“You can bother me anytime. I’m here for you, Jamie.” I’ve always been here for you.
“You’re so kind.” She looks up, her innocent eyes almost breaking my heart. “And I really don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll be okay. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
She smirks. “Pfft. I’m not a target. But the killer definitely has some sick obsession with me. I don’t know why.”
I smile down at her. “I have a few ideas about why.” Reaching out, I twirl one of her wild curls around my finger.
Her lips part just the slightest bit, and I lean down for one more kiss.
“Go. Gotta go.” She wrenches the door open, and I have to step back to keep from getting whacked with it. “Thanks, Silas. You’re the best. Stay away from me,” she warns as she backs onto the porch. “For your own good.” With a cute clumsy step, she jumps to the ground and darts back to her house.
Once I’ve heard her throw all the locks, I close my door. My fingers graze over my lips as I remember the way she felt beneath me, how warm she was, the taste of her tongue, the scent of her arousal. She’s mine. All mine.
I return to the dining room and check the cameras again. The shadow is still gone, and when I look at Jamie, she’s running a bath. Good. She’s not the only one who needs some relief. I watch her, and when she moans my name as she comes, I come right along with her, imagining what it will feel like when I make her mine.
Once she’s tucked away in bed with Toby, I fire up my laptop. Time to do some digging on the suspect list she gave me, starting with her father’s business rivals. That shadow in her backyard isn’t coincidence, and I can’t lay claim to all the kills she’s recorded around her. Something else is going on.
My dream girl is in danger.
8
Jamie
“Be smart,” I tell myself as I step into the hardware store. “Not obvious. Totally casual.” An older man in paint-splattered clothes gives me a funny look.
I give him a big, friendly smile. Act normal, I think for the hundredth time. It doesn’t seem to work, because the man shifts farther away from me as he leaves the store.
Great. I’m failing already, and I’m barely inside. I guess if you don’t want people to notice you, then you should try not to talk to yourself.
I should have thought about my outfit, too. Why didn't I think of that? That man looked like he belonged in a hardware store. I look like I’ve never been inside one. I push my oversized sunglasses up into my hair.
I think about it, and that might actually be true. The pink tool kit under my kitchen sink that I got online when I moved into my place agrees with that assessment. Hardware store virgin right here. But there’s a first time for everything, and I’m on a mission. I might have failed at my last one, but that was because I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have the tools I needed in order to complete it. Hence why I’m at the hardware store now.
I grab one of the bright orange carts and begin dropping random things into it. I try to pick up a variety of items. That way I don’t seem suspicious.
I look down to assess what I’ve collected so far. Bug spray. People can always use that. You never know when a spider might show up. There’s also a tape measure and a new toilet lid. I am playing this right. No one will ever suspect a thing.
I’m not a newbie here. I’ve watched enough crime shows to know that you don’t just walk into the hardware store and buy rope, plastic, bleach, a shovel, and an axe.
That’s suspicious as hell. I’m a pro. Not a pro at committing crimes but on how criminals get caught. Even though me being here is with the intent to commit a crime. But just a teensy one.
Don’t be suspicious, I remind myself and grab a roll of some sort of … what is this? Weedeater wire maybe? I toss it into the cart.
I have to get into Trevor’s place. The faster I find out what’s happening, the sooner I can protect the people around me. My mind wanders to Silas. I touch my lips. I can still feel his kiss there. He wanted me to stay last night. I’d wanted to