Page 76 of Buried Beneath Sin

When the Bright Starr Funeral Home comes into view, I don’t even spare it a glance. I don’t have to look to see that the chimney is already smoking. The Hunts are getting rid of their evidence. Smart. As was taking over the funeral home in the first place.

Though I do have to wonder why they don’t leave a calling card. All those killings and no one will know who did them. Doesn’t that bother them? I left a calling card. It didn’t get me caught. All it got me was the nickname Angel Eyes. But maybe they’re just being overly cautious.

The rest of the town of Chasm is quiet. Probably quieter than the neighborhood I’d just come from. It’s a quaint place. The deli in the center of town and the bakery by the small park have some of the best food I’ve had in a while. I’m almost known by name at both. Not the name they’ve called me online and on TV, my real one.

By the time I get to the old steel bridge that’s dangerously rusty and missing pieces, the phone in the cupholder has gone off three more times. I need to answer. Iwantto. But I need to see this job through first. Slowly, I pull my car to the side of the road to hide it in heavy shadows. Climbing out is a little difficult, my body stiff from sitting so long. My footsteps crunch softly beneath me as I move toward the bridge. The flashy red sports car sitting in the middle of it has its driver’s door open wide. The battery must’ve died since last night when Sagan left it here because the interior is dark now.

I ignore the abandoned car as I approach the bridge’s railing. There, a thick rope is tied around some metal. It groans as the length of it, dangling off the other side, swings ever so slightly. I lean over the bridge, where, dangling by his neck, is the lifeless body of Trevor Michaels. Or at least that’s who I think it is—that’s what the name on the registration for the car says. I watched as one of the twins, Sagan I think, tied the noose around the young man’s neck and tossed him over. The Hunt twin hadn’t even paused to watch as the guy thrashed about until going still. He simply left. An hour later, both twins returned. One driving Trevor’s car, the other following in theirown vehicle. They staged the scene to look like a suicide, and by all accounts, they did a good job.

But this is where I’ll make it more interesting.

I grab the taut rope and, with a grunt, heave Trevor back up. I lay the corpse of the young man on the ground and straddle him. Reaching back, I pull my knife free and get to work. The way my blade moves is smooth and driven by muscle memory. I’ve missed this. My mouth stretches into a smile. It’s been almost a decade since I’ve done a job like this, but it’s like riding a bicycle. It takes me less than three minutes to do what I need before I’m back up on my feet. I pocket my keepsakes and throw Trevor’s body back over the side of the bridge so it will be left just like it had been.

Too bad Trevor was already dead. It would’ve been nice to hear his screams. The sound of terror is the second best part of the experience. Oh well, maybe another time.

Maybe then it’ll be one of the Hunt twins since they dared to hunt where they don’t belong. But maybe not. Going straight for the main kill wouldn’t be all that fun. If I’m going to get back in the game, I should take my time. Especially given the current odds. Four against one won’t be a fair fight.

I whistle as I head back to my car. After climbing in and turning it on to get the heat blasting, I finally grab my primary phone from the cupholder and check my missed messages.

Shay: Got an email from the doctor’s office. It’s not good news

Shay: I hate this so much

Shay: Are you coming home tonight?

Shay: If not, please stay safe. I need you around forever <3.

Shay: I love you

My heart sinks. Damn it. I should’ve been there with my old lady, to hold her while she read the email. I should be worried about my own family right now, not seething as this new one forms just under my nose.

So many tests, so much money thrown down the drain, and what do we get for it? Heartache? Loss for something we never had? I promised that woman the world, and I’m failing her. My teeth clench together as glare out into the darkness. As much as I’d love to drive straight home and disregard the new killers who have settled on the outskirts of my territory, I can’t. I live in a world where from the comfort of my couch, I control the streets and how much blood runs through them. With these four on the loose, without anyone reining them in, they’ll give the rest of the city the idea that they can go wild as well.

That just won’t do.

Ilikethe control I have. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let the Hunt twins and this small family they’re forming ruin it all for me.

I’m not an unreasonable man though. These guys don’t know about me or the rules I’ve put in place for the underground criminal world. But that’ll change. Maybe just knowing they’re being watched will be enough for them to back off. But if it’s not?

Well, Angel Eyes might have to rise from the dead and strike for the first time in over ten years.

30

KNOX

Idream of being crushed between thick thighs and suffocating.

But rather than alarmed or scared, I feel like a fucking Viking. This has to be what it feels like to be on my way to Valhalla as my lungs shrivel up and I’m drenched in the nectar of a goddess. Fuck, death is slow but exquisite like this. I’m going to share the story of this glorious moment with every fucking warrior I meet—after I tell the tale to every god who will listen to me.

Just when I think I’m about to see the doors of the marvelous world in the Great Beyond, I’m pulled back. Any other time I’d be pissed as fuck as I’m dragged toward consciousness. I’ve never been a morning person. But as I’m drawn closer to reality, I’m quick to realize something: waking up with a tongue up my ass is an amazing way to start the day. Having a fist wrapped around my cockwhilemy ass gets eaten? Even better.

My morning wood is stroked with an unhurried but firm grip. Oh man, this is so fucking good. The sound that escapes past my lips sits somewhere between an aggravated whine and a pleasurable groan. I crack my eyelids open to find Sagan between my legs, or, rather, under them. Both my legs arethrown over his shoulders as he devours my ass. I hadn’t even felt him join me in bed, let alone touch me.

Thank goodness I hadn’t felt his hands as he moved my legs. They aren’t a designated safe zone.

The dark hair that covers half his face parts just enough that I catch the wicked gleam in his eyes. He’s feeling feisty this morning.

I love a feisty Sagan Hunt.

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