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“Have a good night.”
Kai left an hour ago to work her second job. If Alden’s orders are as big as I’ve calculated, then I’ll be able to give the girls more money and hours so they won’t have to work elsewhere.
The Mitchell family has more money than I can even imagine, but Alden is massively successful in his own right. The headlines were impressive when he took down his former bosses. He bought the thirty-two-story building his law firm is in at the same time.
It’s true what they say…getting richer is easy when you already are rich to start with. The biggest financial risk I can take is trying out a new supplier or adding the cost of a website or delivery to my services. We’re not exactly on the same level.
Running my hand through my hair, I think of the way Rob talked to me earlier. I know he needs help, but I’m not the right person for the job.
Emily: Hey, we need to talk.
Rob: I’m too busy right now. There was another murder. We can talk when I pick you up Saturday to go to my brother’s birthday party.
Emily: Fine.
He doesn’t say anything else, and neither do I.
Done for the day, I make sure that everything is put away and the doors are locked. Living upstairs has one huge advantage: the commute is great. Flicking off the lights, I head to my private stairs and unlock the door. The old wooden steps creak, reminding me far too much of another apartment from when I still lived with my mother.
That was years ago, but the memories linger. They are tattooed on my mind. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I walk to the living room and look out at the street.
My mother told me that I’d never make anything of myself, that I would end up selling my body for money just like her. She said that was my calling.
But look at me now. The dark hasn’t swallowed me whole, and I’ve learned to take care of myself. I can do anything. I’ll walk through fire if that’s what it takes to keep my store thriving.
I’ve carved this tiny slice of peace from nothing, and I’m never looking back.
Taking a sip of my beer, I turn away from the window and head into the bathroom for a shower. Another day done and a huge win thanks to Alden. I sigh and put the handsome lawyer out of my mind before my thoughts turn to what he looks like under his tailored suit.
CHAPTER FIVE
ALDEN
It’s early afternoon when I turn off the main road and drive into the once thriving town of Dunlow.
Another casualty of the freeway system, installed to relieve the congestion bottleneck down the two-lane road. The residents thought it would bring more people, but they quickly realized it was their downfall. Now the ghost town, hidden away from traffic and tall woods, has another purpose.
Why am I here? Because I own it. Every square inch for fifty miles in every direction from the downtown core. Everything from the broken foundations, overgrown weeds, and wildlife walking down Main Street like it’s now their private haven.
For the last seven years, it has been my sanctuary, and the funeral home the crown jewel. When I was a kid, this funeral home served the residents from all the neighboring towns and made a killing while doing it.
But there is no need for a funeral home when there are no people to bury.
I converted the entire thing into a prison, torture chamber, and execution center. A one-stop shop for me to inflict my punishments. If you walk in…you never leave.
Slowly, I pull into the parking lot and drive around back. I’ve installed a state-of-the-art security system. All the windows and doors are forced-entry resistant, and a few traps have been laid for those unlucky enough to make it inside. It may still look like nothing more than a dilapidated and forgotten place, but under the bones is something else altogether.
The heavy metal door slides open and I pull inside. I confirm that everything is closed behind me before I get out. Not that I expect someone to hide and wait to run in here to attack me, but some habits are hard to break, and caution is my middle name.
I’ve seen the lengths people will go to cheat, hide money, or obtain information from those they once claimed to love.
Walking over to the biometric lock, I place my hand on the panel. It glows green and clicks, allowing me access. A retinal scanner guards the second door, but soon I’m walking down the stairs to the chamber I’ve nicknamed The Confessional.
My guests spill every dirty deed they’ve ever done once I have them in my grasp. It’s amazing how these people will swear on a bible before a judge that they are telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and the entire time they are perjuring themselves.
I take a deep breath as I walk into the belly of the beast and stare through the thick glass at the man inside the cage. Mr. Frank Lewis.
He’s attached to two sets of chains. One set is clipped to cuffs on his wrists, hanging from the ceiling. The others to his ankles, locked securely to the floor. The design is simple and efficient, immobilizing him in a perfect X.
