Closer: A Novella Read Free Page A

the residual emotions left behind. Kane doubled over as if to throw up all over his shoes.
    A body was inside the trunk.

Chapter 2
     
    Kane had always been hypersensitive when it came to his abilities, but he had allowed his own fear and adrenaline to cloud the human’s emotions, which he should have picked up on with his ungloved hand.
    The imprint on the trunk door was strong, but there was no fear or pain, which meant that Butcher had killed his victim before the body was put into the trunk. That evil little prick had enjoyed every minute of it, too.
    Kane turned the key and the trunk lid popped open. The hinge creaked as it rose up, and all he could make out was a shadow of… a woman?
    A draft blew in from the open garage reminding him that he was about to unveil a body in front of the whole fucking neighborhood. Kane reached for the clicker on the passenger seat and waited for the door to close. Once he had privacy, he flipped on the light switch by the door to the house.
    “What the hell am I doing?” he said under his breath through clenched teeth.
    “Locking myself in a maniac’s garage with a dead body, that’s what,” he answered. “Probably has a wife and kids inside and I’m about to expose the truth about what Daddy has been up to.”
    He quietly turned the knob to the house and peered inside to see a small kitchen with a brown linoleum floor. In fact, it looked like the color brown had thrown an orgy in there and smoked a cigarette when it was finished. Brown cabinets, walls, countertops—even the shutters. He quickly noticed there were no flowers, cookie jars, oven mitts, or other decorations. It lacked the feminine touch and that brought a sigh of relief. Just a sink full of dirty dishes and a white garbage bag stuffed in the corner by a pantry door. Not to mention a giant bottle of bleach and three rolls of duct tape.
    He shuddered.
    The house was small and thankfully empty. Kane wedged through a broken door in the short hallway and stood inside the dingy bathroom. The reflection staring back at him could have been someone else. Is this what a murderer looks like? Tiny spatters of dried blood peppered his right arm and Kane flipped on the hot water, scrubbing himself clean.
    Another wave of nausea churned in his stomach from all of the things he was handling, and he felt the human’s intent from earlier that evening. It was not nearly as strong as touching a person, but cookie crumb emotions were always left behind.
    A patchy scruff on his square jaw showed how lazy he’d been that morning when he decided to skip shaving and sleep in. Still, it suited him. Kane’s mouth curved up a little on one side, giving him the appearance of smirking about something wicked. But the ladies never seemed to mind kissing it. His nose was straight and centered, drawing attention to his smoldering hazel eyes. They were the magnet that always made an undecided woman change her mind. He was a good-looking guy, but Kane never liked to be noticed for his looks.
    His reflection didn’t seem to have any sage advice as it gave him a scolding appraisal.
    A thought flitted through his mind and suddenly Kane couldn’t breathe.
    What if she wasn’t dead?
    He spurted out profanities while running down the hall. Kane damn near killed himself when he stumbled over a flimsy red rug in the living room. It didn’t have rubber lining on the bottom and he slid, losing his balance until a telephone table broke his fall. He flung the garage door open and walked towards the car to look inside the trunk.
    A swath of brown hair covered her face and the first thing that captured his attention was her light blue dress. It was the style that all of the girls were wearing that summer in Cognito—delicate and strapless.
    He’d never touched a dead body before and his stomach twisted into a tight knot. What would he feel? He slowly brushed the hair away from her face with his gloved hand. The sight disgusted him. Blood smeared down her