Chapter 4

Kipp

We went from best birthday ever to second worst in record fucking timing.

Even the world’s fastest Bugatti would scoff at this shit.

I carelessly toss another car mag on the floor pile, unable to ignore the small chuckles coming from the kitchen, which is the area my boyfriend and his “friend” are also supposedly searching for micro cameras.

I didn’t know we were supposed to be having such a good time ripping our apartment apart again. Here I thought scouring every nook and cranny and crevice for tiny devices was supposed to be taken serious like a diagnostic test not lightly like a fucking car wash.

Great.

Now that fucking song is gonna be in my head.

Nolan laughing slightly louder redirects my attention to where his frame is lifted onto the tips of his toes so that he can properly pat around the open cabinets above the stove. From here, it’s impossible not to admire how good he looks in that position.

Long, thick limbs stretched.

Back flexed.

Tight ass filling out his dark jeans.

Fuck, if we weren’t on a desperate mission to reassure Bunny that we’re not being recorded by the crazy motherfucker stalking her, I’d take a ten-minute break on my knees, between his legs, and refuel on that diesel.

“Come on, Ace,” Garcia smugly chortles at the same time he lowers himself to a squatting stance in order to feel around the bottom of the cabinets. “You know you can’t lie to me. You’ve never been able to.”

But me?

Sure.

What else do you call having a secret fucking life I know nothing about?

It’s like buying a used car in fantastic condition only to find out the car history wasn’t completely disclosed prepurchase.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t want Nolan if I knew more shit about him.

I obviously would.

I’d obviously still take him off the lot – any lot – any day of the week…It’s just…it’d be fucking nice not to wonder about who sat in the driver’s seat before me.

Who drove him better.

Best.

Who knew how to shift all his gears.

Press all his buttons.

With Bunny, I don’t have to wonder about the last one who held the keys.

His ass is still trying to get back under her hood.

Yet with Nolan?

I’m not even sure how many people he let enjoy a test drive.

“I ain’t lyin’,” my boyfriend grunts a laugh in return, body inching closer to Garcia’s during his continued search of the space. “Easiest hundred I ever made.”

Garcia cocks his head up, crooked grin so nauseating that I can’t help but gag under my breath. “Even easier than-”

“ Fuck. Me. ” Nolan shakes his head and drops his gaze to our attorney. “ Second easiest. ”

“See,” the man I hate being here laughs louder. “I know you.”

“Do you know now is not the time to try to play grab ass?” I bite on the drop of another magazine, revealing that everything on our coffee table is clear of possible recording devices.

There’s no hesitation for my best friend’s glare to find mine. “You really wanna pull this shit when I was just in yours two hours ago?”

Redness instantly cakes my face.

I’d never done that before.

I’d never done anything even fucking close.

Thought about it?

Yeah.

Fantasized about it?

More fucking times than I can count.

And now that it’s happened… cargodshearmenow …I wanna do that shit again.

Despite being sore…I fucking wanna go another lap.

Or four.

Fuck, I don’t know if my ass can handle that many in a day.

I’m honestly still feeling the first, just like he promised.

Nolan’s stern expression deepens to the point it overpowers mine into looking downward.

Elsewhere.

Not only was he in my ass, he was telling me he loved me.

Making me do the same.

Maybe Garcia does know him.

But he doesn’t fucking know him.

I let my guilty gaze drift over to Bunny who’s tilted head and sardonic stare might as well be a flashing fucking yellow. “Oh no, don’t mind me. I’m just the woman in the room who might not live to see another birthday while you’re busy throwing a stupid fucking tantrum about someone being too close to your boyfriend on yours.”

My shoulders fall in tandem with my meek apology. “ Sorry. ”

“Stop being fucking sorry about this shit, Kid, and be different. ”

“What do you fucking want from me?” Gravitating over to the empty couch space beside her effortlessly occurs. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“What? Be hunted by a killer?” She sassily snaps. “’Cause I’ve had plenty of fucking practice. Need tips?”

“How to be a…boyfriend.” I fix the cushion and lean back against it. “How to not be fuckin’ jealous all the damn time. How to not show that I’m jealous. I’ve never had this problem. I’ve never…dated…someone – or someones – for it to be a problem. This whole…relationship thing…is a…foreign fucking model to me. And it’s manual? It’s in a language that I don’t know how to fuckin’ read! And to make it worse?! I don’t even know if there’s a version of it in a language I do read! I’m doin’ my best to recalibrate my shit, baby, I really am, but,” my hand is thoughtlessly thrown in the air, “I’m gonna need a little more time to figure shit out and fix th e drivability complaints.”

To no surprise, her neck cranes forward on a croaked, “ What? ”

“I think he’s trying to say cut him some slack,” Garcia unexpectedly chimes in at the same time he stands back up. “He’s young and dumb and in love. The shit’s confusing. And hard. And even harder when there’s three of you, so he’s still trying to figure it out.”

“I don’t need you to fucking translate for me.”

“Nah, but Rabbit did,” Nolan sweetly teases during their stroll over.

“Forgive me for being able to play with tools yet not understand them.”

Chuckles leave everyone else prompting the corner of my lip to curl upward.

“You know my specs better than anyone fucking else, Kid,” my boyfriend lovingly announces prior to folding his arms firmly across his chest. “ Trust. Them. ”

I should.

I’ve always been able to in the past.

And…he hasn’t given me any reason not to put my faith in ‘em now.

Why am I questioning everything all the time?

Is that normal?

Is this shit some sort of road test that I’m failing?

Epically failing.

Getting my ASE was fucking easier than this.

“Would it help to know that I don’t wanna fuck him?” Garcia casually asks, calling my attention in his direction. “Would it help to know that I’ve never wanted to fuck him?”

It’s impossible to stop curiosity from revving its engine. “Why not?”

“Not my type.”

“Not into bestiality?” Bunny impishly taunts prompting him to lightly chuckle and our boyfriend to glare. “It’s definitely not for everyone.”

“ Changing subjects ,” Garcia announces while sliding his hands into his workout pants pockets. “We didn’t find any cameras or other recording devices and the machine didn’t pick up on any either. What about you two?”

“Clear,” my girlfriend and I retort in unison.

“Good.” Our attorney slowly nods. “That means the apartment is still the safest territory for the time being.”

Bunny begins toying with the jewelry in her mouth, obviously objecting to the statement.

“How the fuck did this shit happen?” I quickly question as I scoot closer to wrap an arm protectively around her shoulder. “You two watched him get on the plane, the damn thing takeoff, and then you ,” my eyes twitch a glare to Garcia, “had ‘contacts’ verifying shit. What happened? They get paid off? You lie about being the mighty, all powerful Halicki?”

His eyebrows pinch together in clear confusion. “Who?”

“You don’t know who Halicki is?! The original on-screen car god?!”

“And that’s why he’s not my type.” Nolan slyly winks.

“Don’t get all uppity, Daniel Tiger. You don’t know who Boston is,” our girlfriend good naturedly goads in return.

“I know it’s a city!”

“It’s also a band!”

“And that’s why she’s my type,” he proudly chuckles.

“I didn’t lie about my contacts or them doing their job,” Garcia calmly steers the conversation. “And they weren’t paid off to look the other way. I already checked. Twice. ”

The three of us devote our full attention to him.

“This means one of the two things happened. Either McAdams has a secret, equally as evil twin-”

“No,” Bunny instantly denies, pen finding its way from her messy bun to her writing clutches. “Daddy dearest didn’t want him period – most likely due to an unexplainable ability to sense the demon he’d become – and having all of mommy’s pride and joy and constant approval would’ve had him killing off his twin much earlier in life versus ever sharing an ounce of her love.”

“Creepy,” I mutter after extending her my other arm to doodle on.

“By definition,” Nolan concurs.

“What’s really creepy is the fact she helped sponge bathe him until he was thirteen.”

“There’s something I bet won’t be in his file,” my best friend grunts in disgust.

Garcia pushes past his gag reflex to continue, “No twin means he hired a stunt double as a decoy.”

“Who the fuck hires a stunt double?”

“The same type of psychopaths that nightly drug their girlfriend to keep her up for days at a time,” blue inked words begin to flow lengthwise across my forearm, “that way when she tries to tell people she’s being held against her will and tortured they merely think she’s suffering from a delusion induced by sleep deprivation.”

Horror has my jaw plummeting to my lap.

Fuck, I can’t wait to kill this bastard.

Part of me wants us to do it slow.

Drag it out.

Have him experience all the shit he put her through.

The other?

It wants a one and done and over in sixty seconds.

Movie reference intended.

“Celebrities hire doubles for similar stunts when they know they’re being followed,” Garcia resumes explaining. “I assume that McAdams knew we’d be watching and executed a plan to guarantee he wouldn’t be caught before he’d found what he came for.”

The pen is instantly dug in deeper to my skin.

Made to bleed faster.

Tempt me into wincing from the new sharp, discomfort cutting into my flesh.

“So, until we actually locate him – the real him – I suggest the three of you stick closely together.”

Nolan promptly nods. “We’ll have our eyes on her every minute of-”

“No.”

Bunny’s interjection has my mouth falling open a second time.

“ This wasn’t a discussion, Rabbit. ”

“ And I am vetoing your declaration, Mutt. ” She momentarily pauses from her scribbles to meet his stare. “I’m tired of being watched all…the…fucking…time…” Her headshake is slow. Deliberate. “By him. By you. By The Kid.” Another one is presented. “I said I wanted to live. Do more than simply exist. And I forgot that for a minute; however, I’m not about to forget it again. I’m tired of being treated like a prisoner who can’t have a single moment of peace to herself.”

Dejection doesn’t hesitate to park itself on my shoulders.

“I may not wanna live locked away in solitude anymore, but I do want privacy for more than just taking a shit.”

Nolan gives one scruff covered cheek an uncomfortable rub.

“I get the whole no doors thing is kinda my fault-” Sarcastic stares shot immediately at her leads to Bunny backtracking. “ Fine! Completely my fault but smothering me ‘til death do us part isn’t going to allow me to build back the trust you need or reassure me that I didn’t run from one captor straight into the arms of two more.”

“ We would never do the shit he’s done to you , baby, ” I airily declare.

“I know that,” the pen is gently tapped in place, “but if you two keep watching my literal every fucking move, I won’t feel that anymore.”

“She’s right,” our boyfriend quietly croaks, forcing our gazes back to him. “Keeping her locked up in the highest fucking tower isn’t making us any better than the asshole trying to find her. She can’t – fuck that – we can’t live locked away. That’s not living. That’s hiding . That’s turning us into prototypes that never see the light of day versus letting us burn the tread off our wheels on the strip.” A heavy, defeated sigh shakes his frame. “We can’t let that motherfucker win. And staying locked up – the way he had her living before she got here – gives him that shit. We’ll give Rabbit more space…” He shifts his eyes to her. “But one of us will always be within screaming range. There’s strength in numbers. We’re gonna fucking use it.”

Her reply is just above a whisper. “ Understood. ”

“I suggest avoiding large crowds and major cities for the time being,” Garcia adds to the conversation. “Spend more time here in Death Canyon and if you get a little stir crazy do shit on the outskirts closer to Crystal Waters or in familiar, trusted , already vetted settings rather than new places.”

The three of us nod in comprehension.

“Fair warning. It’s probably gonna take me a little time to flush him out, so don’t go planning your honeymoon anytime soon.”

“Somewhere tropical,” Nolan unexpectedly states. “I wanna see The Kid coming out of the ocean soaking wet in slow mo’ while Rabbit’s wearing coconuts on her titties and serving me a beer.”

“You have to wear ‘em on your balls and serve me a mojito first ,” she sassily sings and resumes her doodling.

“What did I just say?” Garcia playfully pokes prior to rolling his eyes.

“All I heard was honeymoon,” our boyfriend jokingly informs.

“Forgive him,” Bunny momentarily meets Garcia’s gaze. “He’s going deaf in his old age.”

Chuckles leave me and Nolan both, yet the other male in the room manages to stay focused, “I actually need to ask you something fairly invasive, Bunny.” Our laughter instantaneously morphs into low growls. “ Not in that department. ”

Our protective noises cease, yet my grip tightens as she says, “Go for it.”

“Do you think there’s any chance he chipped you?”

Her lack of an answer encourages him to search further.

“He used to put cameras and recording devices in your apartments. Your locked, hardly left apartments. He tracked your phone. Internet history. He put a tracking device on your vehicle. Have you ever considered the idea that maybe he chipped you as well? That his ability to track you isn’t based on something you’re wearing or driving but something physically inside you that maybe he installed while you were drugged?”

Wordless bobs are all that she manages to deliver.

“I’d like to get you checked.”

Feeling her body begin to tremble has me squeezing her tighter.

Trapping her closer.

Declaring she’s safe in spite of the way the questions clearly make her feel.

“Let’s just cover all our bases with this sonofabitch, okay? Just a quick body scan and blood test to verify that his surveillance isn’t literally in you.”

We wait for her to agree yet no sounds ever reach our eyes.

“I’ll get you in to see my sister. She owns her own private practice in Spike Village and hosts free clinic hours for the community as part of an outreach program that also works with the teaching hospital twice a month. The next one is in a couple of weeks. We’ll get you in under a fake name and have you all come to the office in disguise on that day , so that if McAdams has someone watching me or her, you won’t stand out. You’ll just blend in with the others that randomly show up.”

Bunny sinks further into my grip as if the weight of the idea alone is too much.

I wanna say it’s beyond fucking farfetched.

Back to the Future flying cars level type of shit.

But her earlier comment is what’s keeping my mouth closed.

Silently thanking our attorney for being so on top of every model idea that crosses his mind.

And it has to be silent.

I’m not sure I can thank him out loud without it sounding sarcastic.

I might need to take a few practice laps at that.

“I’mma head out.” Garcia clears his throat the way the air needs it. “I know it’s Kipp’s birthday and you all have plans so-”

“They’ve changed,” Nolan proclaims without a second thought.

Bunny snaps upward to argue, “ But- ”

“No crowds. No unvetted places,” our boyfriend repeats.

“ But- ”

“How about pizza, beer, and a Halicki movie, Kid?”

“ But- ”

“ Done ,” I loudly declare over her objections prior to meeting her pouty stare. “I’ll even let you make me a birthday cake.”

Her beautiful, glossed lips pull to one side in obvious disappointment, yet she softly concedes, “ All by myself. ”

“You can even make it Lightning McQueen red if that’ll make you feel better about the situation.”

“Would that be red velvet?” Nolan inquires as Garcia heads towards the front door. “Cause I ain’t had red velvet in a loooooongggggg fucking time.”

Garcia shoots him a finger. “Not since-”

“ Nope. ” The two of us rise to our feet to follow them. “And I honestly wouldn’t mind a better fucking memory than that one.”

“Wasn’t that bad,” Garcia insists while turning the knob for an exit.

“You can say that because she’s your sister.”

“I will make you your own cake if you tell us that story, Garcia,” Bunny’s playful poking precedes tucking her pen back into her bun and locking fingers with me. “Actually, any embarrassing Mutt stories are welcomed. I will cook for anecdotes. Better the memory, the more courses the meal can have.”

“Keep this shit up, Rabbit, and The Kid won’t be the only one gettin’ birthday brat spankings tonight,” our boyfriend threatens during our descent down the stairs.

Laughter collectively leaves the group; however, rather than turn the brights on the pebbles of jealousy regarding unknown parts of my best friend’s past or hearing my girlfriend bribe another dude with food, I keep my hands on the wheel.

Focus on the fact he’s unashamed of what happened between us.

What’s continuing to happen.

What will be happening again and again.

That he loves me.

That he wants to be with me.

Plans to.

Our arrival at the side garage door is accompanied by Garcia tossing me a mischievous smirk. “You really wanna see your boyfriend squirm? Ask him about his twenty-first birthday and why he’s been banned for life from Pirate’s Beach View.”

Seeing my boyfriend’s face pale in color causes me to grin widely. “What happened at Pirate’s Beach View, Sir ?”

He aggressively opens the door to kick our attorney out. “That’s not-”

Bunny’s sudden, sharp scream sends my stare out the door to where a familiar face lies still, stiff, and lifeless with the message “ Happy Birthday ” carved jaggedly into his forehead.

Fuck.

Maybe this isn’t the runner up for worst birthday.

Maybe it just became the first-place trophy holder.