I lifted my head, examining the carnage from a much safer distance. Sure enough, Gavin's face was a mask of pain and death. Of course, he was evil, and I didn't mourn his death, but I still felt a greater sense of loss than I expected. I never wanted to see the man naked, but seeing him naked and dead was several steps too far.
I was losing my old self. I puked again.
“Lawrence, call James and Vick. I need them here now. Claire, go inside. I'll tell you everything that happens, but you don't need to witness this.” He spoke with cool confidence, and the way he took charge settled the worst of my nausea.
“I'm fine, Mason. I'm going to take a minute and stand over here.”
Mason sighed. “If you puke again, you're going inside. Are we clear?”
“Crystal, Sergeant!” I quipped back, using humor to distract myself from feeling like my brain was breaking.
Mason pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly sent a text. James and Vick were still walking up the drive when Mila emerged from the apartment she and Casey briefly shared. I watched her, hoping she might not notice and go about her day, but even from a distance, I saw how she cringed at the sight of the blood.
She flew down the stairs and marched up the driveway in quick angry strides. Her straight blonde hair swished behind her; her elfin features were stunning, even twisted up in fury.
“The fuck is this?” her eastern European accent thickened in her irritation. “Why is there a dead fucking body cut to pieces in the yard? Better yet, on Christmas morning?” she started mumbling angrily in her native language.
“He was a pedophile who took part in sex trafficking,” Mason said. “We freed a child he'd purchased last year—a teenage boy with whom he gratuitously took liberties. Although I intended to kill him, this pushed my plans up a bit.”
Mila paused briefly, “Well, in that case, itisa merry Christmas.” I looked in time to catch the speculation on her face before she spit on his dick. “If it were up to me, Mr. Sharp, you'd kill the pedophiles first and ask questions later.” She smiled for only a moment before turning on her heel and stomping back to the gatehouse.
“Dead men tell no tales, Mila.” Mason called after her, and although her shoulders tensed, she didn't respond. James and Vick stared at her in confusion as they passed, and Vick tried to talk to her, reaching out to grab her arm. Instead, she tugged it away and flipped him off as she kept walking.
“Merry Christmas, boss. Do you know why Gavin Wolfe is in the driveway with his guts out?” James' irreverence was as dependable as the tides.
“Plenty of ideas and nothing concrete, James. You would think figuring this shit out is part of your job.”
“Nah, boss. I'm all muscle. Vicky is the brains of this operation. Plus, it's Christmas morning, and you said no work until the twenty-sixth. So I say we let the dead pedo freeze and call the whole thing a Christmas miracle.” His reddish-brown eyes flicked over to me. “You're not sad your boss is dead, right Claire?”
I dry heaved at the thought of his dead eyes freezing solid. “I'm not upset he's dead, but I'd rather we not leave him.”
“Claire, baby, are you sure you don't want to go inside?” Mason was suddenly beside me, pulling my hair back from my face and pressing his cool hands to my skin.
“Yeah, I'm good to go inside while youinvestigate. But if I may make a request, please move the dead pedo, you fucking psychopaths!” screaming the words at the top of my lungs gave me a smidgen of relief.
“Jesus, Claire. Do you not realize we have neighbors?” James, the prick, winked at me.
“Youcare about the neighbors!? Was it not your idea to leave him here to freeze for the night? Move the pedo, James!”
“We're moving the body, baby.” Mason's voice in my ear aimed to soothe me, but what he said wasn't comforting, maybe because we were talking about a dead body.
“Yes, ma'am,” James answered, shocking me when he sounded entirely serious.
The crunch of snow and gravel drew my gaze to the end of the drive, where a police officer pulled up. They had no lights or blaring sirens, leading me to believe they weren't here about the murder victim at the top of the hill. But why were they here? My heart dropped so hard and fast that I turned and puked again.
“You're going inside.” Mason bit out, closing the distance between us and grabbing my shoulder.
“Like hell I am, Mason. There's a cop here!” I yanked back from him, shocked by his calm expression.
“Everything is okay. I texted him.”
“You what!?”
“When I saw who it was, I texted a contact of mine at the police station to come and help. Fortunately, he's going to help me cover this up. I want to keep Gavin's death from as many people as possible for as long as possible.”
“And why would he do that? You told me the police all work for your father.”
“Most of them do, yes. But I've been working on a few. Officer Barns was partnered with the cop I killed for threatening you a few months back. Officer Grant was a fucked up piece of work, and our friend here recognized a possibility for a better deal.”