TxsRngr
He’s currently duct taped on my bed. Carrot Cake is keeping him company.
BugReport404
I have no idea what that means. You have him duct taped to your bed? Kinky, I guess, but seems in poor taste unless he’s one of those who processes his trauma with sex, in which case, like, who am I to judge, you know? But also, this isn’t some creepy schmexual schmassault shit right, ‘cause I will make you the next target on the game.
TxsRngr
I said he’s tied up on my bed, not tied to the bed. Honestly, by now, he’s probably chewed through the duct tape and called the cops on my radio. I cleaned up the scene and wrapped the body but I can’t guarantee I’ve removed all traces of the kid. Hopefully, he’s not in the system.
BugReport404
Do you know his name? I can run his name through NCIC and see if he’s got a record or if he’s ever been fingerprinted.
TxsRngr
Uh, not yet. I needed to move quickly.
BugReport404
You’ve got him tied to your bed and you didn’t even ask his name first?
TxsRngr
On my bed. On it. Stop making it weird. What do I do with him?
BugReport404
Oh, I don’t know. Just spitballing here but maybe find a way to convince him not to press charges over you murdering a man in front of him and then kidnapping him?
TxsRngr
If I let him go now, he’s definitely going to the police.
BugReport404
He’s not an animal. You can’t just keep him like a stray you found on the side of the road. You need to convince him that you only kill bad people, which probably would have been an easier sell if you hadn’t taped him to your bed.
Walker shook his head. Fuck. What did he do now? He had to get out of there. Had to getthemout of there before people got a good look at them. The kid was hidden behind the curtain that separated his sleeping quarters from the cab, but he hadn’t bound his feet. He could still try to flag someone down.
It was that thought that got him moving. He pulled open the door to the sleeper, climbing inside then stopping short. The kid hadn’t run away. He was lying on his side, facing him, eyes closed, Carrot Cake balanced on the side of his thigh, blinking at Walker like she thought he might make her leave her current bed.
Walker was far more concerned the kid had asphyxiated, but when he got closer, he saw his chest rising and falling slowly.He huffed out a laugh. He was sound asleep, little breaths of air puffing from his nose. Walker sighed, pulling his knife free from his belt and kneeling one leg on the bed to reach behind the sleeping boy and cut the tape on his wrists.
He stirred, wincing as Walker pulled the tape free. He grimaced himself as he noted the raw skin beneath the bindings. He tried to be gentle as he peeled the tape free, but still, the kid dragged open heavy lids, giving him a hazy look. The tape around his mouth had left the same raw skin as around his wrists.
Walker took in the kid’s brownish-blond hair and his blue eyes. His hair was a bit too long, falling into his eyes, his cheeks were round, his lips full. He had a kind of baby-faced prettiness that had Walker staring long enough for the boy to stare back.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Kota,” he mumbled, eyelids fighting to remain open.
“Kota what?”
“Dakota King,” he mumbled. “If you’re worried someone is gonna come looking for me, don’t worry. Nobody cares if I live or die. Promise.”
With that, he rolled away from him, displacing Cake before burying his face in Walker’s pillow with a contented sigh. Walker just stared at him for a long minute, contemplating what kind of person would tell a killer that nobody would ever care if he went missing.
