Page 28 of Creed

I jump out of the tub and wrap my robe around me, not caring that water is dripping all over the floor. I lock the bathroom door and cram myself inside the small towel closet. Well, the bottom half of it. I’m glad I have little stored under the shelves or else I’d never fit in here. Crouched in the dark closet, I keep both my hands twisted on the knob with a death grip, waiting and listening.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” a gruff voice that I don’t recognize calls out.

What has Cade got me messed up in? If I make it out of here, I’m going to kill him myself.

Boom. Crack. The bathroom door splinters off the frame, then there’s a heavy thud followed by silence.

I hold my breath and count to one hundred while listening for movement. Nothing. Silence follows other than the music I was listening to during my bath. I twist the knob to crack the closet door, but can’t get it open very far. It’s catching on something. Oh my God. I clamp a palm to my mouth. There’s a body. I shove as hard as I can using my feet and get the door cracked enough to shimmy out of it. Blood pools from beneath the side of his face. I’m guessing he must have slipped on the water I got all over the floor. Judging by the way his eyes and mouth are both wide open, he was as shocked as I am.

Pressing two fingers to his neck, I check for a pulse and quickly scurry back, taking in the damage he did to the bathroom door. A sane person would call the police, but I dial the one person I know who will know what to do.

Seth Creed.

Chapter Ten

I’ve been on the road driving like a bat of hell, breaking every speed limit and traffic law to get to her. I don’t know what the fuck happened, but the fear in her voice when she cried my name was all I needed to know. I’ll burn the world down to get to her. Whatever it takes, nothing or no one will stand in my way. The second her apartment complex comes into view, I’m parking behind her car and making a mad dash for her door.

By the time I’m there, she’s peering out looking for me, having heard my bike.

“Are you okay?” I move inside the doorway, checking her over as I spot the glass shattered on the living room floor. “What happened?”

“There’s a dead body in…in my bathroom,” she finishes hoarsely.

“Do you know who it is?”

She shakes her head.

“You call the cops or anyone else?”

Another shake.

I pull her into my arms, and she bursts into tears, nuzzling her face deep into my neck as though she can’t get close enough. “Hey. I’ve got you. Always.” I kiss the top of her head. “Any idea what this guy wanted?”

“I should have told someone. The other night after I left the clubhouse, I came home and when I climbed into my bed, there was a bullet under my pillow with an X etched on the side. Then tonight Cade showed up outside of the diner when my shift ended.”

“Wait. You’re telling me that someone left a bullet under your pillow, and you didn’t think that was important enough to call the police to report it?”

“Don’t be mad.” She sniffles.

“I’m not mad at you. Fuck.”

“You sound mad.”

“Show me the body and tell me what happened.”

“He’s in here.” I follow her to the bathroom in the hall as she continues to explain. “Cade showed up when I was getting off work. He’s the guy I told you ghosted me out of the blue. Anyway, he was saying he needed to talk to me, but he was being so weird I just thought he was screwing with me or something. I don’t exactly trust a guy who dipped out without a word for weeks. I thought maybe he broke in and left the bullet as a weird joke or something. Before I could get the truth out of him, Chris came out asking if he was bothering me and Cade got spooked and took off. I went by his apartment, but he’s moved. ThenI got a text that said sorry. I assumed it was him, since it came from an unknown number. I told him to fuck off and then I came in and started making my dinner and got in the tub for a soak. That’s when I heard the glass shatter, and I hid in the towel closet.”

“How did he end up dead on the bathroom floor?”

“He slipped on my bathwater. I guess.”

“And you have no idea what your ex is mixed up in or why this fucker broke in?”

“Nope.”

“Well, we can assume two things. Whoever this guy works for will be waiting to hear from him, and two, when they don’t, they’ll come looking. Go to your room and pack a bag.”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?”

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