Page 58 of The Butcher

“Stay out of the camera, and just sit and watch.”

And he does.

Arrow watches in awe—or horror—as I go through the suit’s and Alan’s pockets, grabbing their IDs before I take the goon’s knife. I use the multiple bullet wounds as a map and dismember what I can with little more than a pocket knife, then drag all his pieces to the garage door and prop them neatly in front of it. Starting under his chin, I make a deep incision, one that runs all the way down his middle, the buttons on his shirt popping until I hit the top of his slacks, then unsteadily get to my feet to retrieve his partner from the tree to do the same.

Taking a step back, I look them over, tilting my head to the side to admire my work.

Both men are flayed wide open, parts and pieces propping up their torsos, and I pulled out their intestines, tied them in a bow, then stuck a lit cigarette in each of their mouths.

Not bad with one arm and all the blood loss.

Hopefully, Bryce gets the message.

“This is how you clean?”

I glance at Arrow, who’s staring at my work with a slack jaw. “It is right now.”

“What about him?” He points to Alan and visibly shudders. “What are you going to do with him?”

“He’s coming with us.”

His eyes go wide as he looks me up and down then turns to the bloated body. “How?”

Turning to the sports car, I narrow my eyes. “You know if he’s got chains in there? For the snow and shit since he’s stupid enough to have that car out in February?”

“He does.” Arrow nods. “I know he does.”

Slowly, I turn toward the twenty-something omega, my jaw clenched tightly as I refrain from asking him how he knows, and instead ask, “Can you get them out and bring them over here?”

“I’ll manage.”

Sure as shit, he does.

Arrow pulls every fucking chain and rope from the trunk and uses them as well as a tarp he found, to help me tie Alan Harden’s corpse up and drag it all the way down the trail and back to my truck. He even helps me load it in the bed, covering it with whatever we can find, and once it looks like I’m just hauling a bunch of junk, we both sag against the cool metal.

“I’ve never done anything like that before,” Arrow says as I hand him a bottle of water.

I chuckle a little. “First time for everything.”

“Is it bad that I didn’t mind?” He takes a drink and closes his eyes. “After I got over how gross it was to have his head explode on me.”

“Nah.” I didn’t either, not the first time I dealt with a dead body, but I’m a different breed than this kid. “Can you drive?”

Arrow pushes off my truck as he nods. “It’s been a few years, but, yeah. I can drive.”

Ignoring how long he’s been at the ranch, I brace myself the best I can before I yank open the passenger door. “You know where Obsidian Falls is?”

“No.”

Well, shit.“I’ll give you an address, you punch it into the GPS, okay?”

“Do you need help getting in?” Arrow holds the door while I lean heavily into it. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m fine. Keys are in my pocket, hurry up and get in so I can tell you where to go. I’m pretty fucking sure I’m about to pass out, and Nan will kick my ass if I do that before I tell you where her house is.”

Which is the last clear thought I have as I essentially fall face first into my passenger seat, and I do, in fact, pass the fuck out.

Chapter Fifteen

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