Getting up the next day at seven sharp, I turned on my burner laptop and started doing what I did second best— hacking into official services. Today, it was the local police department. Not that complicated when you live in such a remote place. 

I got in pretty easily. Now, I could explain how, but it's pretty boring and I have a lot to do. Anyway. I searched up Rylie Rider and discovered there had been a small investigation on the probability that she actually killed the victims that had been killed like in her books, but it had been closed pretty quickly when they realized some if not all the rest of the victims were not killed like her books at all. Plus, they'd pulled up video recordings of the street Rider lived up and realized she spent half her time if not all closed up in her house. The rest of the time was with me on our various dates. They'd ruled out the possible suspect and had moved on. They now thought it was a rich guy on the border of town that did this do relieve his long days at work. I wasn't on the list. Rider wasn't. 

Which meant either Sarah was sure something was off with Rider and I— which wasn't utterly false— or she had made this situation personal. Spoiler alert, Sarah and I had been extremely fusional, but in a way that had quickly become toxic. She'd left after I broke up with her, finally getting out of that relationship that was sucking both of our lives out. She'd gone to the big city, done some studies and came back three years later with a police license and, well, a desire of vengeance. Maybe she didn't want me to be with a girl that wasn't her. Maybe she was jealous of my five monts of bliss and heaven. Maybe she thought Rylie wanted to hurt me and was merely worried for me, which was what she kind of claimed. 

But I couldn't play with her. I couldn't exactly kil her, either, because that could confirm that Parker had been on a good lead and her PD would probably start asking questions. No. I had to take action, civilly and legally. 

It was now almost ten. I had to clock in to work, because I needed the extra cash it brought when I was in the house. The employees were always more efficient with my glare on them, and it bought in more money that I didn't always declare— I like living a life without having to count green dollars, thank you very much. It also didn't help that if I wasn't there my underground network would never grow. That's a worry for another time, though. 

" Boss! You came again. What a surprise!"

" Daisy, I don't have time for pleasantries. Please do your job and let me handle mine."

My arms were currently in to the elbow in a bloody pig's corpse. It didn't bother me too much, but it was a little annoying. I could only think of how I could maybe do this with a human body, one day... Part of me wondered if I'd ever have to do this to Rider. What if one day she knew too much and tried to turn on me... Would I have to kill her, like I kill my other victims? My poor heart couldn't handle killing her. Ever since she'd entered my life, I'd truly felt love. Sarah hadn't been my first love, she'd simply been my first girlfriend. I'd told her I loved her because at the time I truly didn't know what love was and if I'd ever feel it. Mandy had given me the ache to find that love, and she'd given me the opportunity to find Rylie Rider. 

Rylie... 

I glanced over the counter. Daisy was taking an order from a white male, approximately forty fiveish. He had sandy blond hair stripped with grey, and eyes deep into his face the color of charcoal. He handed my employee a couple of dollars, out of the pocket, no wallet or nothing. He threw a glance at me, then smiled at Daisy and left with his ten pounds of raw meat. 

She turned towards me, a little wary. 

" Boss, he asked me to give you this note. Wasn't allowed to read it. Where do I put it?"

I glanced back at the door where the man had just left, before looking at my bloodied arms. 

" Put it in my locker. Thanks, Daisy."

" You're welcome boss."

After I finished working on the pig, I washed up in the back room and put on a sweatshirt and jeans. I could now go meet up with Rylie at a coffee place not far from here. I opened my locker to find my car keys and a piece of paper flew to the floor. I'd forgotten about that. 

I bent down, wondering what it could be. I knew that man. I didn't know from where, but I knew him. If he handed me a note, it was probably something important and probably something not completely legal. It would probably be written in some language that Daisy wouldn't understand if ever she'd been exceedingly curious, like BlueBeard's wife. She would have had to be killed if ever she'd been too curious anyways. 

I grabbed the note. It was written with a typewriter in a foreign language. I'd have to use Google Translate or something. I shoved it in my pocket. This could wait. I had my girlfriend to meet and some coffee to drink. 

" You're late!"

I sat down in front of her, eying the iced cupcake that was sitting in front of her. Rider's red hair was neatly combed into a ponytail and her eyes had been lined by a dark line. Eyeliner. Even her lips were a little more cherry colored than usual. She'd dressed up for me or whatever she'd been up to before our daily date. 

"I'm sorry babe. I had some work to finish up— kinda gruesome, not really worthy of lunch babble."

" You're such a weirdo."

" I love you too, baby."

She handed me a fuming cup of coffee. 

" I took the liberty of ordering for you."

" Thanks."

I noticed her fingernails were painted dark red. Cherry color, or my favorite color— blood. But cherry looked good on her too. 

" I had an interview for my book this morning."

" How'd it go?"

" Great. Really great. It's still so overwhelming how good the book's doing. I still can't believe I've been so lucky to be published by that editor and everything."

I still remember the boss's face when I showed him my torture instruments. 

" I'm really glad. You deserve it babe."

" That's so soapy."

" I know you like it deep down."

She frowned, then smiled.

" Okay, okay. Maybe you're right."

" I'm always right."

" Now that's just cringe and false."

" Mean."

" I'm nice, just brutally honest."

" Brutal, yes. But also extremely sexy today."

" Oh, shut up."

" I'll shut up if you make me."

She smiled.

" I'm down to kiss you to shut you up, but I know you're capable of talking against my lips."

" Bull—"

" It's true, doofus."

It was. 

" I beg your pardon, gentle lady. You're too truthful for me."

" Weirdo."

"Mean."

"Mad one."

"Mean one."

She bent over the table and grabbed my collar. Her fingers were cool against my skin, and her lips hot when they pressed against mine. 

" I love—"

" See! still talking..." 

She sighed. 

" You really are a work."

Hi guys! If you'd like something else to read, there's also my fiction VIRUS with a nice dystopia kind of and BABY with a whole mystery. Check them out! Tell me if you're enjoying this one in the comments too !