Linda
Kyle hung up the phone, a smug look on his face. “What was all that about?”
“My boy, Jones. He finally came through for once.”
“What do you mean?” I was trying to pick out all the hay that had gotten lodged in my hair. I had no doubt I looked like a mess at this point.
“They found where Daniel lives.”
“Why does that matter?”
“He hasn’t been there for a while… which means that we can break in and look for some evidence. Jones tells me that he’s been MIA ever since the murder. People don’t just disappear for no reason. He’s hiding something and I want to figure out what it is.”
“What makes you think that he would just leave behind incriminating evidence in his home?” I asked with my hand on my hip. I didn’t like the idea of breaking in. Not only was that breaking the law, but it went against everything I stood for as a lawyer. “Besides, we’d need a warrant to search his house.”
“Sure, if you’re a law-abiding citizen.” He winked at me. “But you don’t have to come with me. I can drop you off at the warehouse and you can spend the night with Olivia.”
“What? So you can go alone? Are you nuts?” I stepped forward. “We shouldn’t be breaking into his house in the first place. It’s wrong.”
“And do you think it’s right that he murdered someone?” He grabbed me by the arm and looked into my eyes. “I just want to get to the bottom of this and you know, as well as I do, that the legal system isn’t going to help me.” He had a point. People would just dismiss him as another biker – as I did in the beginning. My hands tightened into fists, frustrated that I had allowed my biased point of view to get in the way of protecting this man.
“I’ll go,” I said firmly. I knew it was crazy and that I’d probably regret it, but I just couldn’t let Kyle fend for himself. Maybe I was starting to warm up to him, but whatever the reason, I knew I couldn’t let him do this alone.
“I knew you’d come through.” He pulled me close, his lips colliding with mine. His kiss was sweet and full of passion, making me lightheaded. I melted into him, my arms wrapping around him as he pulled me even closer. The feeling of his body pressed against mine drove me wild. As he pulled away, all I could do was bite the inside of my lip, getting lost in the depth of his dark eyes. “We should get going. There’s no telling when Daniel might come back.”
I nodded, following him out of the barn. Outside, he helped me with my helmet, being just as caring as ever. It was always strange to see someone like Kyle act the way he did. With his leather jacket, large boots, and overall rugged appearance, I expected him to be rough and mean, but I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
“How does that feel?” He asked with a gentle smile.
“Good.” I smiled back. “And do you mind riding a little slower this time?”
“Sure.” He chuckled, getting on the bike and waiting for me to hop on. Naturally, I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his back. The engine roared to life before it sputtered. “I’ll have to ask Olivia to replace those exhaust pipes…” Kyle said to himself before he started down the road at a leisurely pace. His battered bike sounded like a giant tumbling through the forest, but that didn’t stop him.
I tried to ignore the vibrations that ran through my body. My pussy, still sensitive from our amazing time together, was getting excited once again. I bit my lip, replaying the scene in my head. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Kyle had made me feel so good and yet, there was always this inkling of doubt floating around in my mind, telling me to remain cautious. Another part of me, however, no longer believed that Kyle was the murderer – he just couldn’t be.
“Is his house far?”
“No, actually we’re rather close.”
“How do you know he won’t come back?”
“I don’t.” The realization of yet another dangerous situation sent adrenaline pumping through my veins. The feeling was both terrifying and empowering. I had never felt this way before. Then again, I had never been much of a daredevil. Until I met Kyle, I had done my best to avoid putting my life at risk.
Kyle turned into a main road, passing abandoned-looking buildings. Most of the windows were boarded up. Doors were torn off their hinges. Lawns were practically nonexistent. Upturned bicycles decorated the sidewalk. “Where are we?”
“They call this the Devil’s Highway. Most of these buildings are used to cook and sell meth. Some of them are just a good place to fuck a prostitute. No one comes here unless they’re looking for trouble.”
“And Daniel lives here?”
“You sound surprised.” Kyle stopped his bike in front of a three-story apartment building. The blue paint was peeling off and the red door looked horribly out of place. “When I told you Daniel was scum, I wasn’t kidding.”
I hesitated as my stomach twisted into a knot. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Of course it’s not a good idea. More people get shot on this block in a week than they do in the city during the whole year. This is dangerous, but it’s too late to go back now. Just stick close and I won’t let anything happen to you.” He helped me off the bike, holding my hand tightly. “I promise.” He gently kissed the top of my head.
I nodded, trusting him. It wasn’t like I had any other option at this point. “Let’s just get this over with.” Still holding his hand, we approached the red door. Kyle tried the knob, but of course, it was locked. “What are we supposed to do now?”
“There are windows, aren’t there? Help me find a rock.”
“You’re going to break a window?”
“Do you have a better idea?” He asked, jumping down from the porch and searching around in the lawn. I sighed, looking around as well.
“I didn’t find a rock, but will this work?” I held up a rusty crowbar.
“Perfect.” He took it from my hand and walked up to a window. “Stay back. I don’t want you to get hurt.” I shuffled backward, shielding my eyes as he swung at the glass. It shattered instantly. In the distance, a cat meowed before darting into the street. I felt my skin crawl and I looked around, feeling like there was someone watching us, but I couldn’t see anything.
“C’mon.” Kyle had cleared away the glass, making it relatively safe. He hoisted me into his arms and through the window with ease. Inside the apartment, I nearly gagged. The stench was repulsive.
“God, what is that?” I had my shirt over my nose, trying to soften the smell, but it was penetrating.
“Looks like Daniel didn’t bother to take out his trash before going into hiding.” Kyle pointed his thumb at an open pizza box. There were a few slices left, most of them moldy by this point. I nearly screamed when I saw a large, grimy-looking rat scuttle out of a fast food bag.
“This is gross…” I whispered.
“Well, let’s hurry up and find something then.” He walked down the hall toward the bedrooms, peeking inside of each one. He still had the crowbar in his hand, as if ready to use it as a weapon at any moment.
“You don’t think there’s anyone here, do you?” I asked, my voice shaking. The hairs on the back of my neck were on edge like there was someone standing right behind me.
“I don’t think so. But we can’t be sure, either. Just stay close.” I nodded as we made our way through the apartment. The bathroom was the worst of all. Its smell was so nauseating that I almost threw up. Kyle had to pull me away and tell me to breathe.
“Hasn’t this man heard of the concept of cleaning?” I gasped, trying to take in deep breaths, even though the stench was making me reluctant. At this point, I needed fresh air, but there was still one more room we hadn’t searched.
“Most guys are like that.” Kyle gently rubbed my back. “We’re almost done. Just this last room on the left.”
I nodded, straightening myself out. I held onto Kyle’s jacket for comfort, following him into what looked like the master bedroom. There were clothes scattered all over the place. More boxes with half-eaten takeout meals lined the nightstand. A cat sat on the bed, her golden eyes glowing in the room’s gloom.
Kyle ignored the feline as he started to look around, carefully searching for anything that might be used as evidence. Trying to help, I searched the closet first. I jumped back as I opened the door and a horde of rats came running out. The cat pounced at the chance of a good meal and chased after them. My heart was beating so fast that my head was spinning. I couldn’t take this much longer.
“Look what I found.” Kyle's voice rung through the room. I looked up at him. He was standing by a hamper filled with dirty clothes. In his hand, he had a beige shirt. “See that?” He pointed to some dark, crimson-colored stains near the shirt’s breast pocket. “That has to be blood.”
As he turned the shirt around, he found a hole ripped through the back.
“That could just be a coincidence,” I said, trying to keep a level head. I knew I couldn’t just jump to conclusions, no matter how obvious the shirt looked.
“Are you even listening to yourself right now?” Kyle stepped closer, practically shoving the shirt in my face. “Blood, and a bullet hole in the back. What other explanation could you give me that would justify this being here?”
“I don’t know… Daniel is violent, right? Who says that shirt can’t be his?”
“You think that Danny got shot in the back in the same way Ross did?” Kyle asked me, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you just being so stubborn that you’re refusing to see what’s right in front of you? Ross was a big man, much larger than Danny.” He threw the bloodied shirt on the bed and then grabbed another from the hamper, comparing the sizes. “See, this couldn’t have belonged to him.”
“He could’ve bought a bigger shirt.” I pointed out.
“Stop playing devil’s advocate and just believe me for once.”
“I can’t just jump to conclusions,” I told him. “I would need to send it to the lab, run a DNA test and find out who’s blood that is. But that wouldn’t do us much good since you’ve already contaminated it by touching it with your hand.”
“Fuck…” Kyle dropped the shirt, realizing his mistake. “Well, if Danny was stupid enough to leave this behind, I’m sure there’s more to be found. Keep looking.”
I sighed but eventually looked under the bed. It was full of dust and other debris, but something caught my eye. Pulling my shirt down so it covered my hand, I grabbed it. It felt cold even through the fabric. I gasped when I finally saw what it was.
“Kyle!” He came rushing over to me.
“Is that a gun?” He gasped as if also in shock.
“It must be the murder weapon…” I carefully picked it up, hoping I wouldn’t accidently trigger it. “I don’t remember what kind of gun was used…”
“That’s it. That’s the .22 caliber they were looking for…” Kyle grinned wildly. “I told you I was innocent!”