Her Knightmare Read online

  “Good. Come to dinner on Sunday.”

  He watched Beast leave first before checking the time. It would be touch and go to make it to her school, but he was willing to risk it. Glancing down at the letter in his hand, he quickly tore into it. It was just a single page, folded.

  To Dwayne,

  I’m sorry. I know this is lame and you probably hear this a lot, but I am sorry for everything. For saying those things. You didn’t deserve them and I hope you can forgive me. Thank you for coming to save me. For helping me. It means a lot to me.

  Love, Charity

  Love, Charity?

  The fact she’d taken the time to come and deliver a letter had to mean something. Now he just felt like an asshole for pushing her aside.

  Climbing into his car, he put the letter in his jacket and turned over the ignition. He had time to make it to the high school.

  This time when he finally arrived, he didn’t just wait beside his car. He got out and moved toward Charity’s car. There were students milling around, trying to look cool. There was a time he’d been part of all that. Leaning against cars, laughing with girls. Doing everything he could to get in their pants and to hide the darkness within his soul.

  When he was with Charity, she made him forget who he was. The killing, the need for blood was nothing more than a distant, faraway memory, but still there. He could remember the look on his father’s face when he got angry. When the need to hurt, to put him and his mom in their places was present in his mind. Damn, it seemed so long ago to even remember that.

  He’d often have to wait, staring out of his bedroom window, watching to see which man came back home. The monster, or the man that wished to be a good man. It would always be in that vicious cycle. One, then the other, sometimes just one.

  Girls passed him, pushing out their tits as if that would get his attention. They’d already shortened their skirts, and he wasn’t interested. A couple of the men were trying to appear cool and calm, but he made them nervous. It reminded him a little of when Beast would come to the school over some misdemeanor. His friends would pretend that they were all cool and tight with Beast. The truth was, his uncle only ever spoke to him, and then of course there was Hope.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, he watched as Charity left the school. She was staring down at her bag, shoving something inside it. She hadn’t seen him yet, and for now that was a good thing. He wanted it to be a bit of a surprise. Not that he anticipated this being a good surprise. They hadn’t parted on good terms.

  When she finally flung her bag on one shoulder and looked up, the instant she clocked him, he knew. Her walking slowed, coming to a stop, and she looked a little uncomfortable. Her eyes turned to slits as she glared at him, and then she finally started walking again toward him.

  He stayed still, arms folded, waiting for her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I should call security.” He saw how nervous she was even, not afraid, but clearly upset and not wanting to show him.

  “Not going to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’re pissed at me now and I get it, but deep down, you’re pleased to see me.”

  “Wow, I had no idea your ego was so big.”

  “You did. Don’t forget I was one of these punk asses at some point.”

  “Yay for you. Can you move?”

  “I got your letter.”

  “Oh.” She instantly seemed to relax. “You did. I didn’t think you’d read it.”

  “I did.”

  ****

  Charity felt nervous. It had been a week without seeing him, and she’d felt gutted on Saturday not going to his warehouse to train. Sticking the letter to his door had felt right to her. Of course, he’d have read the letter.

  She wasn’t the greatest writer of all time and didn’t have a clue what to actually write, so she went for the next best thing, just to apologize for her behavior.

  “What are you doing here, Dwayne?”

  “I didn’t want to stop your training, Charity. I was following orders. Your parents were worried, and my uncles interfered.”

  “So you did as you were told?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, you’re not much of a rebel then, are you?” she asked.

  Behind her, she heard the giggle of schoolgirls and with one glance at them, she saw they were in her year, the cheerleading squad that had been drooling over him the last time he was here.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I really do. Follow me.”

  She didn’t even question it as she climbed into her car and pulled out of the parking lot. Dwayne was waiting for her, and when she was ready, he pulled out, and she followed him. Her hands felt a little clammy, and she was nervous.

  Most of her nights had been filled with thoughts of him.

  When he’d saved her, she’d felt this connection with him. Like he knew a little of what she went through, only it wasn’t just that. She was attracted to him.

  She knew he was a killer, that he took lives as part of his job. She accepted that, and even though it wasn’t something she could do herself, she knew that some lives had to be taken. There were monsters out there, and then there were the good bad guys. That’s how she saw Dwayne. He was a good bad guy.

  He didn’t leave her to rot, nor did he take his turn.

  Dwayne had been nothing but sweet to her.

  Graduation was coming up. In a few short weeks she’d have to make a decision. College, or taking a gap year. With being kidnapped, she’d been reassessing her priorities, and going away to college just didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

  He parked near a place that used to be a well-known tourist attraction until people were found dead after being mauled by animals. It stopped being such a well-known spot. It didn’t stop people from visiting though, clearly wanting to test themselves or something stupid like that. She pulled her car in beside his and climbed out. Dwayne took her hand, and without saying another word, headed into the woods. She didn’t fight him and ran to keep up with his long steps.

  The touch of his hand around hers felt so good. He had nice hands, large hands. They were rough, and she knew they’d feel good running down her body.

  Get your head out of the gutter.

  He veered off the path, moving down a creek. She caught sight of the lake up ahead. There were always a lot of rumors about the woods being haunted by the ghosts of dead men and women.

  She’d never believed it, but she had also never gone looking for it either. There was no way she’d be caught here after dark.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked when they finally came to a stop.

  Tucking some of her hair behind her ears, she watched him as he moved down the lake, and then stepped over.

  “You coming?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Are you planning on burying me alive?”

  “Nope. I just want to check something.”

  She rolled her eyes, but her curiosity was piqued. So, she stepped across the boulders to the other side of the lake and followed him. Dwayne took her hand, and she got a little thrill, which was kind of weird, seeing as they were in a known haunted wood.

  Whatever, she was never going to be normal anymore.

  The world around her had been lit up, and now there was no hiding from it.

  They made their way through several trees. Dwayne kicked down some thorns and other debris until he made the spot clear for her to see.

  When they came to a log, he stopped and stared at the ground.

  She kept her hand within his and looked around. “Are we supposed to be here?”

  “No. This part of the forest is known for the wild wolves that live here.”

  “Do you know about the ghost stories?” she asked.

  “Yeah, they’re not ghosts. Just wolves. A few years ago, hikers were banned from crossing the river and abandoning the beaten path. Too many deaths.”

  “So
, there could be ghosts.”

  Dwayne laughed.

  She pressed herself against his side.

  “Believe me, there are no ghosts.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I came here a lot when I was your age.”

  “Dwayne, don’t try to make out I’m a child.”

  “When I was eighteen years old, I killed someone,” he said, turning toward her.

  She was surprised by his words, but seeing the seriousness in his gaze, she knew he wasn’t lying.

  “Oh.”

  “I buried him right here.”

  She stepped back, looking down at the ground. “Okay, that’s not creepy at all.” Again, she started to think she had to see a doctor as her brain wasn’t firing right. He’d just admitted to killing someone.

  “I’m not a good person, Charity.”

  “I know that.”

  “You shouldn’t want to be around me.”

  “I know that.” She repeated the same words as anything else failed her. What was she supposed to say? So? I don’t care?

  “I get why a lot of people think you’re weird.”

  “Hey! That’s not very nice.”

  “I’m showing you the place that I killed someone and you’re not running away.”

  “Is that what you’re trying to do? Make me terrified so I feel I have no choice but to run? But to be scared?”

  “You shouldn’t be standing there as if this is a date.”

  “I know this is not a date. Far from it, in fact.”

  “Then why are you here, Charity?”

  “You asked me to come with you. I followed you, and this is where you wanted to take me.”

  He shook his head, and she found it infuriating that he wasn’t making any sense.

  “I mean this with me. You should have pushed me away. Told me I was an asshole and you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. I like you, okay? Being around you feels normal to me, and yeah, that terrifies me so damn much, you have no idea. A few months ago, I was normal. I had a bunch of friends, and going to the mall was actually a lot of fun. Now, I can’t do it. Being with them, trying to fit in. There is a whole world out there, and it is terrifying. You kill people that are dangerous or whatever, and no one cares. I know I should be running. Screaming for someone to come and save me. You’re the thing that nightmares are made of. I get that. I know that I shouldn’t be so happy when I see you, or feel safe. You’ve proven to me more than once how dangerous you are. How easily you can kill me and dispose of the body. Yeah, I should be scared. Screaming for my very life, but I can’t seem to start moving, Dwayne. You saved me. When no one else did. You came for me. Killed all those men and then carried me out, and I know I’m not light, okay? You still did all of that for me, and I don’t know. Maybe I’ve got a loose wire in my brain somewhere, but it’s not going to stop, okay? I like being around you, even when you are being an asshole, and I really need to stop talking right now.”

  She’d started to scream as she spoke, and she was panting.

  “Okay then,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were here because you wanted to be. Not that I had you so scared that you felt you had to be around me or risk me killing you.”

  “That makes absolutely no sense.”

  “Does to me.” He shrugged.

  She shook her head. There was no way she’d ever make sense of him, not in a million years.

  “Do you have more bodies?”

  “Yes. I dumped quite a few here.”

  “Do you feel nothing?”

  “I did feel nothing when I started. They were not good men.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I only hurt them when I caught them doing bad things,” he said, winking at her.

  She rolled her eyes, wondering if getting her head tested was a good idea. She was clearly going crazy right now.

  “So why come here?”

  “Someone has been uncovering old bodies. The latest is a woman.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Either someone had the same idea as me back then, or I’m being sent a message.”

  “How could you be sent a message?”

  “This is where I buried my first kills nearly fifteen years ago, Charity.”

  “And?”

  “I don’t know. Something seems off with all of this.”

  She watched him as he moved across the wood, looking at the ground.

  “What are you hoping to find?”

  “Answers? Clues? I don’t know. Something that would help me remember.”

  “You don’t remember killing these people?”

  “I do. It’s everything after that is a bit of a blur.” He sighed and turned. “What are you doing after you graduate?”

  “You know that’s coming up?”

  “Yeah, it happens to us all.”

  “Did you graduate?”

  “Yep. With the help of my aunt, I aced that shit, why?”

  “I just, it seems odd for you to even go to high school. You have this presence around you that makes you dangerous. Scary?”

  “I am dangerous and scary. Doesn’t mean I didn’t have a normal life for a time.”

  “What changed, Dwayne?” she asked.

  He walked back toward her. “I grew up.”

  “When boys grow up they want normal things. A family, a good job, sex, and you know, not to kill people.”

  Dwayne laughed. “I was having sex all the time. I had a job, and I happen to like killing people.”

  “I’m starting to think you say things to see how I react.”

  “It’s refreshing. A lot of women would be running away scared.”

  “Are we talking about the kinds of women you’ve not saved?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Come back to me when they’ve been rescued by you.” When they’ve had you standing in the shower, helping wash the crazy away, then come back and talk to me.

  Dwayne took her hand, and once again they were walking back toward the beaten path.

  “What college are you going to?”

  “I don’t know. I’m thinking a gap year is more important, seeing as I missed all the enrollment times and I don’t just want to be one of these that pick one after my grades come in. You know, when they’re moving people around because grades have been less than perfect. My parents are pressuring me to either do that or go to Europe for the year. To explore.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Work, take some time, think about my life, you know.”

  “I may be able to help you with that.”

  “Not get killed before I turn nineteen,” she said.

  “Damn, you take all the fun out of everything.”

  “Was that a joke? Did Dwayne just make a joke?”

  “You bet I did. Also, how do you feel about meeting my uncles this Sunday?”

  This made her stop and pause. As she did, Dwayne also couldn’t go anywhere as she tugged on her hand.

  “What?”

  “Will they kill me?”

  “Nope. Their wives will be present, so you’ll be safe. Also, kids will be there as well. You’ll be safe.”

  Chapter Seven

  Charity may be safe, but he sure as hell wasn’t. Caleb and Beast looked like they had itchy trigger fingers right now, and if it wasn’t for Hope serving up the mashed potatoes, Dwayne’s brains would be splattered across the dining room wall.

  “Where are the kids, honey?” Hope asked.

  “In the yard. Probably fighting with water,” Beast said.

  “Want to go and give them a call?” Faith asked, looking toward Caleb.

  “Just need to talk to Dwayne about something, babe. Will you do it? I’ll make it up to you later.”

  “Charity?” Hope asked. “Would you like to come along? We’ll b
ring out drinks when we get back.”

  “It’s okay, I can—okay, that wasn’t a suggestion. I’ll be back,” she said, smiling at him. Dwayne winked at her, trying to show her that he was fine.

  Beast had told him to go after her, so he didn’t see what the problem was.

  “What have I done now?” Dwayne asked. He may as well just get down to business, as otherwise they’d never eat.

  “You brought her here?” Caleb asked.

  “Beast encouraged me to go after her.”

  “I don’t have a problem with you coming here.”

  “What’s the problem now?” Dwayne asked, bored with Caleb’s attitude.

  Beast looked toward Caleb. “What is your problem with the girl?”

  “She knows nothing about our life. For all you know, she could be feeding this crap to the cops.”

  “You need to learn to relax.”

  “Relax? He’s going across the city, killing a lot of people—”

  “People that would quite happily take your family out, might I add. Faith, your kids, you want that?”

  “What I don’t want is to keep on cleaning up your messes.”

  “Uncle Caleb, you’ve not cleaned up one of my messes in a long time, so don’t start trying to play that card with me.”

  “What is it with this girl?”

  He glanced in the direction of the kitchen, but he didn’t catch a single sight of her. “What about Faith? What was it about her?” He stared at Caleb. His uncle showed no signs of backing down. “Wasn’t it just a feeling? Something that you seemed to crave, that just made you tick over and over again? I don’t know what it is about Charity. I can’t shake her, and I don’t want to either. I like being around her. She makes me forget all the horrible shit I’ve done, and she doesn’t care. She knows the worst of what I’ve done. I’m sorry I can’t be this picture-perfect killer for you, Caleb. It doesn’t fucking work that way. You want to argue with me about all the men I’ve killed, go right ahead. The last group of men I killed were heading toward your house, did you know that?” He saw Caleb visibly pale. “I got a call about a group of men wanting to take out a Carson. Going for what they considered the weakest when it came to security. I intercepted their van, took them out. There were ten of them, heavily armed, and two vans. I don’t think you’d have been sitting down to this dinner with Faith getting your kids. You may hate me, Caleb, and the numbers I kill, but I do what I have to do to keep this family safe.” He slammed his hand down on the table, his point finally made.