Page 65 of The Silent Night Stalker
“Okay.”
Enzo pulls me into a hug again, this time tighter. “Have I not told you that you’re precious to me? I love you, and I never want to lose you.”
My body stiffens, and I gasp for air. Did he really tell me those words? Does he really love me? I didn’t just imagine it, right?
I pull away to see if I heard him correctly. He smiles softly at me. “Yeah, baby… Little Bird. I’m kind of questioning my sanity right now with how quickly I’ve fallen down this chaotic rabbit hole, but I do. I realized that while driving to you.”
I hug him again and rest my face on his chest with a huge smile that’s so big, it almost hurts. “I love you, too. So much…”
While we’re expressing our love, there are police, EMS, and firefighters watching the exchange, which is exactly what I want. It’s what I planned for. Not the love part. That’s an added bonus.
When we’re headed to California, I’ll tell him the truth: that I’d set up the whole thing.
For now, a bit of my past has been erased. There’s a piece of me that’s been instantly healed. I never realized how oppressive it was living there, even when they were dead. I didn’t know the extent of it until I watched the house turn to ash. It’s too far gone for the firefighters to put out, but they try. Even better? I’m loved for the first time in my twenty-seven years. My life is perfect. The only disappointing thing to come out of this is that we never got the chance to have fun inthe gym as I had imagined. But it’s a small thing. We’ll hopefully have years to find all sorts of places to have our fun.
“It’s done,” I say to Enzo as I rest my head on his shoulder. “It’s over.”
Chapter 24
Enzo - Epilogue
Constantinegetstwitchyashell as the holidays get close. He’s been going out more often, looking for that one person to ‘save.’ I never did tell him he wasn’t saving anyone. I never told him to stop. In fact, we never talked about it again.
On the nights he goes out alone, I becomehisstalker to make sure he doesn’t kill anyone. Fuck, I wish I could send him off to therapy, but that’s impossible. If they learned what he did and how many people he killed, they would take him away from me. So, now it’s my job to watch over him.
Even if he finds someone, and I don’t know if he did, he never engages with them. He doesn’t go through with it. I’m not sure if it’s because he didn’t find someone or if he chose to come home to me instead. I’d like to think it’s the latter, that he doesn’t need to do it anymore.
Still, he struggles to shake the anxiety. I don’t blame him one bit. I do all that I can to love him, reassure him, and distract him with a lot of sex.
Now, we’re sitting on the living room floor of the bungalow home we bought a few months ago after renting for a while. Eureka is a small town in Northern California, but Constantine and I like it. It’s not too hot. It’s not too cold. And the beach isn’t far away. It’s a quaint town, and it’s pretty affordable.
We bought the house when my old home finally sold. I put money down on this fixer-upper, two-bedroom, one-bath home. It’s small, but it’s ours.
Now that I don’t get that plum cash as a criminal, I have to work legit jobs. During the day, I work in construction, and three days a week, I teach MMA fighting to kids. I still paint, and I even did the local art and music festival earlier this month. I sold quite a few of my pieces. Maybe one day, I’ll have a piece in a gallery.
Constantine works at a coffee and ice cream shop on the beach, making eighteen bucks an hour. Between the two of us, we do well enough to fix up the old house and keep ourselves sufficiently comfortable so we aren’t living paycheck to paycheck, but we aren’t rich by any means, and I’m okay with that. We’re happy.
It’s our second Christmas together, and this time, it’s a hell of a lot less chaotic, thank fuck. We don’t open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure why that was even a thing since most people open them on Christmas Day. We also don’t put up a tree or any decorations. Constantine felt we had to for me, but I don’t give a shit. As long as he’s happy, and he’s not killing anyone, I’m good.
He opens the last box from me with a big smile on his face. All that anxiety washed away overnight. He shaved his beard recently, and I’m still getting used to it. It makes him look so much younger and more beautiful, if that were possible.
Constantine tears through the paper without fear and opens the gift to find a Bible with his name engraved on it. I’m still not a believer,but his faith has grown since he’s found love and happiness. Who am I to deny him or tell him otherwise? He doesn’t go to church or anything, and he doesn’t talk about it a lot, but I know it makes him feel good. When I was shopping for it, some sadness hit me. Enrique would’ve loved the gift. He would’ve been proud of it. I know it. I never stop aching for him, but the pain is much less, and Constantine helps with that.
He looks up and hugs the thick, leather-bound book. “Gosh, thank you. I love this so much, Enny.”
“You’re welcome.”
His hand runs over the cover lovingly before he sets it aside and grabs a small box. He crawls over to me, sits on my lap, and hands me a present. “Well, after that lovely gift, this one seems like nothing.”
“It doesn’t matter, Little Bird. I’ve loved everything you’ve given me. Mostly, I just want to see you happy, especially this time of year.”
“I am.”
I push up the glasses that have fallen down his nose. “Good. Then I have my gift.”
He smiles and rests his head on my shoulder as I open the box to find a coffee mug. I read the inscription, which says, ‘It’s weird being the same age as old people.’ “Fucking brat,” I laugh, making him giggle. Constantine has been teasing me ever since I turned thirty last month. It didn’t help that I wasnothappy about my new age.
When my phone, sitting on the floor, buzzes with a text, I know who it is and what it’s about. So, I lift Constantine off my lap and set him back down on the floor. “I have one more gift for you. Don’t move.”
