From here, I could just make out the dark green of the water as it flows south. Whenever I’d been upset as a child, the sounds of the river would soothe me in a way nothing else could. I suppose some things never change.

The terror that emanated from his eyes was nearly palpable by the time we came to a stop, though he had yet to utter a single word to me. He probably thought his chances of survival would be a little better if he kept quiet and compliant, and in a different situation, he would likely be correct. Poor guy. He had no chance here.

Once we made it to our spot, I knocked him out again for good measure. If I’m being entirely honest, I don’t really know exactly how concussions work, but I needed a few more minutes to figure out how this was all going to go down. Having him awake and mumbling to himself, or worse—trying to talk to me—just wasn’t going to cut it.

“Welcome back,” I say cheerily as he forces his eyes open. It’s nearly dark out now, especially under the cover of the dense canopy, but there’s still enough light to see silhouettes. From his perspective, that just might make it even more frightening. I know I wouldn’t be a fan personally.

“Who the fuck are you?” he manages, pulling against the ropes securing his wrists to the tree behind him.

“I’m Killian.” Giving no more than the answer he seeks, I make my way around the tree, double checking each knot to ensure it will hold. As much as I love a good challenge, I’m not in the mood to chase this guy through the woods in the dark.

“I’d like to hear your side of the story,” I say, finding an overturned tree to sit on. I wait patiently, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.

“My side of what story? I have no clue what you’re talking about!” he half-yells, doing his best to tamp down the hysteria creeping into his voice.

“What happened with Violet tonight?” I prompt, leveling him with my gaze. I’m not sure if he can see my eyes now, but I keep mine locked on him.

“Who?”

“Violet. The girl you went out with tonight. I’d like to get your side of what happened on the date and after.” My fingers ache as I clench and unclench my fists, staving off the need for bloodshed.

“Oh,” he laughs. “That girl. Right. So, we went out, obviously. The date went fine, except she didn’t even reach for the check. I could overlook that, though. Especially when she invited me back to her place after.” The cockiness in his voice is nauseating.

“Then what happened?”

“We got back to her house, made it inside, and I started kissing her.” The confidence from moments ago is replaced with a simmering anger as he continues his story.

I pace in front of the tree where he’s tied, counting each step in my head to soothe myself. Repetition usually helps. Six steps, turn, six steps back. My chest loosens ever so slightly after the third cycle.

“I’m waiting.” For a long moment, there’s only the sounds of the forest surrounding us.

“Things went a little sideways from there,” he spits out. Silence creeps back in.