Page 23 of Beautiful Chaos
His eyes fill with relief, and for the first time since he walked into the house, his features appear less tense.
My fear of Hunter being away from home overnight is a mystery to me. It’s also ridiculous. Hunter leaves me alone at home almost every day while he goes to work, and I’m fine, so long as the alarm is set and the doors are locked. But just the thought of him being gone overnight nearly paralyzes me with fear. It’s pathetic.
What kind of woman can’t be away from her husband for more than a few hours?
ChapterTen
Hunter
“Fuck!” I roar as my fist slams against the wall of the building and rage nearly blinds me. I was so goddamn close, I swear I could feel the heat of the person I want to slaughter the most against my fingertips.
For more than four years I’ve been looking for the person known as Whisper, and every time I get close, he manages to slip from my grasp. It’s fucking maddening.
Whisper is the person who took half of my family, and the reason the family I have left is barely holding on to her sanity.
He was given the moniker Whisper because there are only whispers of the man. No one knows who the real person is behind the proverbial mask. And if someone gets close enough to uncover his true identity, they suddenly disappear, never to be seen again. Not a single person I’ve interrogated over the years has been able to give me a name. Either they don’t know it, or they fear him more than me. Which is a testament to the shit Whisper can do to a person, because my methods of interrogation aren’t gentle and are oftentimes lethal.
“Fuck!” The expletive grates past my clenched teeth. I aim my fist at the wooden sign by the door. I pull my hand back and barely register the mangled mess of my knuckles.
“Lock it down, Hunt,” Silas growls, anger giving his voice a sinister vibe. “He can only hide for so long. This bastard is walking on borrowed time and he knows it.”
That may be true, but fuck all if it helps my mood. I want that asshole found now.
I gave Lenny two days to think over his options before I returned to finish what I started with him in the basement of Slate. He knew either way he wasn’t leaving that room still breathing. Not after I found him in the process of attempting to rape a woman who was passed out from the drugs he had given her. It was up to him whether his death would be painfully slow or quick with a bullet between the eyes. It was unfortunate for him that he thought Whisper’s wrath would be harsher than mine.
It wasn’t until all of his fingernails had been ripped off, one eyeball plucked from its socket, and I was sawing off his dick with a rusty knife that he finally gave in. It seems that Whisper enjoys visiting Mad Town, a sex dungeon-type place with rooms in the basement where select clients can indulge in their darkest fantasies. It’s rumored that sometimes the girls aren’t quite so willing.
Whisper was due to visit Mad Town. He always enters the establishment through the back door in the alley. Silas and I have been here all night at the other end of the alley, waiting for him to show. At three in the morning, a black BMW pulled down the darkened street and parked. We were too far away to see the person who emerged from the car and walked inside the building. However, we did see enough to be able to recognize the figure if we saw him inside. Like a druggy shooting up heroin, adrenaline pumped through my veins. We searched every fucking inch of that place, including the basement, and the bastard was nowhere to be found. When we returned to the alley, his car was already gone, and a handwritten note was left on the windshield of my SUV.
Say hi to your wife for me.
The goddamn asshole somehow figured out we were on him, and now he’s playing games. I’m sure he knew we were there the whole time, and even showed up just to fuck with me. He was probably hiding in the hallway where the alley door is and watched us from the fucking shadows as we crept inside.
I crumple the piece of paper in my hand and throw my fist against the wall one more time.
“Let’s go,” I bark at Silas and yank open my door, climbing behind the wheel. The paper gets tossed into the console as I speed down the alley and onto the street.
Even though I’ve left prints all over it, I’ll give Marcus the note to check for fingerprints or DNA. Marcus is a former detective with connections within the department. While I don’t think Whisper would leave evidence behind, damn if I won’t have it checked.
Silas and I don’t talk as we head out of town back to River Heights, but the silence in the vehicle is loaded with pent-up aggression. Silas keeps quiet because he knows I’m on the verge of losing my shit, and my own thoughts are filled with what our next move should be. No one can stay hidden forever. No matter how good Whisper is, there will be a time he makes a mistake.
And I’ll be there fucking waiting.
* * *
Thirty minutes later,I park behind Cat’s car in the driveway. Jacob and Peggy’s car is next to hers. I owe them an expensive bottle of wine for staying with Cat while I’ve been gone. Of course, they won’t accept it. They worry just as much as I do about her being alone.
The house is dark when I walk through the door, except for a small lamp in the living room. Going in to turn it off, I notice a dark lump on the couch. I walk toward it, already knowing who it is. Cat lays curled up on her side, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, and a throw blanket pulled up and tucked under her arm. She should look peaceful in sleep, but I don’t miss the tiny stress lines between her eyes, as if, even in slumber, she’s worried.
Pulling the blanket off of her, I lay it on the back of the couch, then bend and pick her up. I look down at her face just as her eyes crack open. A soft smile curls her lips at the corners, and she wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“I missed you,” she whispers sleepily.
I drop my head and lay a tender kiss on her lips. “I missed you too, baby.”
I carry her up the stairs to our bedroom. After setting her down on her side of the bed, I flip on the bedside lamp. I’m reaching for the belt of her silk robe when her eyes drop and she notices my busted hand.
She sucks in a startled breath and immediately reaches out to gingerly grab my wrist.