Page 77 of Claiming His Bunny
Huh. I did say that, didn’t I? And I don’t feel like taking it back. “Yes. I meant it. I mean, I live with you already, don’t I? My toothbrush is on your bathroom counter, my shampoo in your shower, my clothes in your closet. It’s too late for you to change your mind now,” I tease.
Ethan captures my mouth in a soft, sweet kiss. “As if I’d ever change my mind about you. Come on.” He pulls me to my feet and hands me my shirt. “Let’s get back home and start on that hair because damn, girl, it’s a mess.”
I sigh as I try to run my fingers through the tangled curls. Yeah, it’s a mess. Still, it was worth it.
Chapter 42
Ethan
Kayla naps as Idrive back home. Home. She actually called my house home after everything that happened. This woman is a miracle. A thoroughly fucked miracle, that is. She looks every inch like a woman that has just been fucked in a forest and I can’t stop glancing at her even though I should be focused on driving.
“This is such a nice neighborhood,” she mumbles sleepily when I take the last turn into the cul-de-sac I live on.Welive on. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “Nice front lawns, people walking their dogs, kids playing…”
Something about her words rings alarm bells in my mind, but I can’t pinpoint what it is. I eye my neighbor’s front lawn, noticing there are indeed tiny figures running around. “Those are Mrs. Fernandez’s grandkids. They don’t live here but visit from time to time and—Wait, did you say people walking their dogs?”
“Yeah. I saw this guy in the morning when we were leaving. And the other night, when we were coming back from Georgia’s. I remember being grateful I don’t have a dog because I wouldn’t be able to get up in the middle of the night to walk it.”
I pull into my driveway and press the button on my garage door remote, my mind running a mile a minute. “What did he look like?”
“Umm. I don’t know. He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, so I didn’t see his face. I didn’t even see the dog, just the man standing next to some shrubs with a leash in his hand. Isn’t that weird?”
I roll into the garage. When Kayla reaches for her door, I put a hand on her wrist. “Stay in the car, please.”
“What?” Her eyes widen when I pull a gun from the glove compartment. “Ethan? What’s going on? Is that…ohmygod, was that guy from the FBI? Because of your…thing?”
As much as I want to laugh at her calling me being a serial killer “my thing”, I can’t bring myself to relax. A man walking a dog. Without a dog. It might be nothing. It might be something.
I check the notifications on my phone to make sure Kayla’s theory isn’t true. “It’s not the FBI. I have a back door to their system and a subroutine that would alert me if my name ever came up in any of their investigations. But…” I hesitate, not sure how to explain it so that she doesn’t think I’m crazy. “The only person on this street who has a dog is Mrs. Forbes, and she doesn’t walk it at night. In fact, she doesn’t walk it at all.”
“So? Maybe she just hired someone to walk it? Or someone else got a dog? Or someone from another street is coming here with their dog?”
Kayla doesn’t sound convinced, and I don’t blame her. She must already think I’m a nutjob, and this isn’t improving that impression. “I know it sounds crazy, but…” I trail off with a sigh. “Call it an instinct, but I don’t like this. Which is why I’m going out to see this dog person myself and you’ll wait in the car. Okay? Please?” I add on a second thought, not wanting to sound like I’d lock her in the car if she didn’t agree. Even though I would.
“Alright.” She shrugs. “The guy was kinda creepy, so… I guess I don’t need more stalkers. Just be careful.”
“I will.”
By the time I get to the place where Kayla saw the man, he’s gone, but an ominous tingle at the back of my neck tells me I’m being watched. And if it’s not the FBI—which it isn’t—and it’s not some fellow serial killer hoping to make friends, it leaves only one person. Benjamin Fucking Adams. Which also means I’m not the target here. Kayla is. And I’m going to kill that fucker before he gets anywhere near her.
I touch the gun in the waistband of my pants. I don’t pull it out because I’m not about to get arrested for waving my—very much legal—gun around in a quiet neighborhood, but anyone watching me will see I’m armed. As a deterrent, it works, because one of the parked cars speeds away, its tires squealing as the driver guns the engine. I tap the license plate into my phone and run it through the DMV database, the first system I’ve ever hacked at the ripe age of fourteen. Needless to say, their security hasn’t improved since then.
The car comes up as registered to a rental company. Not very helpful, but better than nothing. I’ll work on hacking their system later, but right now, I need to get back to Kayla. I’m not leaving her side again. Ever.
To my relief, Kayla is still in the car. She’s moved to the driver’s seat, fidgeting when I cock my brow. “I thought I’d drive in case you needed…um, a getaway driver? Is that a thing?”
I gawk at her, not sure if I should be awed or furious. “So, if it really was the FBI after me, you’d drive a serial killer through their blockade while they shoot at us? Jesus Christ, woman.” I rub my face.
“Well…yeah? Obviously, we wouldn’t be like Bonnie and Clyde, but I’m not letting them arrest you. Besides,” she adds with a cocky grin, “I can always say you kidnapped me and made me do things, so I’m pretty much safe.”
I’m definitely spanking her bratty ass again. “You’re not safe from a stray bullet, Kayla, so don’t even think about getting involved if the FBI ever does try to bring me in. And this isn’t the FBI. I think it’s Adams.”
“Benjamin Adams? Why would he be after you? I mean, obviously you’re the one who bugged his house and leaked the video—thank you for that, by that way—but he doesn’t know that, does he? Actually, wait.” She frowns. “Michelle did say he was mad at you because he knew Director Smith asked you to help with Aaron’s case. But would he stalk you when he can’t know for sure if you planted the cameras?”
“Why would you think it was me?” I tease, even though she’s absolutely right. “I’m a popular, upstanding citizen, in case you haven’t noticed. I don’t go around breaking into people’s houses and planting hidden cameras.” I allow myself a brief smile before switching back to being serious. “He’s not after me, Kayla. I think he’s here because of you.”
“Oh.” She chews on her lip. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here then. I don’t want to put you in danger.”
I blink, my eyes widen, then I blink again. “What. The. Fuck?” The urge is too great now and I guffaw loudly, the sound echoing through the garage. “God, Kayla! Are you serious right now? There’s a lunatic after you who already trashed your car, and you want to be alone because you don’t want to putmein danger? Me, another lunatic who already stalked and kidnapped you? Jesus Christ, woman, are you even listening to yourself?”
