The box weighed nothing, and I opened it, kicking off my sandals at the same time. Something beige and red was inside a sealed plastic bag, and my eyes widened as I backed away from it.
It couldn’t be real. I had to be imagining things. It was because of the news about Trevor; my mind was playing tricks on me. I peeked inside again, swallowing hard. It wasn’t fake. That was a real dismembered...member.
“Oh fuck...” I grabbed the piece of paper stuck between the cardboard and plastic with a shaky hand and opened it.
Trevor screamed when I removed it.
I dropped the note, and the world around me seemed to spin for a few seconds. No. He... hadn’t. A knock at the door pulled me out of my panic, and I quickly looked through the peephole.
“Think of the devil, and he’ll appear,” I muttered through gritted teeth. I opened the door, and Jack leaned against the frame with a grin.
“Hello, Jill.”
I grabbed his t-shirt and wrenched him inside?although he likely wanted to come in, or I wouldn’t have been able to just force him?then slammed the door shut. Pacing didn’t help, so I pointed at the box.
“What the fuck is this?” I nearly shouted.
His jaw clenched. “What?”
“If you tell me to watch my language, I swear to god, I’ll...” I left the rest hanging, unsure what to threaten a serial killer with.
“I decided to remove the temptation to have any further intimacy with him.”
My hands curled into fists. “Temptation? What do you see me as? A whore?”
“You wanted something, and he took advantage of you for it,” he said, taking a step forward. “I taught him a valuable lesson before he died.”
Part of me wanted to scream, but another part?a more messed up one?desperately wanted to take my notebook out and write this down.
I let out a breath, trying to calm down as I pointed at the box. “What if someone had stolen this?”
“I waited until you left the coffee shop before leaving it at your door.”
The silence seemed to take a form of its own as he stared at me with darkness behind his gaze.
“You were... Have you been stalking me?”
“I’ve been checking up on you when I feel it necessary. Is that so odd, considering you have my life in your hands?”
“Yourlife?” I repeated loudly. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right to a certain degree. I trusted him not to kill me just as much as he trusted me not to identify him to the authorities. Which was likely not very much on either side.
I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m not going to argue with you about that since it wasn’t a condition I ever put in place.” I shot him a glare. “My mistake, apparently.”
“So do you not like my gift?” he asked with a smirk.
“No more killing people I know.”
“No promises,” he said with a wink.
My heart hammered against my chest as I held his gaze. “Please, Jack.”
He stared at me for a few seconds as though debating whether or not to agree, but the ghost of a smile touched his lips and he nodded. “Alright.”
I could only hope he’d keep his word.
14
Opening
