Page 103 of GAF Factor

I could practically smell it wafting off him. But he didn’t know who was after him. He would by the end of the night. I watched as he searched the whole building, as he missed me every fucking time, never able to see what was right in front of him. And as he convinced himself that whoever it was had left, he packed up his things to leave for the night.

I followed him out the back door into the heavy snow. My shoes crunched in time with his. When he stopped, so did I. When he turned, he would see nothing because it was too dark and the snow was too thick. But he knew I was here. Watching. Waiting.

And no one would be here to help him.

“Who’s there?” he shouted, his voice quivering with fear.

When he got no answer, he turned and picked up his pace, walking faster to his car, terrified that he was going to die tonight.

He wasn’t wrong.

His breathing became heavy and labored as he started to jog. A terrified mewling sound left his lips just before my hand wrapped around his mouth and I pulled him back against me.

“Shh,” I whispered softly. “No one is here to save you.”

He struggled against my grip just as anyone would, fighting to get away from me. His pleas for help died against the glove on my hand. No one would hear him tonight.

“Why did you do it, Mitch? Why did you drug her?”

He stilled in my arms, but his pulse skyrocketed.

“Tell me. Do you drug many women, or was this special for her?” I pulled my knife from inside my jacket and held it out for him to see.

He shook his head wildly, desperate to get away.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a chance to answer some of my questions, but if you scream, I’m going to have to shove my knife into the back of your neck. Are we clear?”

His head jerked in a nod against my hand. I slowly pulled my hand away from his mouth, but gripped his arm, jerking it up behind his back to keep him against me. “Why did you do it?”

“I—I didn’t want to,” he spluttered.

“Then why did you?”

“It was for a friend! I swear!”

“And who would that be?”

“Shawn, okay? His name is Shawn. Her husband.”

“He wants her dead because of the money he owes, right? He wants to collect the insurance money he would get from her.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah. How did you?—”

“I’m asking the questions here. Where is he?” I yanked him back, gritting my teeth in anger. I had very little patience left.

“I don’t?—”

“You do know. And you’re going to tell me.” He cried out as I torqued his arm. “Stop wasting my time and tell me what I need to know.”

“He’s…he’s on my property. It’s a cabin up north.”

“Address,” I hissed.

“And then you’ll let me go?”

I chuckled low in my throat. “I never said I would let you go. You drugged my woman. You tried to kill her. The only question is, how slow will I kill you?”

His body started to shake against mine, and for just a moment, the terror he felt was enough. Knowing he would piss his pants and probably have nightmares for the rest of his life almost made me walk away because it was what Isla would want.

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