Page 12 of Untouchable
“Like a snake.” She nods as I pull my gun from my jeans and crawl back into the hallway.
The aggression on this dude has gone up tenfold from his past visits. I imagine my presence has something to do with that… which I hate. I didn’t want to bring more drama into Jo’s life. I wanted to lessen it. That said, now that he’s acting like a crazy man, it’s going to be a lot easier to catch him.
I release the safety on my gun and slide out the back door onto the screened porch. It’s a dark night and clouds are rolling in, suddenly blocking any brightness from the moon. “Let’s do this, Paul!” I holler, hopping down into the heavy brush surrounding the trailer. “I was in the middle of something I need to get back to.”
His gun fires again. I figure a man like him is easy to rile up, so I keep going.
“Her little pussy is really fuckin’ tight. I hear you couldn’t satisfy her.”
He fires again. This time the shot comes from a closer location, near the forest line.
I step sideways into the line of trees, using the fat tree trunks as guards.
“You should have seen her shaking for me. Oh, the sounds she made…”
An early autumn wind rustles through the leaves and the man who’s been shooting charges from behind a line of ferns that dance in the distance. He’s thinner than the photo and his beard is shaggier, but that’s the man. The bull tattoo on his arm gives him away.
I let him run, watching through the light of my phone as he crushes over a path of wild mushrooms and goldenrod. He’s so fucking stupid. Then again, they all are. It’s surprising how little people think things through. Instant gratification is a killer. Contrary to what just happened in the bedroom, I don’t live like that. I take my time and think things out.
His boots kick up an earthy scent of decomposing leaves and rotting wood until all at once he’s two feet from the barrel of my nine-millimeter and I shoot.
It’s a point-blank shot to his shoulder, and it takes him down immediately.
“Her virgin pussy is mine. She belongs to me.” He spits out the words like he has no idea how fucked he truly is.
I hadn’t planned to kill him, but he’s sealed his fate.
A strong gale wind pushes a creak through the trees as I aim for the man’s head. In this moment, I suppose some would question themselves.
I don’t.
Maybe it’s the way I was raised. I was taught to respect women, to protect them, to never leave a job unfinished. Whatever the reason, I don’t feel an ounce of guilt pulling the trigger.
Chapter Five
Jo
Two Weeks Later
I can’t look my sister in the eye.
“What’s your problem? You’ve been acting weird for weeks now.” Her tone is drained and curt. I know she’s exhausted with everything she has going on at school. It helps because every ounce of me wants to apologize for nearly fucking her ex.
This might be the universe telling me I don’t ever need to tell her. I can take this to the grave.
Clearly, I was over emotional anyway and wasn’t thinking straight. I mean, there was an actual murderer hunting me. Of course, I wasn’t making good decisions. Who would’ve? I was seeking comfort in the arms of the man protecting me. It’s a simple mistake. Any movie will tell you how completely normal that is.
“Sorry. I’m stressed.” I glance at her for a minute and look away again.
“About what? You’re being so weird.”
I drag in a deep breath and busy myself with spreading hay in the enclosure. Maddox is dropping the goats off this afternoon, so I need to be ready. “I am being weird. I know. I need a nap or something. I need to sleep for like a month, maybe two.”
“You’re not thinking about moving again, are you?”
No, I’m thinking about your ex-boyfriend and all the dirty shit I want him to do to me.
“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s weird being here now. I can’t even sleep without hearing that bullet hit the window or thinking about the dead body that was only fifty feet from my trailer.”