Lost Souls - Book 2 "Convergence"

Chapter 10 - Friday, September 25th

Content warning. This chapter contains subject matter that some readers may find distressing. Though not overly graphic, there may be triggers for abuse and sexual violence. Please exercise discretion before proceeding.

The man in the van watched as the black Prius disappeared out of sight with the girl he was supposed to be keeping an eye on. He wasn't worried. The female driver was her roommate so the chances of her pulling a runner were remote and it wasn't as if he had to watch her twenty- four/seven right now anyway. He was keeping tabs on her to reassure the man who'd hired him that she'd be accessible when he was ready. For now, the man would send his daily check-in email to his boss/partner and then go find himself some dinner.

He removed the data card from his digital camera and plugged it into a reader attached to his laptop. A few clicks later and dozens of pictures of Tabitha Davies filled his screen. He perused through them selecting several good shots from when she'd emerged from the condo building earlier that morning and added a few more from the ones he'd just taken. The sun on her dark hair and fair skin made her glow in a way he was sure his partner would appreciate.

"These should keep him happy," he muttered, pausing to admire them before he sent them. She really was a beauty, even more so now that the bruising and swelling had almost completely disappeared from her lovely face. He could see why BadKarma19 was so obsessed with her. He was quickly becoming obsessed too, but for wildly different reasons. Where his employer only had revenge on his mind, he'd already decided he wanted the girl for himself. She was far too pretty to end up a mutilated corpse if his short-sighted partner had any say in the matter. It would be a waste of an attractive, young body and he had much better uses for her than an early grave. Oh, don't get him wrong, she would eventually end up dead before her time – these sweet things always did once they'd attracted a predator's interest – but he intended to make the time before her sticky end an exercise in exquisite pleasure. For him anyway. Not so much for her.

Honestly, if such a sweet piece of ass was destined to disappear, what did it matter where she ended up? He just had to figure out a way to get her away from his partner. That shouldn't be too hard. The man had already proven he was too stupid to play the long game.

He'd initially agreed to babysit the bitch for a few weeks in exchange for some unrestricted, one on one action when the time came to acquire her for his partner, but lately, the terms of their agreement were being to chafe on him.

Once they had her in their clutches, he intended to forcibly renegotiate their deal. He wanted more than a few choice hours to make her scream. He wanted days. Days to fuck her. Days to whip her. Days to listen to her screams while he slowly destroyed her spirit and then when he bored of her, he had other plans that would set him up for the next year or so.

The money BadKarma19 was paying him for this gig was chump change compared to what he'd normally charge but seeing a picture of the girl had piqued his interest. In all honesty, there was nothing really stopping him from taking her for himself whenever he wanted...except for the threat of getting caught.

Enter Mr. BadKarma19 or Gerald "Gerry" Moran as he was better known. The man scoffed. The stupid chucklehead thought hiding behind his chatroom alias would keep his identity safe but it had taken the man less than ten minutes to find out who he was, once Gerry had told him the name of the girl. The man had hacked into the Portland PD's system, entered the girl's name on a hunch and lo and behold, up pops good old Gerry's face, complete with a statewide warrant for sexual assault, battery and unlawful confinement.

Tsk, tsk. Somebody had been a careless, naughty boy. But he'd inadvertently given the man something he could exploit. Gerry had practically gift-wrapped himself as the perfect scapegoat. He came with a readymade motive and would be the PD's prime suspect in the girl's eventual disappearance, keeping the man in the clear. With the heat focused on Gerry, he'd get all the time he needed with his new toy without the constant worry of looking over his shoulder. He could enjoy the challenge of wringing every nuance of pleasure (for him) and pain (for her) from the girl and the cash he'd score when he was done with her was just a bonus that would sweeten his fun.