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“Alright. One second.”
Unlocking the door, Aldon stood back to let Gray and Dylan pass through with the box. After they set it down in the foyer, Luke heard Gray hand Aldon the invoice. “Sign here, please.”
“Wait. This shit’s from Pacific Gas and Electric. What the hell is this?”
Darting from the bush, Luke charged into the entryway. “I think you know, motherfucker.”
Aldon's eyes rounded with recognition just as Luke’s fist crashed into his face.
“What the fuck?” he cried.
Luke threw another punch that sent him flying backward onto the box which, empty as it was, exploded under his weight.
Dylan kicked the door closed behind them, standing sentry as Luke slammed his foot down onto Aldon’s stomach. Aldon gasped and tried to roll out of the box, but the buckled cardboard made for a fairly effective cage.
Luke stomped on him again and again. Then rained more punches down on his face, unleashing hours-worth of pent-up aggression. “You killed her bird, you son of a bitch!”
“Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aldon wheezed, rolling towards Gray to avoid another blow from Luke.
But Gray just pulled Aldon up by the hair, yanking his rapidly swelling face up to his furious one. “Don’t play dumb, asshole. I’ve seen you lurking around Andy and Kory’s apartment. You broke in this morning, switched on their stove, and took Kory’s necklace. Tell me what you did with it!”
Aldon tried to shake his head. “I don’t know any Kory. I swear I have no idea what you guys are talking about.” His gaze darted back to Luke. “Look, if this is about that incident at the surf shop with Andy—”
Luke socked him again, knuckles opening up a gash on Aldon’s cheekbone. Blood welled up from it. “You. Could. Have. Killed. Her,” he gritted out between another series of punishing blows.
There was a pounding in Luke’s ears as the wrath poured from him. Aldon’s whimpers barely registered, but the blood staining Luke’s knuckles did. He slowed, nausea gripping him as the memory did.
Small hands.
Bloody hands.
A child’s hands.
Then a warm one, cutting through the fog of the past as it settled on his shoulder. “If you really wanna end this fool, we should have gone with the shark-infested-waters plan.”
Luke’s arm stilled, gaze flickering to sober brown eyes. “This ain’t you, man,” Dylan said quietly. “You’re not a killer.”
But was that the truth?
Luke wasn’t so sure anymore. It felt like he had it in him to do exactly that.
He pulled back, breathing heavily as he stared at the mess he’d made of Aldon’s face.
With a moan, Aldon tried to sit up to escape the box, but Dylan immediately dropped a foot down on his chest. “Stay down, asshole.” Then to Gray, “Search him.”
Gray knelt and patted the man down while Dylan kept him pinned. Not finding what he was after, Gray swore. “I’ll check the kitchen and living room. Maybe he unloaded his pockets when he came in.” Rising, he strode from the foyer, only to return empty-handed a moment later. “No necklace. Just his wallet and keys on the coffee table.”
Frustration lined Gray’s features. Frustration and a growing doubt. “Shit, maybe I was wrong. Maybe it’s just a coincidence this dude drives an orange Camaro like the one I saw hanging around Sunset Vista. Maybe the Camaro isn’t even connected to what happened at the apartment.” He raked at his hair, anxiety mounting. “Hell, maybe Kory was right. Maybe I am seeing ghosts and villains around every corner.”
“D-dav,” Aldon stammered around a busted lip.
“What?” Dylan said, still looming over the man. “You got something to add?”
“Dave P-Peters,” Aldon bit out. “Drives o-orange Camaro. Bought mine… t-to impress him.”
“Shit.” Dylan’s gaze rose to meet Luke’s, and now there was doubt there too.
Andy had said her father fired both men. Dave would have had a motive for revenge as well. Maybe theyhadgotten it wrong. Maybe Aldon wasn’t the guilty party here. Maybe Luke had just beaten the hell out of an innocent man.
