Page 43 of Unhinged Cain

Leaning against the edge of the workbench, I allowed myself to take her in up close without having to be quiet or sneak around. As much fun as all that had been, it had led to this moment. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath. It was her body’s way of expressing that she was suddenly very aware that things were not going her way…again. I took another sip of the beer and continued to stare at her eyes. They were such a prize. Fuck I wanted them so much. So rare, so fucking rare, and they were mine. She was mine.

“I don’t understand,” she finally said. Her arms pulled tighter around her body, but her legs were set to fight.

Smart girl. I loved the fact that she wasn’t a weak mark. It made the chase so much more exhilarating.

“I thought we’d get to know one another better.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I mean, I would love to hear more about what you think of my work.”

Her brow furrowed, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to think about when she would’ve spoken about my work. She was most likely going over our coffee shop interaction, and she was going to come up short. She shook her head back and forth, and I decided to help her out.

I so enjoyed having a hyperthymesia memory.

“How did you put it again? He is someone that is local and probably has been local his whole life. He knows how to blend in and most likely works a job that we see him doing every single day. He also knows where the cameras are and is aware of the time of day that would be optimal to leave a body without being discovered. Whoever did this is highly intelligent and someone that is taking pride in the fact that we, as the FBI, haven’t found him yet when he is right under our nose. Maybe he has even shaken our hands.”

I smiled as her eyes went wide. I could see the pulse jump in her throat as the pieces clicked into place.

“I have to say you were quite eloquent and the only one that was correct in everything you said. And I love that you think my work is beautiful.” I smiled wide. “I take immense pride in what I do, and I know that you’ll be the most beautiful addition yet to my collection.”

Her mouth dropped open but quickly snapped into action as she spun on her heels, poised to run, or so I thought. Instead, Sunshine made to grab for my crowbar hanging on the wall, and I gripped her arm tight before she could touch it. I also wasn’t expecting the hard elbow that connected with the side of my face. It hit me with enough force to make me stagger back a step, but I kept a firm hold of her arm, forcing her to come with me. She turned in my hold, and I managed to tighten my abs just before she kicked out and caught me in the gut.

She spun in the long jacket pulling it from her body and began to strike me as quick as a cobra. She landed a left jab, a right jab, and then a left one again. Stumbling back, I stopped as my ass came into contact with the car parked in the garage. I saw the kick coming and managed to move just enough so she caught me above the knee rather than it being the debilitating blow it would’ve been.

Each hit she landed was getting me riled up, but not angry. I was getting turned on. My cock was rock hard inside my jeans, and I had to suck in a deep breath to steady the surge of strange desire that slammed through me.

Her eyes glanced down for just a second, but I knew she noticed how excited I was.

“That’s it Sunshine. Keep hitting me, I like it.” I licked the blood from my lip and then laughed as her fist came again with a yell, but this time I caught her wrist.

She surprised me further by breaking my hold with a strange move as she attempted to knee me in the gut, which I blocked. She was laboring, and her movements were slowing just enough for me to know she was going to weaken before I did. Grabbing her arm again, she flipped us onto the floor before jumping to her feet and sprinting like a bunny for the crowbar once more.

I snatched her pant leg, and she fell with a hard crash. She made a little noise as all the air was driven from her lungs with the fall.

“Oh, I do like you,” I said, licking my lips.

Kirby scrambled on the concrete floor, legs kicking at me until I let go of her ankle. Releasing her on purpose, I smiled.

“Run,” I whispered, and run she did. Kirby leaped out the door like her ass was set on fire and took off into the night.

“You can run, but you won’t get far,” I called out the door and smiled as I pulled myself to my feet. I rolled out my shoulders, cracked my neck, and counted to ten as the excited energy built in my body.

It had been a long time since someone had surprised me like that. I tossed the coat that had ended up draped on me onto the workbench.

“Ten,” I said as I bolted out the door after my prey.

“Shit, she is quick,” I mumbled as I watched her race along the driveway. That path took her deeper onto the property when she veered off into the trees.

I knew she was quick. I’d been running in the mornings with her, even though she didn’t know it, to test her endurance and speed. I knew she’d be tough to catch, but the thought of the chase had made me giddy with anticipation, and I hoped she’d try and run. She just continued to check off all my boxes.

I’d never felt this kind of exhilaration at any time in my life, and with each pump of my arms and legs that brought me a little closer, I knew that no one other than her would make me feel the same way again. She burst from the cover of the trees and ran right past Abel’s house, but I almost stopped and laughed as she slowed to see my brother sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. How confusing that moment must have been for her. I could almost see the expression on her face as she ran under the tall yard light.

“Run, little rabbit, run,” Abel cheered her on as another bug zapped itself on one of the twenty zappers he had hanging around his porch like fucking decoration. She sped up again and hopped over his pink fence like she was running hurdles and stopped to try the doors of Abel’s taxi.

She smacked the roof when she couldn’t open the door and took off again.

“Woohoo! You get ‘er, bro! This is the best fucking night of my life,” Abel called after me as I flew past, my strides eating up the ground as the gravel crunched and took the same fence Kirby had without slowing down.

“Get your car and come to Devil’s Ditch,” I called back. I could hear him let out a wild whoop and knew without looking that he would be right on my heels.

Kirby tripped on the rough ground, the little heeled shoes not providing the same traction or support as her normal running shoes. She stumbled again as her ankle buckled, but I was impressed as she managed to stay upright and keep going.