Page 26 of XO Karma

A satisfied sigh escapes her lips, and I grit my teeth together until they ache. The next several minutes are absolute and unending torture. Debilitating, drugging, dick-throbbing torture. She moans and whines and curses under her breath, and all the while my jeans are soaked in precum and my cock is ready to explode.

“Please,” she begs, eyes squeezed shut, clearly in some far-off fantasy.

“Yes” slips out in a growl, and I bite my lips together, heart rate reaching a level that may have me needing an ambulance if she doesn’t kill me first for being a peeping Tom.

Holding my breath, I peek through the slit again, and if she heard me, she’s not letting on because her rhythm has only increased. She finally comes in a beautiful, shuddering mess, and I thank the goddamn universe because I was ten seconds from ruining my pants. And I have never done that.

She lies in her bed until heavy breathing turns to soft sighs, then heads to the bathroom. The shower squeals to life, and when I’m ninety-nine percent sure she’s inside as water sloshes against the tiles unevenly, only then do I slip out of the closet.

I’m itching to escape as quickly as possible, but I force myself towards the bathroom door where steam’s trickling out instead. Peeking inside, I find her naked frame behind foggy glass, washing her hair.

Why does she have to be so enamoring?

Why the hell is she stalking me?

Would she be as turned on as I am if she found out what I just witnessed?

I run a hand against the hard front of my jeans, stifling a groan. I’m not ready for her to know I’m on to her yet, so I drag myself away, spin around, and rush out the door.

Once on the street, a buzz in my pocket has me pulling out a small flip phone.

Unknown

Jim Forde. Hell’s Bar. 11 p.m.

Looks like it’s my turn to set a sack of shit on fire.

9

LILY

Sweat drips down my spine, my calves burn, and my heart pounds so hard with adrenaline it may crack my chest open.

For the first time in two weeks, Aster’s broken his routine.

And I have no clue why.

I took an early Pilates class tonight so I could case Aster’s place again. After I sat in his bushes for twenty minutes, he rushed out of the house, and given his glasses and messenger bag were left behind, it didn’t seem he was leaving for a journalistic reason. His outfit was similar to the night we met. All black with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Tall, brooding, and suspicious.

While I’m curious if there are more secrets inside, I couldn’t pass on the chance to potentially catch him in the act. That’s why I’m kneeling on the roof of Hell’s Bar with jagged pebbles piercing my skin. The brick building is old and the cracks on the roof are worrisome, but I haven’t fallen through yet, so I’ll take that as a win.

Aster’s been hiding in the shadows of the alley, wearing that weird half skull mask like a creep for about ten minutes.

Maybe he’s waiting for some unassuming drunk to stumble out and become his next target? My mind wanders to the photo of the X-man. I cringe at the horrible nickname I’ve given the poor corpse. Who killed him? And why?

I’ve yet to determine how the Kodak Killer chooses his victims. Even after reviewing all the articles, it’s still not clear. Liam’s theory is they’re all criminals, but he and I know that’s bullshit considering Violet was one of them. The unwelcome thought is shoved away and down a metaphorical flight of stairs.

I can’t get emotional.

Not tonight.

Being emotional gets you caught. Or killed.

Or caught and killed, then chopped up and shoved in someone’s meat freezer in their basement. I shiver, repositioning myself on the ledge, knocking a small rock off, and it hits the ground below with a quiet but obvious clack. Gasping, I rear back and count to sixty before peering over the ledge once more.

Aster’s gone.

Hurrying along the edge of the roof, I peruse the perimeter of the alleyway for any signs of him with zero luck. He’s on his way up here to murder me. Changing directions to view behind the building, I stall in place, finding two figures briefly illuminated in the moonlight.