Once I decided to ghostwrite, I had to force myself not to think too much, because you could drive yourself mad with questions. I had to look at it as an opportunity for me to get the words out and to tell a story without all the attention. All my fame had ever brought me was a whirlwind shit show that spat me out at the end in a daze of unhappiness, loss, and pain.
I hated that my older brother suddenly mingled with my writing thoughts. I just plain hated him. I hated so many things, but the fact he was older than I was and still acted like a stupid, entitled brat really rubbed me the wrong way.
“Morning!” Mrs. Tingly, who worked at the local bakery, waved her floured hand at me. “Nice morning for a jog.”
“It is.” I gave a small wave back and kept moving. I knew better than to stop and chat. I wasn’t one for small talk unless it was something I could use in my next book.
My sneakers crunched on the leaves that littered the sidewalk then on the path around the lake that took us back home. The smell of snow hung in the air and flushed out my lungs.
Bentley barely made it to the steps before he collapsed on the front porch, refusing to move any farther. I set his bowl by his head and decided he could drink when he was ready. I rubbed his floppy ears and hurried inside for a shower, careful not to trip over Lloyd, who loved to dart out unexpectedly. Another missed opportunity to end my life, buddy! Crazy cat!
Chapter Three
Jonah
“Tiffany?” I tossed my keys in the bowl and moved into my living room. It was empty. I leaned over and saw the bedroom sheets were a mess from last night, but there was no sign of my girl.
Suddenly, the door opened behind me, and there she stood in a black fitted dress, her blonde hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, though she was anything but simple. She held a bag full of groceries.
“Oh, you’re home.” She turned her back to me as she made her way to the kitchen to unload from her shopping trip.
“The murder wasn’t that messy.”
“Good.” She flinched at my words. I leaned forward to give her a kiss, but she eyed my hands. I held them up, so she could see they were clean. She carefully leaned in and pecked my lips.
Tiffany was OCD about her appearance, and as strange as that was for me sometimes, I didn’t care because she was beautiful, and she was mine.
“What’s that?” She checked out the Jimmy Choo bag that hung from my arm.
“Birthday gift.”
“Oh?” Her eyes lit up, and I felt her relax. I was glad she could relax. I had been broke as a joke since my uncle asked for a never-ending loan for his business three years ago, the cost of my family’s funerals, and Tiffany really did like expensive things. My credit cards had been maxed out for forever, and whatever money I did get from my three jobs went to paying off the cards, rent, and living expenses. It was amazing how a person could be on top of the world one moment and in the gutter the next.
She sat down and waited for me to hand her the bag. I wanted to savor the moment, as I had gone through a lot to pay for this. It cost almost as much as two months’ rent. Thankfully, I had learned to skim a little here and there from my job.
I opened my mouth to speak, but her hand landed on my shoulder, and she gave me a look I knew all too well. I tucked my words aside and handed her the box and waited like a child to see her reaction.
She ripped the top off, and one eyebrow rose with interest. She pulled them free as she shoved the box at me. I fumbled it, and it fell to the floor.
She kicked off her shoes, and with bright eyes held the most expensive pair of shoes I knew she had ever touched.
“May I?” I plucked the shoe from her grip and bent down on one knee. Her delicate foot slipped perfectly into the soft leather, and I clicked it into place over her heel.
She stood and moved over to the mirror behind the closet door.
“My mother always said every woman needs a good pair of devil red shoes.”
A ringing had me looking over my shoulder, and suddenly, the memory of that evening disappeared to leave me with nothing but dust particles backlit by sunlight.
Agent: Please tell me the books will be done on time. You need to keep your promise and your head on straight.
I rolled my eyes. She’d been my right-hand person for the past six years. Landing an agent wasn’t easy, but I pulled some favors with my editor and back-doored my way in. Only now, she was like a thorn in my side with this new series. I cleared my head and texted her back.
Jonah: It will be.
Agent: It better be. It’s not just your name on the line.
I cursed and moved to another text.
Buddy from work: 678 Jabot Rd.
Jonah: On the way.
My route to work was never the same, which helped me slip under the radar when I was watching one of them. Luckily for me, Jamie always danced in the front room of the Syracuse Dance Academy. I knew they purposely put their best dancers on display to encourage others to sign up. It was a bonus for me because I knew where she’d be every day at this time.
My coffee warmed my hands as I sat across the street at a bus stop and watched her twirl across the floor with effortless grace.
By the time she was finished and headed out the door, I was more than ready to get my hands on her. In the back of my mind, I knew I had to hurry. I didn’t want to be late for work.
I stayed a few paces behind her in case she changed direction. I was confident she wouldn’t sense my presence, as she always had her earphones in.
My heart sped up with adrenaline as we approached the spot, then she suddenly pulled out her phone and answered a call.
“Hey, you.” Her voice went up, and I could sense her interest. “No, I just got out of class, but maybe we can meet up tomorrow?”
There was a pause, and as I stood still in the shadows, I began to second guess if tonight would work.
Hang up.
“Okay, tomorrow it is.” She giggled before she hung up, and I made my move. I swung out, hooked her waist, and slammed her into the brick wall and heard her breath shoot straight from her lungs so she couldn’t scream. Just when she took a deep breath, I stuffed a rag into her mouth and used my forearm to hold her still.
“You scream, and I will make this so much worse for you.” I knew the power of unknown fear was the way to go. Her head shook and her eyes bulged and begged me to let her go.
I ripped her bag off her arm and tossed it aside. We were still a bit too far from the water’s edge, so I looked around and improvised.
“You want to live?” I questioned just to con her to get her to do what I wanted next.
She nodded wildly with a pleading cry.
“Move.” I tugged her forward, and she stumbled to walk on her shaky legs. I eyed her heels and almost lost focus. Just as we were at the edge of the two buildings, I slipped my weapon free from my coat and jammed it into her left lung. Her body jolted in pain while mine jolted in excitement. “How can I love you and hate you at the exact same time?” I whispered, and Jamie looked at me in utter confusion as the light dimmed in those pleading eyes.
When she slumped to the side and I was still lost in my fantasy, I felt my bad knee tweak, and I fell with her.
“Shit!” I cursed but quickly recovered. I had a short window before anyone spotted me. As my knee throbbed in pain, I quickly rubbed her thigh with a small square of sandpaper and removed some of her skin. I fought back the visions and stayed in the present. Then, with reverence, I lifted her tiny ankles one at a time and removed her light pink heels and tucked them inside my coat.