I highly doubt Kingsley was planning on going off-road into the wilderness. She does have lip gloss and an old bottle of water. I pick it up and uncap it. Red lipstick coats the mouth. Sighing, I realize beggars can’t be choosers. I might be in for a hike. Better hydrate now. I take a sip. Kingsley and I have shared germs for years. I giggle at the ridiculousness of my thoughts, realizing I’m stalling. Taking a deep breath, I zip up my hoodie and pull the hood over my head. It was still drizzling when I set out. I should have worn boots too instead of my black sneakers, but it’s too late now.
I open the door and climb out, pocketing the keys. I set out, opening my phone. It says the property is 30 feet. Okay. Not bad, just a quick walk. The air feels colder when I walk into the woods, keeping my eyes peeled for his driveway. I should be there in ten minutes, according to my phone.
Chapter 49
Moving closer to the newer model, a black military-style Jeep parallel to the road, sliding the safety off. I can already tell no one is in the car. The infrared in my goggles shows no heat registers. Stealthily moving, approach just in case it’s some sort of trap. A lure to get me away from the cabin.
The blacked-out windows are professionally done. My leather tactical gloves come into contact with the glass. Bulletproof. Fucker has money. Tires are Four Wheel Drive. New. I efficiently use the thin hinged strip of metal I keep in my holster to break in. Inside, there are no apparent signs of weaponry. The perfume is intense, like amber. There is lip gloss and a cup holder. An open bottle of water has a mouthpiece stained with bright red lipstick. El Jefe has enough people on his roster, including female assassins. I reach under the wheel and cut the engine wires, in case they come back to the car.
They won’t be leaving any time soon.
I want time to play. It’s going to be delicious. It’s been hours since I last killed, and this one will be even more fun.
My prey came to me. A gift.
Adjusting my mask, grip the handle of my knife harder, anticipation and lust rushing through my veins, settling in my semi-hard cock. They have no idea what kind of predator they just unleashed.
Chapter 50
“I’m lost.
I would laugh if I weren’t nervous. I look down at my phone. The battery is dying after using my flashlight for the last 30 minutes. Not that the flashlight is any great help, barely bright enough to illuminate more than three feet in front of me.
I should have been there already, but no. There was no obvious path. Of course, there wouldn’t be an easy way to get to the man. When has it ever been easy with him? Blowing out a frustrated breath, I look around, trying to remember if I’ve been here before, but everything is starting to blend. Pocahontas’s song from the Disney classic comes to mind. Humming, I sing, “Every rock, and tree and creature,” trying not to scream. I lift my phone, hoping to catch some sort of signal. Nope. The GPS bubble that is me is stationary, not moving. Fuck.
I could call for help. Emergency call and all, but I’m technically trespassing on land that I don’t even know belongs to Stone. I don’t have his number to call him. What would I say anyway?‘Hey, so I tracked you down. I’m lost in what I think are your woods. Come get me.’
An owl hoots, and I jump. The last ribbons of sunlight are just about to disappear, and my cell is at 59 percent, to be exact. I’m in trouble, “And this is why you don’t chase a man, Camryn. This right here. This is why you stay your ass at home, drink a glass of wine, eat a girl dinner, and masturbate like the rest of the single woman population. But no. Your pussy got wet because he painted you. Painted you like a goddess, and now look. You’re lost in a forest, with god knows what animals about to come out to eat.
The ground gets wetter, squishing after each step. The air is getting colder, and the smells are getting stronger. More earthy and foul. I suck in a breath at the stench, and I gasp when I see it.
Cautiously, I step closer in disbelief and curiosity. It’s a dead carcass. The smell is horrendous, but it doesn’t stop my fascination. Entrails hang out in a water-filled cavity from the middle. The bloated mass makes it hard to tell what animal it is. Meaty bones are nearby. Ribs stick out, chewed on, but I don’t see any fur. Just some skin. What the fuck? Is it human? The horrendous impossibility of it makes me blink. No, I shake my head. There is no way, but it doesn’t stop me from looking around. Oh god. It’s a Date Line Special. ‘Woman stumbles on a decaying body’. My breathing speeds up. Jesus. I force myself to concentrate and use my medical and anatomical knowledge. A leg bone, like a deer femur, is very similar to a human femur. We even used one in a class I had a long time ago.Think Camryn. Think.I close my eyes and recall. Deer femurs are similar, but have differences. Like the angles, but I would have to get closer, touch it, examine it, to be certain, and I’m not touching it. If it is human, then my DNA would end up all over it. Nope. No, thank you.
A bear. That’s what it is. That’s what must have killed it. I know there are no grizzlies this far south, but hopefully it’s a black bear that won’t give me too much trouble if I make toomuch noise. On the other hand, I just stumbled upon a dead body. The two-legged predator who dumped it out here could be back. And then at that point, I’d like to be in the woods with the bear.
Leaving it alone, I head around. I need to get the fuck out of here. Stone can wait.
The smell hits me again, and I gasp when I see another body. There is no doubt that it is human, despite the head having been removed. Millions of flies buzz around, and some maggots are crawling. This time, I do yell out and stumble back. At the end of each arm, the hands have been removed. The legs are bent, almost as if they have been posed. Splayed open, in a grotesque way. As if in a trance, I step closer. The area between the legs is a bloody mess, but I can see. The genitals. Oh god. They’ve been removed. Whoever did this brutalized this body. Who?
I keep staring, taking in every detail. There is a rectangular piece of flesh missing from the chest. Why? Then I hear a snap of a twig, and my heart drops to my feet. Oh shit.
I crouchdown by the tree, praying that it was a cute little rabbit that caused that noise. I hold my breath, watching, waiting. Then I spot him.
A masked man moves through the trees, and I tremble. Holy shit. I can’t see much since he’s still too far away, his body hidden in shadows. The moment he steps past the shadows and into a beam of light, I know I’m in trouble.
His shoulders are broad. He’s big. Way bigger than I am. Fuck. He’s wearing dark goggles with a mouthpiece. Three binocular lenses are hanging over the eye sockets of the mask. He looks like a freaking alien. He could be military. The facecovering resembles something worn by military personnel. I think. It would also explain the gun strapped to his chest and the knife in his hand. Fuck. Adam would know, but my brothers are miles away. I’m on my own. Shit. Perhaps this is a training facility. I have no fucking clue. I try to slow down my erratic breathing, swearing that he can hear it.
When he walks near the bodies, I wonder what he’s going to do. I was just standing moments ago. He bends, lifting the leaves near the spot I was standing, bringing them closer to his face. What the hell is he doing? Christ, is he smelling me? I hold my breath when he slowly turns around and looks right at the spot where I’m hiding.
Suddenly, I know without a shadow of a doubt that he can see me. Those three lenses are trained on the very spot I’m in. When his fingers lift and flex around the knife's handle, I start hyperventilating, forgetting to keep quiet. I freeze when the light that leaked out from the canopy of trees glints on the sharp metal edge. The muscles on his massive arms flex, and I notice that his neck is covered in what appears to be oily black paint. He pulls out his gun, and I brace for him to shoot.
What I don’t expect is the guttural voice beneath the mask to bark.
“Run.”
I run. My legs pump, and I use every scrap of athleticism in me to keep going. My legs are already exhausted from walking for hours, but the adrenaline spreading through me, fueled by the terror, makes it so that I dodge roots and vines in my poorly equipped sneakers. But the mud makes my escape more challenging. My foot slips, causing me to trip, and I lose my advantage.
He tackles me, and I scream as I crash into the ground. A hand presses down on my head, and my chest burns from his weight. Clawing and trying to crawl away. My fingers find a rock,and I lift it, smashing it into the side of his face. He grunts, and I twist. The self-defense training Jace forced her to take suddenly kicks in, and I use my elbow to push him back. It doesn’t do much, but it feels good to fight back. His body gets heavier and heavier, restricting the air in my lungs. I can’t breathe. He’s going to suffocate me. My mind goes into blind panic. I’m going to die. He’s going to rape me, kill me. Stupid. Shouldn’t have gone out alone.
