What my silly little wife didn’t anticipate is that she gave me the perfect excuse for the bruises on her face. That kind of thing happens when you wreck your car.
I smile just thinking about how easy she’s making it for me as I continue speeding up. It doesn’t take long before I’m right behind Callie. Hell, I can practically smell her fear from here.
I tap her bumper just reminding her I’m there. Then, I lay back a bit and wait. I’m not completely heartless. I’ll give her a chance to pull over first. It would be disappointing if she did that, but I’d let her away with it. Besides, if I caused her to wreck here, she would go off a bridge and possibly die. That wouldn’t work for me. That means she has a little time to make up her mind. After the bridge, there’s about a mile stretch, and then there’s a baseball field. I’ll wait till there.
Callie proves not to disappoint. I think she thinks she can get ahead of me because I’ve been hanging back. Time to show her she’s been played. I increase my speed again and ram her car, strong enough this time that it makes her fishtail just a little. When she does, I speed up as if I’m going to pass her and then cut deeply, sending her careening off the road. Her car cuts into the sod on the field, making a jagged path. It comes up on two tires, but sadly doesn’t flip. It does, however, crash into the blocked dugout.
“Ouch, baby. That really has to hurt.” I smirk as I get out of my truck. I look at the large steel brush guard and bumper I have on the front. I conned Callie into buying it for me for Christmas. She probably regrets that about now. Still, there’s barely a spot on my truck.
I take out my cellphone as I walk toward my wife’s wrecked car. She’s going to need a new ride, poor thing. I hit the numbers just as I get to her side. She’s unconscious and has a nasty gash on her forehead. I won’t be able to take my fun out on her tonight.
Too bad.
Soon, though—very, very soon.
“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?”
I take a breath and do my best to sound scared and worried. Acting wasn’t something I ever wanted to do, but I think I could be good at it. Lord knows I’ve managed to hide a lot from Callie. Still, she’s kind of stupid, so that wasn’t a huge challenge.
“I need help,” I start, imagining how distraught my stupid brother would be if he saw Callie in the shape that she is in. “I was following my wife home on Old Twenty-Three. She dropped off the side of the road dodging a deer by the Macon baseball field. She lost control. She’s unconscious. Oh God, you have to help her. I can’t lose her.” I take a deep breath smelling gasoline.
“Alright, sir. We have fire and rescue on their way out. Can you tell if she’s breathing?”
I watch as she moves her head. I grin, taking a lighter out. I peck on her window and watch as she slowly opens her eyes, her expression dazed.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell. Please, tell them to hurry. Her car is on fire.”
Callie’s eyes widen even as out of it as she is. Maybe she’s smarter than I give her credit for.
“What’s your wife’s name, sir?”
“Are you there? Can you hear me?” I question. Then, I click the phone off.
“Damn, dropped a call.” I tell Callie as I step back. Then, I take out a dollar from my billfold. “I usually save these for the dancers at Joe’s. Let’s hope your show is worth my money, sweetheart. If you survive, maybe you’ll understand that I own you, and you need to learn to be a good little pet.” I stop as I light the dollar on fire. I hear her weak cry, and my smile deepens. “In fact, if you don’t fall into line, it’s going to get very, very ugly for you, Callie,” I add as I throw the lit dollar onto the gas.
I look down at my watch.
“Tick tock, baby. Tick tock.”
CHAPTER 12
Callie
“Tick Tock, baby. Tick tock.”
I can hear his words even through the roaring in my head and the pounding of my heart. The smoke rises quick. Although it blocks part of him from my view, I can still see his face. It chills me to the bone. How could I have missed what a monster he was? I’ve been living in the same house with an insane psychopath.
No one wants to die. I decide that as I watch the flames begin to surround my car. I think it’s a matter of just getting so tired that you feel it in your bones, and it feels as if the only answer is to let go. I realize that because I’m right there. I don’t want to survive. If I survive, I’m going to be at Mitch’s mercy. If I doubted him before, I don’t now. He will control me and use the ones I love and care about to do it. This Mitch, this monster that I didn’t even know existed, is evil personified. He will hurt anyone to get what he wants.