She’ll need time to get dried off and changed in the other room, so I take my time, soaping myself up again, although it doesn’t feel nearly as good as when Tessa did it, then finally turn off the shower, dry off, and get dressed, leaving my shoes and shirt off. I don’t think my partial nakedness will bother her since she seemed perfectly fine with my full nudity.
Before walking out of the bathroom, though, I ask, “Is it okay if I come out?” because I’m certain she would have a problem with me seeing her undressed. Even in the summer, she wears more clothing than is necessary in what I assume is an attempt to hide her body.
“Yeah, sure,” she responds.
I step out and find Tessa lying under the covers of the bed furthest from the door, her eyes barely open. Seeing her apparently triggers my body into demanding its own rest because I only have the energy to make it to the opposite bed where I collapse face-first.
“We should get a few hours of sleep and then get out of here as soon as possible,” I mutter into the pillow.
“Okay,” Tessa agrees. “Mind if I join you?”
She wants to sleep in the bed with me? I thought she made it clear that we should each have our own bed. I won’t second-guess her, though. Tessa knows better than anyone what she can handle and what she can’t.
“Sure,” I reply as I roll to my side facing her since I’m not sure I could move even if she asked me to come to her bed. Okay, that’s a lie. I would summon the energy from the depths of my soul and crawl over there if necessary. But thankfully, Tessa throws the covers back and then walks around to the empty side of my queen bed where she climbs in under the sheets while I stay lying on top of them.
When she scoots close enough to me that the front of her body is pressed to my back like in the shower, my dick twitches in interest. That’s obviously not what Tessa has in mind, though, when she throws her arm over my waist, spooning me from behind with our clothes and the sheets between us and says, “Good night.”
“Good night,” I reply even though it’s almost lunchtime. For us, it’s well past time for some sleep after being awake for more than twenty-four hours.
In the back of my mind, I’m still thinking about the shit Roman said, that he wants me to turn in my cut when we get back home. He’s not a man who says things he doesn’t mean. I have no doubt that he was serious.
Losing the Savage Kings, not to mention my job, would be devastating, but I knew the possible consequences when I decided to do this for Tessa.
The worst thing Roman can do is to keep me away from her. I’m not sure if I could survive that because I know Tessa needs me. Maybe not in every way I want, but I’m certain that she feels safe with me and that she wants me.
My biggest fear, though, is unintentionally hurting her, doing something that will emotionally cripple her, like remind her of something one of those assholes did. If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
Tessa
* * *
Two of the four men who hurt me are dead, and soon, after both of us slept soundly for six hours, Verek will end another one. Hopefully, the third will be as easy as the first two.
“Are you ready?” he asks, coming out of the hotel bathroom looking refreshed.
“I think so, yeah,” I agree. I woke up a few minutes before Verek and had my own quick shower. “Can we stop and get something to eat once we’re an hour or so out of town?”
“Absolutely,” Verek replies, rubbing a hand over his flat stomach through his T-shirt. “I’m starving.”
“First-degree murder is hard work,” I joke but then worry I should have kept my mouth closed.
But Verek just grins and says, “You’re right. It is.” He grabs his leather cut from the closet and lays it over his arm.
“You aren’t wearing your cut in case someone sees us or there are cameras?” I guess.
“Exactly.”
“And the helmet covers most of my red hair,” I remark.
“It does, even though I think we’re fine, despite Roman’s concerns.”
“Do you think he’ll beat us to Sneads Ferry?”
“I doubt it,” Verek replies. “He hasn’t had enough time to come up with a foolproof plan so he wouldn’t risk it. He doesn’t do anything half-assed.”
“But you do,” I state.
“I have some ideas for this next fucker Floyd. We’ll talk about them discreetly while we wait for our food. If that’s okay with you?”
“I can handle it,” I assure him. “What about the last one – Joey Simpson?” I ask. “The Kings are still holding him, right?”
“That’s the easiest one,” Verek says. “Once all the others are dead, we just put a bullet in his head. The boathouse is a shithole that needs to be pushed down anyway.”
“Roman will let you just walk in and kill him?”
“No point in stopping me after everything else I’ve done,” he mutters as he opens the hotel room door for me to walk through.
“Guess that’s true enough,” I say with a smile, looking forward to when this is all over with.
I’m just not sure what the ending will mean for me and Verek.
Chapter Ten
Verek
* * *
After we order our burgers and fries at the diner outside of Jacksonville and the waitress walks away to deal with one of her many other customers during the dinner rush, I pull out my notes I jotted down from Roman’s phone about the suspects.
“So,” I start. “As I mentioned before, our next guy works at a pawn shop. If he’s working when we get into town, we’ll find out the hours and wait for him at his home address. Supposedly he lives alone.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Tessa agrees just before the waitress delivers our sodas and walks away again. When she’s out of earshot, Tessa leans forward and whispers, “How are you gonna do this one?”
“I’m thinking we make it look like a suicide,” I answer softly while barely moving my lips. Dying of thirst, I pick up my soda and swallow it down until there’s nothing but ice left before I set it back down on the table. “If he has a garage, cranking the car while he’s passed out in it would be the easiest way. If not, we find some rope. Whatever we decide, we’ll leave a note, preferably on a computer or laptop instead of getting his handwriting wrong.”
“And what will the note say?” she asks before sipping her soda through a straw.
“The truth,” I reply. “That he was a rapist and couldn’t live with what he’s done any longer.”
“That could work,” she agrees with a nod as she lowers her eyes.
“I think we could even name the other three men, say they were also involved and that they’re on the run, trying to avoid arrest.”
“So that would make their disappearances less suspicious,” she remarks.
“Exactly. And as long as no one sees us at his house, then we’ll be in the clear.”
“It’s a great plan, Verek,” Tessa says. “Really. I’m sure Roman will get over it once you explain how careful we’ve been.”