With a shake of my head, I dispelled the memories from the night before and got back to the work I needed to focus on. I hadn’t been in the right headspace when I’d killed the guy at the hotel and I needed to know if I should be worried or not. Especially considering I fucked a cop right after.
After shutting my computer down, I grabbed my syringe, bindings, and a blade. On the way out the door, I set the automation on my home security to engage and lock up, along with setting a sporadic light automation so it would seem as though someone was home and moving throughout the house.
One could never be too careful, especially when they were a serial killer.
Getting into my car, I set my GPS to Duncan’s house, where I knew he’d be for the night. When I pulled up, I was happy to see the living room light was on and the television was flickering. I couldn’t see him from where I was at. The couch looked empty, but he must be in there somewhere.
I settled in, pulling the binoculars from the glovebox, and waited for the perfect moment. My mind wandered as I waited for Duncan to come back into the room, wondering how Aiden felt about stakeouts. A lot of cops didn’t like them because they were boring, but I didn’t mind sitting and watching my prey. It gave me proper time to learn about them and plan my next move.
With a grimace, I couldn’t help but hope Aiden was not a snacker. I hated having food in my car. It made the car so unclean and unsightly. Not to mention, then you risked leaving evidence behind when you had Twinkie crumbs that you’d bitten into, being left next to the dead body you left on the kitchen floor.
Movement in the window caught my eye, drawing my attention back to Duncan’s house. I picked up the binoculars and watched him pace back and forth in front of the couch with his phone pressed against his ear. His face was scrunched and his fist was balled at his side, like he was stressed.
A low, possessive growl rumbled in my chest as I wondered who he was talking to. I might not have any further interest in him sexually after finding my little bird, but he was stillmine. Yet, whoever he was talking to seemed to be someone he was intimately familiar with, enough at least to have what appeared to be a distressing phone conversation with.
I wondered if it was about the missing hotel employee. Briefly, I wondered if it was about me. How I’d shown up at the hotel, at the wedding he’d been bartending at, but then had completely dismissed him and flirted with and took another man back his room to fuck.
Normal people got upset over things like that, didn’t they?
That seemed plausible, but I didn’t think he would be that upset about not getting to sleep with me, considering how often we’d skirted the topic in the past. Maybe he was feeling as possessive over me as I was of him.
Or, it had nothing to do with me and I was being a narcissistic asshole.
It was a toss-up, really.
Duncan’s shouting got louder, though I couldn’t make out any actual words. A new plan formulated in my mind as I he fell back onto his couch, a look of defeat marring his beautifulface. He wiped his hand over his eyes and I couldn’t tell if he was crying or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
He stayed there, on the couch for a long while, not moving. I didn’t think he was watching the TV by the way he stared off into space. At one point, I thought he looked straight at me, but he moved his head before I had time to panic about being caught watching him.
Eventually, he turned the lights off and left the room, walking somewhere I couldn’t see him anymore. A few minutes later, a light turned on upstairs in what looked like the bathroom. He moved around, getting ready for bed, I assumed. After a few minutes, he passed by the window, but then paused and moved back. He stared out for a moment before moving on and turning off the light behind him.
No other lights were visible after, but I assumed he went to bed.
I sat there, still as a statue, staring at the house. My gaze skittered toward the neighbors’ houses every once in a while, looking for any movement that would indicate they were aware someone was watching, but everything was still and silent.
An hour later, I opened the car door and slid into the night, ready to meet my prey. At his back door, it was easy to pick the lock from muscle memory. I’d done it enough times and knew I didn’t have an alarm system to worry about.
That was bad for Duncan but good for me.
A low creak announced my arrival as I opened the door, but there was no sound from within the house to indicate it had disturbed the owner. I slipped inside, slowly closing the door behind me with a soft click, making sure to lock it.
The stairs were ahead on my right and Duncan’s bedroom was on the second floor, down the hall, third floor on the left. I wasn’t sure why a single man needed such a big house. But then again, I wasn’t one to talk as his whole house would fit in my downstairs.
I crept up the stairs and into his room, syringe ready as I stood over him. My heart raced with the sweetness of anticipation as his eyes flung open as the needle pierced his skin.
Duncan’s hand swung up to grab my wrist, but by that point, it was too late. I’d already injected the fast-acting drug into his system. He barely got to squeeze my hand and expel a stuttered breath before his body went limp.
With a smile, I reached up and swept the hair out of his face, caressing my thumb across his cheekbone. There was fear in his eyes as he stared back at me, locked in his body, unable to move or fight back.
In a way, I knew how he felt. There was a monster inside me that kept me trapped and unable to move, forced to do its bidding. But I knew he wouldn’t see it the same. They never did. I’d tried to talk to one of my previous victims, thinking maybe I could finally forge some sort of connection with someone. It didn’t work out very well. Left me with more questions than answers.
That had been the second time I’d lost control and gone on a spree where I didn’t remember what had happened after. Then, later, I found myself in my bathroom, washing the blood off my skin and clothes.
I shuddered at the memory, my eyes meeting Duncan’s. That wasn’t something I wanted to repeat ever again. Not when I had my little bird to think about. I had to keep him safe.
He was my priority now. Whether he knew it or not.
With a sigh, I scooped Duncan into my arms and carried him into the bathroom. He tried to squirm, but the paralytic was too strong.
