What They Deserve

SIX

He knew she had seen him. While it had been intentional this time, he wasn't ready to make contact yet. He wanted her to continue to crave his attention, to seek it out and treasure whenever he granted her permission to see him. Raven was still going to be taken care of first.
         
The wine section was a large, open area where she could see him from any point in the store. This was where he decided to make his presence known.
          
Of course, he knew she’d come over to him and try to catch his attention. Of course, he left her there thinking he hadn't noticed her. He could imagine the way her heart palpitated in confusion over the whole ordeal.

The way she’d sauntered up to him was a huge part of why she was going to be one of his victims. And how she’d moved next to him added fuel to the flame. All she was doing, even if she didn’t realize it, was securing her place in an abandoned building to receive his punishments.
          
After he paid for the wine and left the store, he stayed off to the side to watch the registers. There was a slim space between all of the large window flyers where he could see her rolling her eyes as she waited for a family to finish. This angered him further. Why are you so impatient? What did the family ever do to you?
          
Outside of his anger, he acknowledged that she was gorgeous. While Raven was attractive in a smoldering and sexy way, this one’s beauty hit him hard and if he wanted to, he knew he could fall for her. Yet another reason that she had been chosen. In his eyes, she was more dangerous than Raven.
          
It was obvious to any sane man that Raven wasn't going to hold up to her taunts and teases, obvious that’s all she would ever give.  He doubted that the day would come when she’d desire love.

He got mad just thinking about her. The cramp that formed in his hand from the stronghold he had on the overpriced wine brought him back to the sight of Willow walking toward the doors, oblivious that she was being watched.
          
Before he could be caught, he turned and slipped down the side of the building. He knew she would walk in the opposite direction. Even if she decided to hail a cab, she wouldn't go his way.

A raspy cough from behind him made it known that he wasn’t alone as he stole a peek around the corner to see that she was walking in the direction of her apartment. The cough sounded again, a nasty wetness to it.           

He turned around to see an older man hunched over with a half-eaten sandwich. With a soiled napkin to his mouth, another cough racked through his body. The meat looked questionable, striking a little tinge of sadness for the man to creep into his heart. He wondered if the man would be okay. After a few seconds, he decided there wasn’t anything he could do to help him.

“Enjoy.” Along with the bottle of wine, he tucked a twenty-dollar bill into the crook of the man’s elbow.

The man’s faint thanks echoed in his ears as he took off before he decided to try and play the good Samaritan by taking him to the hospital. Then again, maybe giving the man the wine wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it would have just gone to waste otherwise. If there was one thing he avoided, it was alcohol.

He had to stay focused; keep a clear head. The building he thought would be perfect for Raven needed more surveillance to ensure that not even the homeless ventured there. Even though the place was near an active rail yard didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be able to use it. 
          
Instead of following the auburn beauty like he wanted to do, he headed for the abandoned warehouse meant for Raven.

Just as it was on his previous visit, there was no one near the place. There was no evidence that anyone had been around and all of the same discarded beams and pieces of furniture lay where they’d been, still covered in the layers of dirt and grime as before.

This pleased him.

He wanted to begin to get the room ready for her, but as was his usual habit, he decided to wait. Things could change, people could come around. He needed to keep surveying the building before he did make any moves. But he was almost positive that this was the place for her.

The light of day was fading, so he found a place that he could camp out, watch the place. Stomach rumbling, he decided to go get something to eat first. There was a diner a few blocks away. He could go there and get his food to-go and eat while he watched for any activity.

Once he had his meal, he settled down and began to think. 

Thoughts of the different ways he wanted to torment Raven started running through his mind. Hydrofluoric acid was the first thing that came to mind. He would use plastic pipettes to drop the liquid along her legs and arms, then her torso, and end with her face. Visions of the burns she’d gain brought a smile to his face.

There was a pair of pliers in his tool box that would be great for ripping her teeth out of her mouth. He wondered which he should do first.

In his excitement, he thought of a different way to hang her. He’d read something once before about a technique called strappado, where he’d bind her hands behind her back and then hang her from her wrists. This would dislocate her shoulders, further helping with the torture.

A chuckle of excitement escaped his mouth before he stuffed it with french fries. Giving Raven her punishment would be great and he was looking forward to it.