Chapter Thirty-Two

Graves

I waited about thirty minutes before removing the mask after Mallory left. I was worried she would sneak back home and try to get a glimpse of me or what I was doing. It’s stifling being trapped in that hooded disguise, I’m starting to hate it. Every moment I spend with her, I have to fight the incessant pull to reveal myself. She’s not even close to feeling the same for Nox as she does for Ghost. She’s willing to drop him without even a hint of remorse for Ghost, and we can’t have that.

I make the trek down the sticky mud path back to my truck, noticing again the footprints that aren’t mine. Who the fuck was here last night? Whoever it was got an eyeful of Mallory and I playing in the rain. The thought disgusts me, her pleasure is for my eyes only, not for some creep hiding in the woods.

It’s just after noon as I turn the key in the ignition and my truck roars to life. Pulling out my phone, I open the new camera app. Being able to see just about every angle of Mallory’s property and the house’s interior calms the anxiety swirling inside me. If this person shows up again, I will be able to see them now. I spent the morning installing them for her and texted her the app name and login information. I didn’t get a reply, but I know she’s busy as hell at work. I pull onto the road and make the boring drive home.

After installing the cameras, I shelved all her books for her. Nox and her had left them abandoned and stacked chaotically all over the floor of the library room. I took notice of how she liked them organized beforehand. It took way longer than I anticipated, but this woman has over two hundred books. Organizing them all by author proved to be a migraine inducing task. Every time I thought I had it perfect, another book would show up and I’d have to shuffle shelves around. Finally, I finished and stretched out like a starfish on the empty floor.

As I laid there, picturing her snuggled up with her nose in a good book, I longed to be able to see it. So I ordered another camera to add to this room. The books I ordered for her should be here later on today. I can’t wait to see her face light up at the sight and smell of a new book, it’s like her own little aphrodisiac.

I pull into my driveway, suddenly assaulted by emotions. They make the pounding behind my eyes worse. I need sleep, but I need to know if she misses me more. If she likes what I did with her books. If she will want to live at my house or hers. Sitting in the cab of my truck, I notice that my house looks empty and desolate, my yard is neglected from all the time I’ve been devoting to her and our relationship. I don’t want to be here. I want to be there, even when she’s not.

It’s almost 1 pm and I know I won’t hear from her for about another hour. Dragging my exhausted and emotionally drained body from the truck, I make my way inside. I kick off my boots and head to bed. Stripping off my clothes along the way and clinging to them as I collapse onto the mattress. They smell like her and I breathe it in. Fuck, I miss her.

I send her one more message before my eyes close and don’t open again until it’s time to head to work.

Ghost:

I hope you like it.

Attachment

Mallory

My head is a mess. I can’t think straight. I’m so pulled into my inner turmoil, I can’t even do my job properly. I’ve zoned out more today than ever before. My body not having the muscle memory to clean while dissociating. Something that before was so easy to accomplish. Now I’m inundated with thoughts of Ghost. I can’t deny that I’m falling hard for him. Our time together has been near perfect. The downfall of it being the times Lennox was brought up. "The cop", he calls him. Somehow I’m irritated by his refusal to use his name. He’s a person for fuck sakes. But, that’s what killers do, isn’t it? Depersonalize their victims to make the kill easier? Fuck. I’m setting up Nox to meet Ghost’s lethal persona by even thinking about him, aren’t I? There’s no possible way for Ghost to know my thoughts but I know he will, he can read the guilt all over my face. There would be no point in even trying to lie about it.

My heart wrings in my chest, expelling every blooming emotion I have for Lennox Graves. It’s for the best. We’d never work. He’s too good for me, too soft and sweet, a protector and law abiding citizen. Our relationship could never be an honest one. I’m knowledgeable to a murder for goodness sake. I’ve suffered too much, been sullied by the darkness of the world. Even if I laid myself bare, exposed every bit of my tarnished psyche, he would never accept the fucked up broken bits of my soul. A soul that is mending because of Ghost. How can I fucking do this to him? He loves me already, I’m damn near sure of it.

There is a future for us if he would just trust me with his secrets. My patience will eventually run out for this game of hidden identity, but by then I’ll be in too deep with him to leave. He’s already woven himself into the very fabric of my being. I miss him when he isn’t there and I can feel his presence before I see him.

My cleaning shift ends and I grab a stale muffin from the break room, moving to head outside. I usually opt to sit in my car because I don’t want to associate with the other hotel employees that take over the picnic table area, but with all the rain there’s a wet dew over everything and no one is outside today. It’s cloudy and dark, there’s a chill in the air, and I can almost smell autumn approaching on the breeze. My shoes scuff over the loose rocks as I cross the parking lot. I finally turn my phone on and it takes its sweet time booting up. I unwrap my muffin, it’s dried out and crunchy around the edges, but it’s chocolate chip so I deal with it. My phone beeps repeatedly as the messages floating in the atmosphere finally get delivered.

There’s a few from Ghost. He installed my security cameras. Of course he did. I download the app and then see a video message from him. My thighs rub together as my mind swirls with indecent thoughts of what he could have sent me. Quickly I survey the area to make sure I’m alone, then open the video.

My screen fills with the spines of all my books, organized by author, and the series are together and in order. The amount of time and effort he must have put into this, all to make me happy. The camera pans slowly over all the shelves, showcasing me his very hard work. What won’t this man do for me? Boring, monotonous, brain melting organization, manual labour, laundry, murder? He’s done it all and I’ve been thinking of another man daily since I met them both on the same night. I’m becoming very unhappy with this curveball fate has thrown directly at my face.

His voice comes through the speakers gesturing to the corner of the room, “I think you need a comfy chair here… Hmmm… One of those really big ones that’s got enough room for two.” This is the nicest fucking thing I’ve ever had done for me. He’s so charming and caring, and he takes note of things without me even picking up on it.

His voice comes again as he gestures to the floor, “And here I think you need a big fluffy area rug.” The camera flips around and I’m looking into the mask, “I also took the liberty of carefully perusing some of your books. I’d like to request that this one be read aloud to me and then a demonstration be performed.” He walks back to the shelf and points out a book where the female character gets chased through her house by her stalker, then fucked by the barrel of his gun, and she likes it. My face heats at the thought of reenacting my favourite dirty book moments with him. Shit, he is so perfectly twisted for me. I could never ask Lennox to do that, even if he carries a departmentally issued gun. There I go again thinking about another man.

Giving my head a shake as the video comes to an end with him showing off my library again. He gives a thumbs up and a goofy wave as the screen goes black. He’s so corny it brings a smile to my face.

Mallory:

I love it, thank you.

Ghost:

Anything for you, baby.

A smile graces my lips as I stare down at my phone. Such a complex man he is. So brutal and wild, but also sweet and compassionate. I can’t wait to see him again. Or, you know, actually see him, his face. I try to envision it based on his voice and physique but nothing comes to mind. All I see is Ghostface when I think of him.

Mallory:

I was hoping for a dirty video,

but that was so much better.

Ghost:

A dirty video? Is that what you

want, little siren?

Mallory:

Maybe…

I have to head back in now.

See you later. XO

Ugh, XO, that was cringy as fuck. Oh well, too late to change it now. I rise from the table and head back inside, throwing my muffin wrapper out on the way.

In the bathroom I change from my cleaning uniform into the shirt the restaurant makes us wear. It’s a tight, low cut, black t-shirt that barely contains my breasts with "Silverberry" written in fancy script across the back. I slide on a comfy pair of dark wash jeans and tie the apron around my waist. My phone beeps from my pile of clothes on the floor. Ignoring it as I fumble with the bow at the base of my spine, it beeps again and again, frustrating me.

Forget it, I’ll get Victoria to tie my apron since I’m too frazzled to do it myself. Collecting my things and heading to my locker, I check my phone. Speak of the devil, Victoria is mass messaging me telling me to hurry up because she’s lonely, followed by a bunch of crying faces. Huffing out a half laugh, I reply to her and tell her to chill out, I have ten more minutes of break. Her response is immediate, it’s a frowning face. So dramatic.

I have a message from a new number.

Unknown number:

Are you working tonight, gorgeous?

That must be Nox. I exit out of his message. I can’t deal with him right now. I hope he doesn’t just show up without an invitation, but he probably will to make sure I’m safe. I’ll message him back later on my next break.

I have two new messages from Ghost and electricity shoots through me as I open his messages.

Ghost:

Have a good shift, baby. XO

Attachment

Awww, he used XO. I click on the link and the sound of Ghost moaning fills the small space around me. His erection fills my screen as he strokes himself. “Oh, Mallory, you feel so fuckin’ good, baby.”

Holy shit. Dampness saturates my panties as I watch him touch himself to the thought of me. I quickly close the video because this is neither the time nor the place to satisfy myself before I have to wait tables for the next eight hours. I have no idea what to reply to either of these men so I just ignore them. I silence my ringer and place it in my locker. After snapping the lock closed, I try one more time to get this apron done up. Thankfully, I manage this time and don’t have to cry to Victoria for help. I splash some cold water on my face and collect myself before heading out to the restaurant.