Page 74 of Down the Aisle
I've never been happier in my life, and if being a little delusional was what it took to keep this reality up, then so be it.
Chapter 26
Adam
"You so owe mebig time for this," Max grumbled as he struggled to balance the two toddlers in his arms.
"I'll make sure to make it extra messy and painful when I do get to the good part," I joked with a chuckle as I zipped my jacket up. "I won't be long, though, just a quick jog to startle the bastard."
If my calculations were correct, then by the time I made it across the river to where the girls were, then I'd catch James just in time. My sources just informed me of Eliza's ex entering the city, and there was no doubt in my mind he'd have no problems tracking her down. Well, he shouldn't have any problems with the trail of breadcrumbs I left him.
Fortunately for me, James was stupid as he was determined. So, luring him here to Seaside was a breeze, especially after the shit I stirred up for him in Idaho.
The good ol' cop wasn't so good, not with all the bodies he had buried in his backyard—courtesy of me. Let me tell you, though, it was a fucking bitch in the ass to track down his victims and uncover their bodies to relocate them to his backyard over the past few months. The number of bodies he's dropped over the past ten years didn't make that task any easier.
After shifting things into place, all that I needed to do was turn in a nice little—big—tip to the police, and Lieutenant James Stone was placed on immediate administrative leave. Then, since his home was a crime scene, he had to go hunker down elsewhere until everything was done.
Of course, that was merely the beginning of his planned downfall. His job and reputation as a good lawman were good as gone, but it wasn't enough. No, he had to be completely ruined before things could progress. So, I did what I do best—fuck shit up.
Some drugs here and there, a snap of a picture or two—okay, maybe more like a few pictures—and James's reputation continued to tank once the images were released all over the web. Of course, the explicit and inappropriate pictures that followed aided in dragging him down to the same level as a druggie pimp.
After a few months of the whole city turning their backs on him and despising him, I finally threw out the line. An anonymous tip about his wife's whereabouts hooked him good. According to my source, the one I paid to be the tipper and stalker, James practically made a straight shoot to Seaside. The eager man only stopped for gas over the thirteen or so-hour drive.
I'd expected him to take a bit of a break or something once he got to Seaside, but guess I was wrong. I wouldn't have sent the girls out for the day if I thought James would go after Eliza right off the bat like this. I might've used my girlfriend as bait for her piece-of-shit ex, but not directly.
No way in hell did I want James to find Eliza. Well, maybe I should reword that a little. I didn't want James to show his ugly face to Eliza's eyes. Me luring him here to get rid of him did not include Eliza finding out about his presence in Seaside at all. Things would get kind of messy if Eliza found out about my plans or James's appearance. Poor thing might have a damn heart attack if she knew James was in the town.
I darted off after giving Asher and Adelaide a kiss on their tiny foreheads. No idle dawdling for me; I needed to make this visit with James fast. A little scare for him to keep his distance from Eliza was all I needed to do. I'd have my men pick him up tonight, hold him in the yacht, then take an impromptu trip after the birthday party this weekend.
I had so many plans for Eliza's pathetic ex, and I couldn't wait.
For every scar he placed on my darling Eliza's body, I'd double on him. The only thing that won't be feasible is torturing him for ten years straight. If I was determined enough, then maybe I could drag shit out for that long, but it was way too risky. So, a week on the yacht would have to do.
Thankfully, tracking him down wasn't hard. Granted, I got lucky because he happened to be very close by. The diner Hailee and Eliza decided to sit down at for lunch was literally right across the river, so James quite literally appeared in front of me in a sense.
Slowly, I stalked up to him, keeping a distance as I hung back to watch him. I half expected him to march right into the place and drag Eliza out, but I guess I overthought things a little. Itwould seem like James here had more control than I wanted to credit him for.
No matter. As long as he stayed put and made things easier for all of us, then I didn't care. The only issue now was snatching him up. I had to lure him into a less crowded area, preferably down an alleyway, but I needed to wait for the girls to leave first. I wasn't supposed to be out, so running the risk of being caught by Eliza was something I wanted to avoid.
So, without much choice, I waited around rather begrudgingly. My sister and Eliza probably didn't take long to eat their lunch, but it damn well felt like forever until they finally paid their bill and got up.
Unfortunately, James decided to move his ass the moment the girls made their way to the exit.
Calm and collected, I got up and closed the distance between him and me with a few long strides. As I approached his backside, I carefully pulled out my handgun, being mindful to keep it hidden under my jacket.
Before he could get a chance to call out for Eliza or make much of a move toward her, I stopped him by digging the muzzle of the gun into his back. "Go ahead, buddy, fucking try it," I said smugly in a low voice, pressing my weapon harder against him until he visibly winced. "I dare you."
"You have three seconds to remove that gun from me, or I will have you arrested." His head twitched with the intention to look back at me, but a firm poke from my gun made him change his mind. "Do you know who I am?" It was laughable at how empty and shaky his supposedly threatening words were.
Chuckling darkly, I grabbed the back of his shirt with my free hand to direct him elsewhere. "Funny, it should be me asking you that," I replied in a low voice, jerking him a bit toward the other street. "Walk," I demanded, jabbing him a bit with the gun for encouragement.
Clicking his tongue, James relented, letting me steer him down the smaller street and into an alleyway. "You know J-Boy, I gotta say, luring you here was so much easier than I expected. I mean, I knew it'd be a piece of cake, but damn, You took the bait like a moth to a flame." I rubbed it in his face with a haughty chuckle before shoving him face-first into a dirty brick wall.
Whirling around, James cocked his arm back, ready to swing. Only, it never came. In an instant, his face dropped and paled as if I was some demon standing before him. "Y-you…" His stunned eyes blinked slowly a few times as he stared at me in disbelief.
"Not so tough, are ya?" I taunted with a dark laugh, holding my arms out. "Too bad for you, I'm not some girl half your size." A familiar ache pulled my face taut, causing my lips to curl into a crazed grin. "Come on, I'm giving you a free swing."
Lowering his clenched fist to his side, he took a step back. "I'll have your ass thrown in jail!" He stammered out his threat in a trembling voice.
