Page 47 of In You
Caleb sits calm, cool, and collected as I drag my eyes across the features in his face. "You're a kidnapper," I say quietly. "And akiller. You being a psychopath is about the only assessment I can come up with that makes sense."
He looks at me with amusement, holding his cup to his lips. "Are you always so judgmental?" he asks curiously, taking a sip.
I half-laugh. "No. I'm only judgmental against men who are kidnappers and killers, Caleb."
He grunts on an amused chuckle, taking another sip of his drink. "Now that is something I don't want to be. I don't want you here, Tam. Not like this, anyways. I'd rather you be out there healthy, happy, and living life."
I snort. "Yeah, meee too." I take another drink and then cradle the mug to my chest. "So, how do you go about becoming a serial killer anyway?"
His dark eyes seem to go a shade darker as he just stares at me, not blinking. I hold his eye contact, letting him know I'm serious. "I started when I was about twenty-four years old, when I got out of the army."
My brow arches. "You served?"
He gives me a nod, his expression sober. I narrow my eyes tightly, trying to see what's happening behind his.
"I did."
"In what? The army?"
He nods.
I tip my chin up, assessing him with a little look, probably judgmentally just like he accused me of being. "And how does a soldier turn killer?"
"I only kill the ones who deserve to die, Tamryn. No more, no less."
I nod, looking towards the fireplace. "Does it fuck you up? Deep inside?"
He's quiet for a second, having another moment of introspection. One thing I've noticed is Caleb doesn't make brash decisions, he seems to give everything a lot of thought,weighing the pros and cons of even the words he lets come out of his mouth.
"I pay a lot in order to do the kind of work I do."
"Oh yeah?" I frown, trying to imagine anyone who chooses to exact revenge and justice the way he does having to pay anything. To take a life means you lose a bit of your soul. Wondering if his mind runs the same thread, I hold Tink a little closer as I muster up the courage to ask him. "And what do you pay?"
His hawk-like eyes slide to mine and hold my eye contact for a lot longer than I thought I'd be capable of, but after a tense second where he seems to do a lot of contemplating, his eyes go back to his drink. "The price."
I leave it at that, because obviously he doesn't trust me enough to elaborate either. And honestly, it doesn't bother me that much because I understand without him having to explain it in great detail, because I had a price to pay too.
We all do.
18
What Happened
Caleb
Chronicallyalert,Ifeelher presence even before my eyes open.
I keep them closed and my breathing relaxed, however every muscle in my body tightens when I feel the bed sink under her weight. There's a strained silence for a minute where I wonder if she's trying to crawl into bed with me for intimacy, but I cull that train of thought before it has a chance to take root because that's wishful thinking.
Foolish.
My eyes pop open as her slight weight settles on my legs, and at the feel of her body's sudden jerk I lash out, sitting up straight up in bed and snapping my hand forward, curling tightly around the slender bone of her wrist when she brings her hand down. Why I was ever that foolish to think she'd want to join me in my bed is beyond my comprehension right now.
A large butcher knife glints in the moonlight.
I bring the other hand to wrap around her throat, narrowing my eyes and tilting my face close to hers until our noses almost touch.
"You may sneak up on me, and you may try to fucking kill me, Tamryn, but you will not underanycircumstances straddle me.Do you understand?"My voice comes out deathly cold as I narrow my eyes at her, keeping her wrist in a tight grip.
