Page 24 of Behind the Shadows
I stared at the message, irritated with his praise. Contrary to his belief, I wasn’t a dog on command. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. The sooner I talked to Kip, the better. Even with a gun, I didn’t feel safe, and that wouldn’t work. I’d lived in fear most of my life, and I wasn’t interested in living that way any longer. Maybe I needed a break, somewhere I was safe and could take time off from work and life, especially since Draco had found me. I could swap cars again, then drive to the cabin in the woods. I would let my parents and Autumn know I was going to take some time to recharge so they wouldn’t worry about me. I could tell them about the cabin, but if I told them where I would be exactly, my mother would show up unannounced and unwelcome. It was settled. I would leave as soon as I could schedule some time off work. The sooner, the better.
Before I set my phone down, I glanced at the message to Kip once again. A little voice spoke from the corners of my mind, reminding me of a twisted promise and chilling me to the bone. “You’ve made your choice. But remember, when you dance with the devil, the price is always higher than you think.”
9
KIP
I rubbed my hands against my thighs with a frenzied urgency as I watched Holland enter the building of her practice from the back door. Every fiber of my being was focused on her, the woman who had accepted my offer to deal with Draco two days ago. I’d texted her a few times, asking to meet so I could learn more about what was happening. Even though she responded, it was obvious that she was trying not to talk to me much. That had to change. What she didn’t know was that not only was I following her, but while she was gone from her home yesterday, I had installed cameras with audio. Plus, I had Dope do me a solid and mess with a few of her Spotify playlists. We added some songs, deleted others, and even renamed one. When you knew a hacker as good as he was, almost nothing was impossible. It was just another subtle way to fuck with her head. Soon, she’d question her sanity like I had when I saw her again.
Watching her was hypnotizing, and I wanted to see her more and more. It wasn’t about the ability to watch her dress and undress, fuck herself with a vibrator, or sing while she made dinner. There was something else about her that pulled me in her direction. It wasn’t about the past. It was about the present,the future. I pushed the thoughts away because none of it mattered until I had answers.
What still bothered me was that she hadn’t recognized me when I’d handled Draco, and we’d talked afterward. She looked me square in the face and had zero recollection that I was the driver of the car she almost hit when she was speeding out of the hospital garage. When I’d mentioned it to Dope, he’d reminded me that her focus had been on avoiding the crash, and brief eye contact through car windows could have been affected by a potential glare, shadows, or reflections. There was a good possibility she never saw me clearly.
I returned my attention to Holland. By the hunch of her shoulders, I suspected she could sense someone spying on her. It wasn’t Draco, though. At least not that I’d seen so far—and I was actively looking for the fucking bastard.
With each glimpse of her, every subtle mannerism, my doubts about whether she was truly Samantha began to fade. But what consumed me even more were the haunting dreams that plagued me every time I shut my eyes—her beautiful appearance etched into my mind. She had become my obsession, my sole purpose, and I was rapidly losing myself to my new addiction.
The scars on my arm tingled, and I rubbed them, cursing under my breath. The heroin itch never left me, but once I had broken that dependency, I’d sworn I would never go back. If I did, it would mean they won … and no fucking way would I let that happen.
To get my focus off the drugs, I entertained dark fantasies about wrapping my hands around my mother’s neck and choking the life out of her. As much as I’d tried to talk myself into it, I needed her alive for now. When she no longer served a purpose, then I would consider taking care of her. At least she was in pain and suffering, and that gave me more peace than if she were dead. For now, anyway.
My burner phone rang, and I scooped it off the seat and answered without looking at the screen to see who it was. Only a few people had this number, so I wasn’t too concerned.
“I wondered when you would give in to your calling,” Death said.
I rubbed the back of my neck, not taking my attention off Holland’s office building. “Yeah? Which calling is that? I have several.”
Death’s dark chuckle filled the phone speaker.
“Killing—and now the beautiful redhead you’re tailing.”
I could almost see Death’s intense stare as he spoke. My forehead pinched as his words sank in. “You’re following me? Why?”
“I’m not following you per se, just keeping an eye on you. I keep an eye on all of my friends.”
I leaned my head back and laughed at the motherfucker. Maybe he was becoming more paranoid. He definitely had his episodes. I supposed I was on the end of his fixation this time.
“As of a week ago, we have a common enemy. From what Dope has said, he’s dangerous, and now you’re in his line of sight. Draco Thornfield,” Death said.
I didn’t think anything about him having a conversation with Dope. It was Dope’s job to keep tabs on all of us, keep us out of danger, and watch our backs. He just used his hacking skills and the dark web to investigate instead of following someone.
The door opened to Holland's building, and I watched as a young man and his mother entered. Were they going to see Holland or someone else?
I cleared my throat before I spoke. “I can handle him. I did the other night. If I’d been alone with him, I would have finished the motherfucker off, but it wasn’t the right time.”
Death cleared his throat and paused before he said, “Do you have a plan, or do I need to help?”
Drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, I remembered what it was like to work with Death before a murder, not after.
“I’m good, but thanks for offering. You can stop tracking me now too.” Honestly, I didn’t want him to know that I was going to deal with Draco. This bastard was mine.
“You know how to reach me if you change your mind. And Kip … she’s already in your head, under your skin. She can make your work sloppy. I’m speaking from experience. Don’t fuck up. Dope and I are around if you want to talk plans through.”
My shoulders relaxed as I realized my friend was truly concerned about my safety.
“I’ll reach out if I need to. I appreciate the offer.” I hoped he understood to step back and let me take care of Draco my way.
“Understood. Talk later.” With that, Death hung up.
