Page 46 of Secret Admirer

“I only have beer and wine,” I answer quietly as I scan the kitchen looking for a knife or something else I can use against Dwayne, but I see nothing. Damn my kitchen for being big enough that nothing needs to sit out. If we were in my old apartment, I would have a dozen things to hit him over the head with or stab him.

“You always were a pussy when it came to drinking.” He guzzles down half a bottle of beer.

Bodhi stiffens but says nothing. His gaze follows us as Dwayne pulls me along with him as he paces back and forth in front of the island. Each turn sends fire through my scalp. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out.

“I bet you’re wondering how I’m here with all this fancy security you’ve been installing.” He pulls me to stand in front of him until we’re eye to eye. “You really should ask for background checks on all the workers who are on your property.” His smile is evil. “I easily got a job with the security firm and knew every little detail of what they were doing.”

That’s how the person knew where all the cameras were.

“Ah, you’re finally getting it. While you were fucking the homeless, I was dismantling all your cameras. It was almost admirable when,” he points at Bodhi with the gun, “he ran out to save the day…twice. The icing on the cake was when your precious boyfriend called for an Uber and guess who drove him here?”

Bodhi slams his hands on the counter and swears, but I can only stand dumbfounded. Dwayne manipulated himself into every situation to get this opportunity.

“Why are you doing this? It can’t be because I wouldn’t give you another chance.”

“It’s too bad you started closing the shades so I couldn’t watch more.” He tilts his head to the side with a frown. “Although if I had to watch the two of you getting it on, I probably would have set the house on fire and watched you burn with it.”

I can’t help but gasp; Dwayne truly has lost his mind.

“Really?” He shakes his head like he’s looking at a misbehaving child. “You don’t think I’d burn you with the house when I’ve got you held at gunpoint. How do you see this ending, Coco? Your boyfriend can’t save you. No one can.”

His words echo in my head over and over again. I need to figure out a way to get out of his hold and over to the knives in the drawer.

“I still don’t understand why you’re doing all this. Why now?”

“God, I forgot how dumb you are.” He pulls me backwards by the hair until my back is arched painfully and he sneers down at me. “I guess I have to spell everything out for you, but youshouldknow before you die.”

“No one has to die. You can let us go and we won’t tell anyone it was you. Start your life somewhere else—” Bodhi pleads with Dwayne.

His eyes turn black with rage. “My parents lost everything,” he shakes his head frantically. “My father thought he was doing the right thing investing all their money in some sure-fire way to make them millions in a short amount of time, but all it did was leave them bankrupt. I’m not sure how, but he had access to my trust and threw it down the drain as well, leaving me with nothing.”

“You have a good job running—”

“I did, but they fired me after coming in to work more than once a little drunk.” His hand loosens on my hair and just when I think I might be able to get away, Dwayne grips me by the throat in a bruising hold.

Bodhi jumps up and starts around the island until Dwayne extends his other arm out and aims the gun at his chest. “Stop where you are, or your little girlfriend is done with.”

Coughing, I try to reassure Bodhi the best I can with my eyes, but I know I fail by the terror written across his face. There’s no doubt my face is red and on the verge of turning purple with how little oxygen I’m getting in Dwayne’s tight grasp.

“Why?” I gasp with what little breath I have.

Dwayne spins me around and pins me up against the refrigerator with his body.

“Why? Why?” he asks repeatedly each word going up an octave until it reaches a strange squeaky pitch. It reminds me of the little boy, Georgie in ‘It’ taunting his brother saying, ‘you’ll float too.’

He really is losing it.

“I need money. Why else?” He looks at me with exasperation as if I should’ve known he needed money.

“And you thought you could come back into my life and I’d just give it to you?” I laugh humorlessly in his face.

“I thought after I attacked you outside your work you’d come running back into my arms, but instead, he landed in your bed.” He swings the gun in Bodhi’s direction as I stand with my mouth gaping open. How did he think trying to rape me would make me go back to him?

“Don’t give me that look. You could have prevented all of this from happening. After you came back to me, I was going to woo you and then we’d get married. As luck would have it, you’d leave all your money to me when you died. Although I wasn’t sure if I’d let you live for a few years or not, but therewasa possibility.” He tilts his head side to side as if he’s still trying to decide if he’ll let me live or not. “We could both live happily on your money and I could have my side pieces to keep me happy.”

“What makes you think you’d get away with my murder or I’d give you the money in my will?”

“I got away with murdering your parents, so I’m pretty sure I’ll get away with yours too. All I need to do is make it seem like an accident, and of course, I’ll have an alibi. As for leaving me the money, I’ve gotten good at forging signatures since dear old Dad lost all my money.”

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