Page 54 of Little Twisted Things

“Are you coming in?”

“Yes. After I pick up my rental car. Alex is taking me.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you when you get here.”

Sunny must have told Tess that she was in a car accident yesterday so she could skip work. Now I had to spend my money on a rental car I didn’t need and fabricate a story about why I rented one. I pulled my car into the garage, grabbed a crowbar, and started smashing the back bumper as if I’d been rear-ended, along with the taillights. Once I was done, I drove to a body shop within walking distance of the car rental place.

“Can I help you?” An older gentleman walked over, wiping his greasy hands with a cloth.

“I was in an accident yesterday, and I need my car fixed.”

He walked around and looked at the damage.

“This is from an accident?” His brows furrowed.

“Yep. Sure is. Happened yesterday afternoon.”

“I’ll pull it into the garage, assess the damage, and call you with an estimate. Are you going through your insurance company?”

“Uh, no.”

“Okay. I’ll just need your name and phone number.”

I rattled it off as he wrote it down.

“Do you need a ride somewhere? I can have my son take you?”

“No. The rental car shop is down the street. I can walk.” I smiled.

After I rented a car, I headed to the gallery. Pulling my phone from my purse, I had five text messages from Alex.

“Good morning, beautiful. How’s your headache?”

“You okay? I haven’t heard back from you.”

“Dahlia?”

“I have to get to class.”

“You must still be sleeping.”

I responded so he would stop.

“Morning. Headache is better, and I’m at work. Talk to you later.”

It was time to put my plan for Alex into motion. As long as Alex existed in this world, the wound would always stay open. That was the same reasoning my mother had. I never thought I’d be the one to feel the hurt and betrayal. I never fully trusted Alex one hundred percent, because trust was dangerous. He wasn’t anyone special. He was just another man who chose to cheat on a woman he supposedly loved.

I’d thought all day, between helping customers and hanging new art, about how to get rid of Alex without disrupting our system. I needed more proof. Just to be sure. I needed to remain calm and think things through. Pulling out my phone, I sent Alex a text.

Dinner tonight. Your place.

Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you tonight.

30

The Last Chapter Killer

She was young, bright, beautiful, and one unthinkable mistake away from ruining her life forever. Her father was a gambler and lost all their money. She needed the money. Her job at the bookstore wasn’t cutting it. A friend of hers told her a quick way to make money, which involved a camera, the internet, and her naked body. I saw it. I saw her. All of her. She was ruining her life to make a quick buck. She had a bright future. She was book smart. Life smart, not so much. If she continued down that path, she’d be remembered as the slut from the internet. I had to preserve her story and end her chapter.