Page 22 of Bleed for You
Jinx heard the hesitation in Craig’s voice and hated that he’d been the one to put it there, but he had a job to do, and he would do it to the best of his abilities, and that meant shutting Craig out. “I’ll be over as soon as I finish. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a funeral which doesn’t end in a fight.”
“I can’t believe that happened at his funeral. Some decorum would be nice.”
“Some respect to the dead. If you’re going to have a fight, let them do it somewhere else and not at the gravesite.” Jinx sighed. “Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you then. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Jinx hung up and pursed his lips. “Shit.” Lying to Craig was a necessary evil and he would continue to do so while he had a job to do. Speaking of the job, he checked his phone and noticed Rafe’s car was on the move. “Interesting.” Jinx grabbed his coat and keys and left his house, getting in his van and backing off his driveway. He glanced at his phone, seeing where Rafe was and drove in that direction. He was a good fifteen minutes away from where Rafe was, and even though he wanted to race over to his location, Jinx drove with care. It was late, and he’d had a beer, so didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to his van.
Continuing to drive towards Rafe, Jinx kept his eyes on the little red dot showing his exact location. He didn’t want to drive to one spot and find Rafe had moved on. It was now dark outside, and Rafe could have been going out to meet friends, but Jinx had his suspicions that wasn’t the case. After watching him for a few days, he suspected Rafe had a specific place in mind and maybe a specific person in mind as well.
Following the dot, Jinx closed in on Rafe’s location, chafing every time he had to slow for a red light or a slow-moving vehicle. He eventually turned onto the street Rafe’s car had stopped on and drove past, seeing he wasn’t in the car. Parking farther up the street, Jinx got out and walked back to Rafe’s car, head on a swivel in case Rafe made a sudden appearance. Walking past Rafe’s station wagon, Jinx slowed and scanned the yards of the houses along the street. A number showed signs ofhaving children, and Jinx grimaced. He had no idea which one Rafe could be at.
If he wanted to take a child, would he be parked close to make a quick getaway or not? With that question in mind, Jinx moved to the back of the houses closest to the car and carefully searched them. It took time he felt he didn’t have and just when he reached the last house, he found Rafe trying to pry the back door open. Jinx looked around the yard, seeing the toys and action figures, then back to Rafe.
He moved closer, keeping as quiet as he could, then slapped a hand over Rafe’s mouth. “No more boys for you,” he hissed as he punched Rafe in the kidney. Rafe grunted in pain and Jinx punched him again, then let him fall to the ground. Rafe coughed, looked up at him. “Time to sleep,” he growled before kicking Rafe in the head.
Rafe’s head snapped back from the blow, and he fell backward onto the grass. Jinx crouched, stilled, waited. There was no sound, no lights coming on, so he moved over Rafe and checked his pulse. Satisfied he was still alive, Jinx picked him up, grunting as he shifted Rafe’s body over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift, then slowly made his way back to his van.
Sweat broke out over his skin, his heart beating in his chest, and he kept a constant look out to make sure he wasn’t spotted. By the time he’d dumped Rafe’s body in his van, Jinx needed a minute to calm down. Doing this here was not an ideal place. Too much could go wrong, but it appeared as if he’d pulled off. All except the station wagon. His prints weren’t on it and there were no cameras in the area from what he could see, so Jinx would leave it.
Getting in his van, he pulled away from the curb and slowly drove down the street. Turning left, he continued to drive at a sedate pace until he reached a main road, then he put his foot down. He had a place to go, and he needed to get there beforeRafe woke up. He needed to drug him so he could make it back to his cabin and set it up for its new occupant.
When he reached a spot where he could pull over, Jinx did so. The parking lot wasn’t well lit, and he parked to the rear, so there was less chance he would be noticed. Getting out, he went around the back and opened it up, stepping in and closing the van door behind him. Rafe was sitting up, groggy and holding his head, and Jinx punched him in the side of the head then reached for his bag. Inside were the syringes he kept, and the Propofol. Looking Rafe up and down, Jinx estimated how much he’d need and filled the syringe. Moving to sit on Rafe, Jinx slammed his head to the floor and injected him. Moving back, Jinx capped the syringe and placed it on the bag, then watched it take effect.
Once he was certain Rafe was unconscious, Jinx got out of the back of the van, secured the rear door, and hopped back in the front to begin the drive to his cabin. Again, he drove with care, more so now that he had Rafe in the back. It would be a long hour to reach his cabin, and he wasn’t prepared. No, that wasn’t quite right. His taking Rafe had occurred earlier than he had anticipated, so he wasn’t in the right mental space, but by the time he reached his cabin he would be. Once Rafe woke up, the real fun would begin.
Picking one of his favorite bands, Jinx hummed to Whitesnake, his fingers tapping the beat on the steering wheel. Time passed as he drove and Whitesnake was replaced by Def Leppard, and by the time he turned off the road onto the tracks used in this area, Jinx had found the right head space and was more than eager to begin. The van rocked and jumped as Jinx drove over the numerous dips in the track and he tightened his grip on the wheel. He wasn’t worried, though. He could drive this track blindfolded.
By the time he’d reached his cabin, Jinx was eager to get the night started. Darkness lay all around him, the sounds of wildlife making itself known. Out here, Jinx could see the stars in the sky, something he didn’t get to when in the city. Sighing, he shook his head, then went through his usual routine before stepping out of his van. Once he felt certain no one had been around the cabin, Jinx got out and walked over to the door. He once again checked the door and frame, then walked around the exterior before standing in front of the door. Entering the cabin and dealing with the alarm, he made sure the way to the basement was open and clear, then headed back to his van and opened the rear door.
Rafe lay where he’d left him, so Jinx grabbed his feet and dragged him out of the van until his feet hit the ground. Grabbing his arms, Jinx grunted as he sat him up, then he bent down and hoisted him over his shoulder. Walking into the cabin, Jinx went straight to the basement, then dropped Rafe to the floor before jogging back up the stairs and locking his van.
Back in the cabin, he locked up again before heading to the basement and shutting that door as well. Moving to the table, Jinx rolled it over to the middle of the room and fastened it to the floor so it wouldn’t move. Once it was secure, Jinx tested the straps, then turned back to Rafe and stripped him. Once naked, Jinx moved him to the table and strapped him down. Wrists, ankles, chest, and head. He had extra straps if Rafe became too much of a pain in his ass, but while he was out of it, these would do.
Checking the time, Jinx knew he’d have to move to grab all his equipment, then be back before Rafe came around. Double checking how secure the straps were, and certain Rafe couldn’t escape, Jinx left the cabin and got in his van, driving to the location where he kept his tools. Once he had them, he drove back to the cabin and parked his van along the side of thebuilding. Inside, he made sure all the doors and windows were locked, then the secret entrance was secure. In the room at the bottom, Jinx stripped and changed into his work clothes and boots and face shield. Didn’t want to risk blood getting in his eyes or mouth.
Taking a deep breath, he walked into his work room, closed and secured the door behind him and lay his tools out on the small table. Rafe hadn’t yet come around, so Jinx grabbed the speculum, a tool used to keep eyes open, and carefully placed the band around Rafe’s head then carefully used the blades on the end of the arms to slide each eyelid open and keep it in place. Once both eyes were done, Jinx put a couple of drops in each eye to keep them moist.
Now all he had to do was wait for Rafe to wake up.
Chapter Fourteen
“Cat,” Craig said as he hugged her. “How are you feeling?”
“The morning sickness is kicking my ass, and it should be renamed to all day sickness because that’s how it’s been all week, and I’ve felt awful.” She sat at the table in the nice Italian restaurant they had picked and looked around. The pale cream walls with splashes of color were nice, along with the photos that adorned it. Bright pictures of flowers drew the eye, and Craig liked them. “They do nice salads here, so I should be okay.” She ran a hand over her stomach. “I’ll be fine.”
“I was a little concerned,” Craig admitted. He smiled when she rolled her eyes and noticed even though she looked slightly paler than normal, she did have some color to her cheeks. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“I knew you were concerned. I could see the look on your face.” She smiled and patted the back of Craig’s hand. “Thank you for caring, and I’ll be fine. This is a normal part of pregnancy.”
“And the parents?” Cat winced, and Craig sighed. He knew they wouldn’t take it well. He wished she’d waited for him, so she didn’t have to face them alone. “Sounds like they didn’t take it well. Do you want me to go and talk to them?”
“I still haven’t told them.” She bit her lip and Craig knew what was coming and he knew he wouldn’t say no. “Will you come with me when I do?”
“Of course I will. You know I’ll be there for you. You’re having my niece or nephew. I want to spoil him or her rotten.”
“Give them all those sugary treats, then hand the baby back to me?” Cat smiled and sighed softly. Pursing her lips, she said, “I need to be an adult about this, but they’re our parents, you know? I don’t want to disappoint them.” She glanced down at the table and Craig squeezed her hand. She squeezed it back and gave him a slight smile.
