The Darkness Inside Us (A Detective King Suspense Thriller) (A Detective King Novel Book 3) (5 page)

I open the door and step into a club-like atmosphere that makes my skin crawl. This is nothing but a club that doesn’t sell alcohol. It’s just a faux dream for the kids to play with before they’re actually able to go to real clubs. I can’t help but think of the Office and back to Jenny before I knew that this was something supernatural and not just a killer on the prowl. I walk over to the bar where a sign behind it specifically states that there is no alcohol allowed on the premises. I look at the menu hanging above the bar where they have sodas, virgin forms of as many cocktails as they can make, Italian sodas, espressos, and a dozen other disgusting sounding drinks. There’s also pizzas, sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, and salads that the clientele here could order. Behind the bar is a pretty boy that looks like he was spit out of the fifties with his wide collar and pompadour.

“You the manager?” I ask, flashing him my badge. The greaser looks at the badge and his eyes widen. No one ever expects to have a run in with the police when they go to work. I listen as music from thirty years ago echoes in the cavernous club setting.

“No,” he answers with a shaky voice. “I just work the grill and bar on the slow hours.”

“Is the manager in?” I ask him.

“No, it’s his day off,” he tells me. “Is there something I could help you with?”

“Maybe,” I shrug. “You got a pretty decent security system here?”

“I think so,” he says to me. “Enough that we can pick out the troublemakers. You work with vice? We’ve cut down on the drug trafficking since the Jesus freaks started taking an interest in this place, thank God, no pun intended.”

“No, I’m murder police,” I tell him, and watch as his eyes widen.

“Fuck,” he mutters. “Sorry,” he then quickly apologizes. “Shit, I know that Chucky might want a warrant, but I’m in charge when he’s not here. You want to take a look, you can go on ahead and take a look. I’m not into keeping the law at bay. This place is supposed to keep kids out of trouble.”

“Thanks,” I say as he leads me back to where they keep the security databanks. I have no idea what they are. I look at them and the single monitor stacked on top of a card table that they probably bought at a thrift store. “You remember a bigger looking fellow here last night? He’s got the look of a Marine, a little baby-faced.”

“Definitely,” he nods before letting out a long yawn. “Excuse me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. If he was here late last night and here this early, I can only imagine how much that must wear on a guy. Hell, I don’t remember the last time I slept. “I need to see if he left with anyone.”

“Sure,” he nods. “He came in after eleven.” He rewinds the footage all the way back to the time stamp, and together the two of us watch the footage. He arrives around eleven-thirty with a girl that makes me want to get to know her a lot better. They hang out at a group with a few other girls and when he goes to buy a round of drinks, I watch him return to the table and chat for a little while longer. The blonde bombshell that he’s chatting with gets up and leaves the table. He starts chatting with another one of the girls at the table and then gets up to leave. “Hold on,” he says. “There’s a camera on the entrance. We might be able to see where he goes.” After a moment of switching cameras, the greaser looks at me with a very serious expression on his face. “Did this guy kill someone?”

“No,” I shake my head. “I just need to know who he might have been in contact with last.”

Sure enough, the camera on the entrance comes up and I watch as the guy heads to his truck. That’s when another girl steps into the frame. She’s stumbling around as if she’s had a little too much to drink. Damian Sullivan is halfway to his car when he turns around and makes his way back toward the girl, who is approaching her car that’s parked right up front. I feel a cold knot stretching out and expanding inside of my stomach. That’s her. That’s where the demon is.

“We get a lot of drunk teens here,” Greaser explains to me. “They sneak in alcohol and spike the drinks. The church groups have made a pretty huge dent on them, but they’re still showing up every now and again.”

“Do you recognize her?” I ask him as he freezes on the pretty face of the young teenage girl that’s clearly drunk.

“Maybe,” he shrugs. “They all have the same style, you know? They sort of start to blend together unless they make themselves stand out.”

“I don’t know.” I look at him with a studious gaze. “She’s pretty attractive. You sure you don’t know who she is?” He’s silent for a moment and I relax, hoping that he’ll do the same. “Come on, I’m not going to put you on a sex offender registry if you’ve noticed a scantily-clad teen girl. Everyone does at the store or gas station. Do you know her?”

The greaser shrugs as I look at the picture of the girl, memorizing her face. “I think her name is Alice.”

Alice, I run the name over and over in my head. She’s a dead woman walking, but hopefully she’s the last one. Hopefully.

V

I wake up with one of the worst headaches I’ve had in a very long time. In fact, I quickly realize that this isn’t just a headache, but a full-blown hangover. I blink, looking up at the ceiling, wondering why it’s so chilly feeling. I stare at the fan circling lazily above me before looking down and seeing that I’m completely naked. I feel slightly stiff, but what really bothers me is that there’s crusty, dried sperm all over my stomach and vagina. I groan and try to remember what happened last night.

That’s when I remember the Marine. I remember him picking me up and not letting me go home alone. The way he kissed me, the way his tongue was so eager that I almost felt like he was trying to choke me on it. I’d been afraid of telling him that I was still in high school and that I was underage. I knew that he wasn’t going to do anything with me if he knew how old I was. Marines have honor and stuff like that which would hinder him from having me. After all, I’d just finished things with Glenn for good and I needed someone to take him out of my mind. He’d been great in the truck and thankfully, Mom and Dad are out of town, so I invited him in.

That’s when he gave me the fuck of a lifetime. I lie there on my bed, looking down at my cold, perky nipples and remember how he’d picked me up like I was nothing. My legs wrapped around him while he held me up, my hands clamped behind his neck as he pounded me again and again. It had been so fantastic. Lying there, I feel the cramping, the aching downstairs where he’d been so freely rough and dangerously eager to have me. I think we had sex twice. Looking over at my shirt crumpled on the floor, I remember him shooting his load across my chest the first time. And that’s when I remember him shooting his second load inside of me.

“Jesus,” I groan, rubbing my face and running my hands through my hair. Why the fuck would he do that? What if I wasn’t on the pill? He’d be coming home from wherever Marines go, to me living in a shitty apartment with his child. I shake my head. I need to go take my pill and pray there isn’t some little bastard inside of me. Life isn’t as sacred as most make it out to be. I think it’s all a little overrated. So far as I’ve seen, life isn’t that great.

Getting up, I feel the warm fluids run down my leg and it makes me shiver. Men really are quite disgusting, the more I think about them. Grabbing a tissue off of my nightstand, I wipe my inner thigh, wondering how long it’s just been sitting inside of me. Walking to my door, I pull it open as I claw at the crusted sperm that’s on my chest. I don’t remember him going a third time, but maybe he did after I passed out. That’s just great, a creepy Marine. Part of me wonders where I can get ahold of him again. Creepy or not, last night was fantastic and Mom and Dad are going to be out of town for a few more days.

Walking out of my room and down the hall, I’m not worried about Tim. He’s never awake this early and honestly, it’s so damn hot that I want to walk naked through the house. It’s not something I’m able to do very often and it’s quite refreshing. I close my eyes and sway while I walk, not yet completely sober. I open my eyes as I grope for the handle to the bathroom. I look down the hallway and see Tim standing in his doorway staring at me.

“Stop staring, you little pervert,” I snap at him. He’s the most annoying brother ever. God, he isn’t even my brother. Even after all of these years, he’s still just a step-brother to me. I never quite made the connection that Mom and Dad were hoping for. I think of Mark as my dad now, but I don’t think I’ll ever think of Tim as my brother.

“Stop walking around naked,” Tim snaps back at me.

“Fuck off,” I growl, not wanting to deal with him this early.

“I saw you fucking that dude last night,” Tim shouts back at me. “I saw him riding you like a slut. I saw him fucking you like you were his bitch. Does Glenn know you’re fucking other dudes?”

“You breathe a word of this, Tim, and I’ll chop your balls off and make you eat them.” I glare at him, standing bare-ass naked in front of him. He’s looking at my breasts and I want to slap him across the face. After he keeps staring at them, I do slap him. “Not a fucking word,” I hiss at him.

“You’re such a bitch.” He’s holding a hand to his cheek. He slinks into his bedroom and slams the door shut. I think about Tim about as much as I think about sea sponges and yetis, which is only when weird shit happens. I feel the cold spot on my stomach where I found the sperm. Part of me thinks it was him. The little pervert was probably feeling me up while I was passed out.

“Fucker,” I growl at his door before I go into the bathroom to shower.

I take a quick shower and blow-dry my hair the moment I get out. I have a rigorous system that I don’t ever stray from. After moisturizing, I go back to my room and put on my makeup. I make it quick, knowing that I’m already going to be late. To be the most beautiful girl in school, it takes discipline and a willingness to put in the time and effort that’s required to claim that title. It takes an attitude that will take no prisoners and show no mercy either. I mean, ripping out a girl’s earring is necessary to show that I’m in charge. I don’t take no for an answer and when bitches try to climb over me on the social ladder, I kick their asses. Glenn couldn’t handle that and honestly, no one at that school can. I close my eyes as I curl my hair, thinking about my Marine. I wonder how I can find him again. He’d been at the club last night. Maybe I’ll go back there tonight, see if he’s around.

I finish doing my hair and go back to the bathroom to check my makeup in better lighting. Looking down the hallway, I see that little bastard getting ready, not showering, like some kind of savage. Honestly, he’d been three when Mom married Dad, so what the hell went wrong with him? Too much videogames, honestly. But then again, I wouldn’t know how to raise a boy either. They’re just little animals. He looks at me and I flip him the bird as I go into my room, leaving the door open.

I pull on a tight pencil skirt that makes my ass look perfect. Honestly, there are girls that go to the gym every day and try to get an ass like mine and I was blessed with it naturally. Sure, I go to the gym as much as everyone else, but it’s not like I need it. Putting on my black bra, I pull on a top that hangs low over one of my shoulders. Pushing down my bra strap, I keep it looking classy, throwing on some bangles and hoop earrings. I look at myself in the mirror after my makeup and getting dressed, and I can’t help but wonder why any other girls try. I mean, I’ve got it all. I’ve got good grades, killer looks, and I’m as athletic as any of them. It’s amazing to think that this is senior year and that I’m going to be graduating in just a few short months, early. All those tight-ass bitches can fuck off while I’m heading off to college early. I close my eyes. Florida State is going to be so amazing. Dad had pulled strings to make sure that I get in with the best classes early and that I’m not drowning when I get there.

Putting on some wedges, I grab my bag and walk out to the kitchen, slinging my bag onto the dining table before Tim can put his there. He looks at me with angry eyes. “Whore,” he growls at me. I flip him off as I go to the fridge and get a container of Greek yogurt. I put my organic granola in it and eat it as quickly as I can. I need to get to school so I can talk to Kim and Christy. They’re going to die when I tell them what I did last night. I’m sure that everyone has already heard about me chewing Glenn out at his own party and storming off. Instagram and Twitter had been alive all night, no doubt. Well, they’re going to enjoy it a whole lot more when I tell them that I went out and fucked a Marine right after. I have to admit, it’s a little whorish, but I don’t care. Anything to teach that piece of shit he can’t just treat me like his sex slave and expect me to respect him.

I toss my spoon in the sink and head for the garage, grabbing the keys to the Nissan as I go. Tim shouts after me, asking if he can catch a ride. All I do is flip him the bird. After all, isn’t that what a whore would do? I throw my bag into the passenger seat, smacking the armrest and watching it come to rest as I step into the car, hitting the garage door opener. As light fills the garage, I turn the car on and get the hell out of that house. As I’m pulling out, I make a mental checklist of the things I need to do tonight. I need to wash my clothes from last night, along with my bedding to get the stench of sex and Mike’s Hard Lemonade out of my room. Secondly, I need to do something to keep Tim’s mouth shut so he won’t blab to Mom and Dad. Usually he’s pretty good, but I was pissing him off a lot today.

Parking in the senior parking lot, I get out and make my way across the asphalt. It’s not even eight yet and it’s so damn hot that I feel like I’m melting. Before I even get to the sidewalk, I notice several guys nodding to me, smiling at me, and a few of them even winked at me. I smile more and more when I start hearing the catcalls. I’m back on the market and they all want a piece of me. After all, who wouldn’t?

I make it to the side entrance and Kim and Christy are already waiting for me. They rush toward me, squealing with excitement. They beg me to tell them the story about what I did to Glenn. So I tell them with every oozing, delicious, gushing detail of how I humiliated him in front of all of his friends. I even tell them the part where I told them all that his dick was like a shriveled worm. They laugh and gasp, knowing that the aftershocks of this fight are going to ripple through the entire school for the rest of the year. I have toppled the entire fucking dynasty and they know it’s only a matter of time before someone is vying for Glenn’s spot as dating the hottest girl at the school. I’m up for contestants stepping forward. Maybe I’ll have them fight each other. After all, I’m Queen of Parker High now.

“So what did you do afterwards?” Christy leans in as I open my locker and start emptying my notebooks and binders into it. I look at her with a mischievous grin that’s too tantalizing for her to keep quiet. She’s grinning like a joker now and leans in. “What did you do?” she practically screams with excitement.

I put my finger to my lips and lean in so only the two of them can hear me. “On my way back to the club, I met a guy,” I tell them. They look at me with wide, hungry eyes, begging for more. “He was a Marine.”

“A Marine?” Kim furrows her flawless brow. “Like a soldier?”

I nod to her.

“So what did you do?” Christy butts in. “Did you make out?”

“Oh no,” I tell her with an even more mischievous grin spreading across my lips. “We did more than just make out. We fucked all night long.” They cover their mouths, their eyes illuminate with such delight and satisfaction in the gossip that I’m certain they’re going to die. I look at them and laugh, watching them giggling and smiling like hyenas. “No, he was the perfect little soldier,” I tell them. “His cock would salute me.” They burst out laughing again. “It would stand at attention when I told it to, and it would divide and, oh my, it would conquer.”

“You didn’t,” Christy gasps with envious delight.

“Oh I did,” I tell her with excitement. I hope that word will spread. I hope they don’t keep it to themselves. I want Glenn to hear down the grapevine how I fucked my soldier so much, it was hard to walk in the morning. “We did it three times until there was nothing left,” I tell them. “And that doesn’t include oral.”

“You went down on him?” Kim gasps in something that’s almost disgust. “You don’t even know him.”

“Oh, Kim,” I smile. “I made him go down on me.”

They burst into laughter as I close my locker and smack Christy’s perfect little ass, watching it barely jiggle, staying rock solid. I have to admit, she’s got one perfect ass. It might even rival mine. She smiles at me and shakes her head, mouthing the word ‘slut’ to me as she heads down the hall with Kim to their first class. I grin and nod to her.

I look at the clock on the wall and see that I’ve got about five minutes to make it to Mr. Percy’s trig class. I hate that class and he’s always trying to look down my shirt. I mean, if he really thinks that I’m going to stay after class one day to get some special tutoring from him, he’s been watching too much porn. I want balding, beer-bellied men just about as much as I want the clap. I look toward the doors, hoping to see if Glenn is coming through, his head held low in shame, but there’s nothing there at the entrance. Except for an older man.

He’s got gray sprouting in his dark head of hair. It’s starting at the temples with a light dusting and honestly, he has the square jaw of some kind of superhero. It almost doesn’t look real how rugged and dangerous, yet mysterious and charming that he appears. I swear, he just stepped off the set of some noir movie. He’s tall and he has a strong build that makes me wonder how much he works out. Over all, there’s this sense that I know who he is. He looks familiar, enough so that I take a step toward him.

Then he sees me. I mean that he really sees me. He looks into my eyes and it’s almost as if he knows. He knows everything. He sees me for what I am and it is not pretty. He sees me for the vile dark thing that I’ve become. I lock eyes with him and for some reason I feel terror, no, I feel dread. All I want to do is run. He looks at me with such fire and hatred that I feel my throat seize up and my bones turn cold. I can almost feel something inside my chest clawing me up inside, riling up to dart out of me at the soonest chance it can get. I want to run. He opens his mouth and shouts my name.

“Alice!” he roars, pointing a finger at me and I know that he means to kill me. I know that he’s here with deadly intent.

I turn and run. I run as fast as I can in my wedges. Wrapping my arms around my chest, I feel cold all of the sudden, brittle and frigid, like driftwood in the Arctic Ocean. I ram into everyone around me, shoving them aside as I slam into them with my shoulders. Some of them go flailing as I feel the tundra growing inside my soul, like something paralytic has stung me in the heart and the rest of me is crippled and shutting down. I feel like I’m dying and I know if that man catches me, I’m going to die. I know that he’s going to kill me. Somewhere on his body, he has a gun and that gun has a bullet with my name on it. I can see images inside the depths of my mind of my head whipping back, a cone of crimson ripping out of the back of my head as gray brain matter spatters against the floor and walls. I know that this man is going to kill me.