Page 4 of Always Watching

He’s a waste of air.

“Listen, Austin. I know this is sudden, and Iknowyou might not have an answer for me right away… but I think we should take things to the next level.” I let a smile cross my features, trying to make sure it reaches the bright blue-green of my eyes. I have to kneel so we’re face to face because I tower over him. He’s already shaking his head, trying to beg me through the gag in his mouth, and there’s spit and something thicker dried to his chin. He’s a sweaty, disgusting mess, and the acrid scent of fear clinging to him is burning my nose.

I should love this.

I usually love this exact moment.

So why am I bored?

“What do you say, hm?” Against my better judgment, I pull the gag from his mouth and listen to him sputter and cough for a few minutes before he starts pleading.

“I have money—”Lies. He works at a fucking grocery store, for fuck’s sake.“I have a car, I havedrugs. Fuck, you can have my girlfriend man, just please... please, let me g-go.” His begging ends on a whimper, and I blow out an aggravated breath.

Nothing.

Nothing.

“Fuck, you’re useless.” Unceremoniously, I draw the blade across the seam of his shitty tattoo and watch the ink split open like a second mouth. The gush of blood pouring across my hands is hot, almost steaming in the coolness of the building I have him stashed in. It’s one of the benefits of owning land—I have acres to bury bodies, woods where I can scatter bits and pieces for the animals to find—and my dad owning a construction business means I have access to whatever tools I need for easy disassembly.

I watch apathetically as the man in front of me twitches, jerking helplessly a few times before the blood loss is too much. His dark-brown eyes go wide, and a brief shiver of pleasure rushes along my spine as I watch the life drain away.

And… that’s it.

Just that littlezip.

As quick as it came, it flees into the night air along with the little wet gurgling gasp of his last breath.

I throw the knife to the side and stand with a low curse, kicking the dead man’s broken shin as I make my way to the door of the building, only half closing it behind me.

Maybe the animals will find more satisfaction with his corpse than I did when he was alive.

No, he’ll probably just make them sick.

After that disappointment, I can feel tension twisting every nerve ending in my body. I glance down at my watch and breathe a soft sigh of relief. At leastAustindidn’t fuck something else up. I have plenty of time to get home and get a shower before the show starts.

I can’t miss Cas. Especially not after the astronomical letdown that was Austin Rogers.

As an afterthought, I turn and close the door behind me, flipping off the corpse before I secure the lock. It’d be just my luck that the coyotes would drag his body out to the road and the police would find him. Austin seems the type to fuck my day up, even in death.

I’m home in plenty of time to get a shower and grab my tablet before Cas goes live. It’s not that I can’t stand to miss a show; I’ve done it before. I don’t know exactly when I became… interested in the pretty young camboy, but I’m not the kind of person who denies it when something catches my interest.

I know enough about him to know that his real name isn’t Cas… Ranen Greer lives about thirty minutes from me, and I may or may not have driven by his apartment a few times to catch a glimpse of him while he was out and about. I don’t consider myself a stalker or anything.

I’m a killer, but I’m notthatbig a creep.

But someoneis. I can tell by the way Cas is acting, by the worry that bruises the pale skin beneath his pretty blue eyes. I’m sure other people don’t notice it… but I’m also sure if I knew other people were paying that much attention to him, I’d gouge their eyes out and feed them to them.

I settle down and click on his page, waiting for theNow Livescreen to flicker so I can enter the chat. I have an anonymous name that isn’t linked to my bank account, though it isn’t like I’m ashamed of watching him. If my dad or brother asked, I’d just tell them the truth.

It’s research.

I’m researching every pale inch of Cas’s skin, memorizing it down to the smallest freckle and the way red blossoms across his chest in a splotchy flush when he orgasms. I’m thinking of all the ways I could hold him tight enough to bruise.

Okay. Maybe it could be argued that I’m alittleobsessed.

As soon as the screen flickers to life, I feel some of the disappointed tension from earlier leave my body. He’s there, and he’s looking just as pretty as ever. I can still see a bit of worry dancing somewhere just behind his gaze, and it’s that expression that makes me stand up. It’s easy to flip from using my tablet to my phone, and I’m back outside and in my car without giving it much thought.

It isn’t the first time I’ve done this either. Since I realized where Ranen lived, Imayhave sat outside his apartment a few times while I watched his shows, just to see if he came out after, all loose and languid from fucking himself. I don’t make a habit of it, but I also don’t stop myself. Iwantto see him out in the world, with the sun on his skin and his body slightly flushed in a way only I’ll understand.

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