MEGAN

Chapter 4

Niklas

"This is what changed." the redhead said before opening the door and motioning for him to go inside.

Nik did, but not before noticing that Megan had chosen to stay behind, standing at the threshold of the room, one foot still outside, as if prepared to bolt any second, her eyes wide and unblinking, making her resemble a scared little animal, a fact that almost made Nik break out of character and laugh out loud, something that thankfully didn't happen.

He internally rolled his eyes at Megan's unnecessary theatrics and proceeded into the room before stopping in his tracks.

The garage was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from an old window at the other side of the room, dust bunnies and odd pieces of old furniture and boxes littering the obviously rarely used room.

But what stood at the center of the room was what had him reconsider his opinion of the frightened woman standing behind him.

A plastic, life-size doll was hanging from the ceiling, a noose wrapped tightly around her throat.

A cheap, blond wig, one you would usually find in a dollar store, was glued to its head, the nails on both hands painted in blood red. She was dressed in pink, sexy underwear that left little to the imagination, making Nik sneer in disgust.

But the worst part of this deeply disturbing scene was the face of the doll, its features almost unrecognizable, so blurred together they were. It was apparent that someone had burned the face off, leaving in its wake a misshapen horror.

Nik took a step closer once he had gotten over the shock of seeing such a thing.

It looked even worse up close, the smell of burnt plastic still clinging to the air around the doll, making his stomach churn unpleasantly.

Nik started to turn around, a question for his possible employer on his lips, when something at one of the side walls caught his eye.

The room was so dark, without any kind of artificial light, since the small, lonely light bulb that was hanging from the ceiling next to the horror doll was broken.

Which was probably why Nik had missed it when he first came in.

The wall was white, or it used to be years before; the paint now chipped off and peeled off, the color more resembling grey than white.

"Mistress..."

It was written across the wall in big, bold, red letters, the color an enormous contrast to the said wall, making the word stand out even more.

Nik frowned and came closer, his nose wrinkling as a horrible stench hit him before he reached for his phone and turned on the flashlight.

"Blood?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer, and as the woman's quiet "yes" drifted to his ears, he simply nodded.

"Animal?"

"Most probably," Megan said as she finally stepped inside and stood beside Nik, the look on her face saying how much it was taking her to do so, as her eyes still wandered to the doll every few seconds before coming back to Nik.

"My housekeeper was the one who found it. She is the only one who comes here regularly, as I use this as storage, and she needed something from one of the boxes."

"That must have been a shock." Nik blurted out, without even meaning to, but something about the woman's obvious discomfort made him wish to ease it just a little. Which was completely out of the ordinary for him and something he decided not to dwell on for too long.

Megan snorted humorlessly and nodded, turning around and motioning for him to follow her.

"She was alone when it happened; I was still at my club. She called me, sounding so frantic that I barely understood what she was saying. But as soon as I got home, I understood her reaction." she said as the two of them entered the house again.

She immediately made a beeline toward the liquor chest, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and pouring a long glass, which she drained in one go, before turning to Nik, an eyebrow raised slightly in offer.

Nik respectfully declined, even though he wanted nothing more than to take it, already imagining the burn of what looked like high-quality alcohol sliding down his throat, but this was a job interview, and he was a professional.

Besides, everything about this woman and her situation was already throwing him off his game, the alcohol being the last thing Nik needed if he was going to keep his head straight.

Megan turned back around and poured herself another glass, taking a smaller sip this time before taking a seat and throwing her head back with her eyes closed.

It was the first time since Nik had arrived that he'd gotten to see the woman behind the mask, the real Megan Jones. And the best word to describe her if someone were to ask him at that exact moment would be exhausted.

The woman was obviously at the end of her strength, something Nik suspected as soon as he saw her despite Megan's smile and quiet confidence, but now it was there for all to see.

It was in the dark marks beneath her pretty eyes, in the slight frown perpetually plastered between her brows, and in the rigid line of her jaw, clenched so tightly that Nik was not sure how she had managed not to break her teeth by now.

"Did you call the police?" he asked after a few moments, as a thought that the woman had fallen asleep went through his mind, not that he would blame her. Megan obviously needed to rest.

She sighed and then sat up straight, crossing one of her legs over the other, a mask of nonchalance back in place in a matter of seconds.

"Not yet," she said, taking Nik by surprise.

"And why not?"

"I called in a favor with a friend of mine who has a private laboratory to come in and take a sample of everything, and then I called you. I wanted you to see everything before I called the police. I... I just... I knew that something like this would happen as every new letter came, each crazier than the one before, and told them, and they did nothing. What if he had done something to someone? What if he'd hanged someone instead of that fucking doll? If I had called them first, they would have taken everything as evidence, and I wanted insurance first. After all, I was an attorney before this whole Club business, and I know how these things work."

Nik nodded as the woman finally ran out of steam, slumping back against the cushions and draining her glass.

She then set it on the table and looked at him, her tired eyes pleading for something, something Nik wasn't even sure Megan herself knew yet.

Nik wanted to look away, her gaze making something long forgotten swirl inside his chest, but he couldn't.

And so, he found himself extending his hand without a thought and saying,

"So, when do I start?"