Page 54 of Trick or Treat

Bliss was one of the hottest nightclubs in Redemption and she’d heard it was almost impossible to get in. Surprisingly, even Cami, with all her connections, hadn’t been able to secure a pass to get in.

“A friend of mine owns it. Why don’t you and your friends stop by? I’ll buy you a drink and you guys can dance.” He took a drink of his soda and waited for her answer.

“Sure. That sounds fun.” Having Cami and Jenna with her would make things feel less awkward between her and Kurtis. She wasn’t sure if he was just trying to be a friend with her or if he may still harbor some kind of crush on her. He might be really hot right now, but she still didn’t see things between them going anywhere.

Kurtis’s phone dinged in his pocket. He frowned and pulled it out to check the message. He didn’t seem happy about whatever it was. He shoved it back in his pocket and turned his focus back on Lindsey. “How about tomorrow night?”

“Um. Okay. We’ll see you there.”

“See you around 10:00?”

“Okay.”

“Great. I hate to end things so soon, but something came up at work that I need to deal with. Let me walk you out.”

“Oh, okay.” She wasn’t finished with her meal yet, but if he wanted to end things so soon, she was cool with it. She stood next to her chair and pulled her jacket on. As she was reaching for her purse, Kurtis threw $40 on the table, more than enough to cover their meals with a hefty tip for the waitress. He waited until she was heading toward the door to fall into step with her, settling his hand at her lower back. She shivered, not liking his hand on her. She hoped he would attribute her reaction to it being cold outside.

He walked her to her car and wished her good night as she settled into her seat. He waited for her to start it then walked off in the other direction toward where she assumed he parked his car.

“Well, crap.” She couldn’t believe she’d committed to seeing him again tomorrow night. Knowing it was in a public place and her friends would be there too should have put her at ease, but it didn’t. For some reason, she kept getting a weird vibe from him. After tomorrow night, she would just avoid him. It was nice catching up, but she had no desire to start hanging out. God, she hoped he didn’t try to ask her out.

Kurtis satin his car and waited for Lindsey to drive off. Once he was assured her taillights were heading away, he pulled his phone from his pocket and hit speed dial. “You wanted me?”

“Yes. I just wanted to let you know the last stock you sent was a big hit. We made a nice chunk of change on it. We’ve had a request for something in red this time.”

“All right. I’ll get right on it.” Looking out his windshield, he watched the pretty black-haired girl sitting by the front window of the cafe, laughing and talking with another girl. He’d already been here when they arrived separately and was aware which vehicles they drove. “What’s the time frame and how many?”

“Four weeks and we need six.”

“That’s not a lot of time. Could cause some heat to come my way.”

“We’ll pay you extra for the risk.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Kurtis hung up the phone, the deal being struck. Six in four weeks was pushing it. He would reach out to some of the men he had working for him and get them searching in some surrounding towns for what they needed. After this shipment, he should probably move to a new location. Otherwise, he might get caught.

He glanced around the parking lot and didn’t find any outside cameras. In this day and age, who didn’t have cameras surrounding their property? Idiots.

He checked to make sure the two girls were still inside. They were both at the counter paying their tabs and would be coming out any moment. He hurried to exit his vehicle, slipping between cars until he was behind the one the dark-haired girl arrived in. He chanced a quick peek over the back of the car and saw her outside the cafe, hugging her friend goodbye. Without a moment to spare, he pulled an ice pick from his coat pocket and punctured the left rear tire.

He hurried back to his car, got in and waited the few minutes it took the girl to get in and pull away. He slowly pulled out behind her, keeping a respectable distance between them, not wanting to spook her into thinking someone was following her. The hole he made in her tire wouldn’t cause it to immediately go flat. It was done in such a way as to cause the air to leak out slowly.

He followed her for about ten minutes when he saw her turn signal come on, indicating she was pulling to the side of the road. How lucky was he that she ended up on a deserted road, leading out of town? He couldn’t believe how perfectly it was working out. She turned her flashers on and stepped out of her vehicle as he pulled up behind her. He left his high beams on, keeping himself in shadows until he was upon her.

“You need some help?” he asked as he walked toward her.

She had her hand up, trying to block the bright light, so she could see who was approaching her. She looked worried as she chewed her bottom lip.

He stopped two feet from her, blocking the light so she could get a good look at him. Her shoulders dropped and a smile lit up her face, having recognized him from the cafe. Stupid, stupid girl.

“Oh, hey. I remember you from the cafe.” She sighed in relief and laughed. “I thought you might be some weirdo coming to help me.”

Kurtis laughed. “Yeah, kid. You shoulda went with your gut.” He reached out and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pulling her into his body. The look of stark fear on her face made him smile. He loved this part. She opened her mouth and started to draw in a deep enough breath to scream. Instead of fresh clean air entering her lungs, she inhaled deeply from a rag soaked with chloroform. He held it over her mouth and nose until he felt her go limp in his grip.

Chuckling to himself, he bent at the waist, putting a shoulder to her middle, hoisting up. He carried her to his car, popped the trunk and placed her inside. He then went back to her car, shut off the hazard lights and the engine, making sure to wipe down anything he touched. He pulled out his phone and instructed one of his associates to pick up the car and get rid of it.

He got in his car and pulled back onto the road, a satisfied smile on his face. “One down, five to go.”

12

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