Chapter: 5“Yes or no?” Leon asks, pegging me with his crazy gorgeous eyes. “Do you want the promotion or not?”This man would suck as a husband. He’d be bossy as all hell. So why are my panties still doing that bullshit thing where they’re hot and freaking soaked all at the same time?Quite suddenly and irrationally, I feel a stubborn determination coming on, a way to get out from under the pit of shit I’ve been drowning in and save my family too. I shouldn’t do this. This is ultra-mega stupid times a thousand, but frick, if I don’t do it, what then? I’m out on my butt without a job? I’d always know that I passed up the opportunity to really help my parents and sister out? To get out from under all my student debt?Having him as a husband wouldn’t suck that much. It might not suck at all. Being bossy isn’t a bad thing when you’re fine as the devil on a dark night.What the hell? Are you listening to yourself? That is your va-jay-jay talking,the rational side of me scolds.No, I’m your va-jay-ja
Last Updated: 2023-01-17
Chapter: 4I’m not sure if it means he’s talking about a promotion or something really bad. It kind of seems like the latter because suddenly, Leon shifts just a fraction. It’s hardly a movement at all, but I know him because I’ve watched him—and no, not in a creepy way. I’m just really observant, and he’s also my job, so it pays to be hyperaware sometimes—but he does it, and Leon doesn’t do things like that.The chats. Oh my god, he knows about the chats.“Umm, like if we’re talking about finding someone, tying them up, and throwing them in the river, then I don’t think so.”He grunts at me, which is laughter for Leon. I suddenly feel way too hot on the inside, like my ovaries are boiling. “I was talking about keeping this company together and keeping your job. Would you do something to keep your job? Of course, there would be a rather large bonus attached to the request for your troubles.”Oh fuck. He’s going to ask me to do a hit. I know it. Probably death by poisonous muffins. Or fetch nefari
Last Updated: 2023-01-17
Chapter: DARBYJane:Bloodstains?Darby:Well, he’d probably suck them dry first, so no.Amanda:Haha, that was good. Now you’re getting in the spirit. But really? He makes you vacuum out his car? What a sick bastard.Darby:I’m his assistant. I’m supposed to assist him, so I do.Amanda:With paperwork and stuff. Not car stuff.Darby:Well, whatever. I get more money here than anywhere else. I need it. My sister is halfway through college, and she wouldn’t be able to go if it weren’t for me. I also have a huge student loan debt that I’m paying off, and my dad is on disability, so I help my parents with their mortgage. I couldn’t do all that if I didn’t make good money here.I’ve read enough. I closed the chats so they won’t make a sound on my screens when I call Darby into my office. I’d like to use some of the things they said about me against her, but that would ruin the fun of getting to read all those messages. I can’t say I didn’t warn people. Maybe I’d be in a better mood if my own employees didn’t
Last Updated: 2023-01-17
Chapter: Leon2Margery:What part are we talking about here? Because I’d bite a cheek, but I’m not so sure about licking or eating.For the record, Margery is fifty-eight years old and a grandmother of thirteen.Darby:Whoa! Uhhh, okay, someone asked me how I handle him. Let’s go with that before we get off track. It’s not so bad. He drinks expensive coffee that I have to get from this coffee shop located a ten-minute drive away, but I pick it up on my way to work now, so it’s no biggie. He likes the beans from there and only from there. But I’m not complaining. He’s just like everyone else. He always has a huge list of things that need doing. It keeps me busy, which is good. He gets his clothes dry cleaned and needs to send emails and have his phone answered like anyone else. He’s really not that scary. Although he can be seriously foul at times, I’m sure it’s not very fun for him if no one reacts.She’s far too diplomatic, this woman who I’m going to try and convince to be my wife to save my ass fro
Last Updated: 2023-01-17
Chapter: LEONLike everyone else, Darby Caughill probably has very good reason to dislike me greatly. But luckily for me, she doesn’t need to like me. She just needs to marry me.I swivel in my desk chair with my cell gripped tightly in my fist. The urge to hurl it at the wall is monstrous. I guess I’ve earned my nicknames. They call me Monster Montague. That or my favorite Lord Lee On Poo, shortened down over the months to Lord Poo. The first has a nice ring to it. I don’t mind it at all. The second irks me, but only because the people who work for me can’t say my last name, which is part of the name of the damn company they work for. They’re calling it Mont-a-gue, not Mon-tag, which is the right way to say it.One monitor pings on the side of my desk, and I swing back around. My head is a mess this afternoon afterthecall. My brain feels like someone opened up my skull and rammed shards of glass into the gray matter. My left eye is twitching because I can already feel it coming on. Pain. Hot, like
Last Updated: 2023-01-17
The Bride Killa
Detective Jane Michaels arrives in Ridgeview to start fresh after a catastrophic case nearly ended her career. On her first day, she’s assigned a gruesome case involving a serial killer who dresses his victims as brides and leaves a single rose.
As Jane dives deeper, she uncovers unsettling details about the victims and their lives. Amidst the investigation, she crosses paths with Nathaniel Carter, a kind and mysterious local writer who slowly chips away at her walls.
But Ridgeview is a town of secrets, and the truth is never as it seems. When a victim escapes the killer’s clutches and gives a description, the case takes an unexpected turn. The town is rocked as the killer is unmasked—someone who was hiding in plain sight.
In the final confrontation, Jane must use her wit and emotional resilience to bring the killer to justice. But even as the case is solved, a sinister shadow lingers, and Jane faces her own demons, left with an unsettling gift that raises more questions than answers.
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Chapter: Secrets of RidgeviewThe Ridgeview Town Hall was an imposing structure, its tall, arched windows and clock tower lending an air of authority to the otherwise quaint town square. Inside, the meeting hall buzzed with energy, residents filling every chair and standing along the walls. Conversations overlapped—snippets of gossip, fear, and frustration echoing off the high ceilings.Jane Michaels stood near the back, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, scanning the crowd. She was here less as a participant and more as an observer, sent by Chief Garrison to get a pulse on the town’s mood.The recent murders had shaken Ridgeview to its core, and tonight’s meeting was meant to address the rising unease. But as Jane’s sharp eyes roved over the attendees, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was witnessing more than simple civic unrest.At the front of the room, Mayor Charles Whitaker raised his hands to quiet the crowd. A middle-aged man with a sharp suit and a polished demeanor, he looked like some
Last Updated: 2025-01-23
Chapter: "A Meeting in the Rain"The rain poured relentlessly over Ridgeview, turning the cobblestone streets into glossy mirrors. Jane Michaels tightened her trench coat and pulled the hood over her head as she hurried along the sidewalk. Her coffee cup warmed her hands, a welcome distraction from the chill that had seeped into her bones after the morning’s briefing. The weight of the Bride Killer case lingered in her mind like an unwelcome guest.The Ridgeview Public Library loomed ahead, its red-brick façade a comforting sight. Jane had decided to spend her lunch break there, hoping a moment of peace among books might quiet the storm in her mind.She pushed open the heavy wooden doors, stepping into the warm, quiet interior. The faint smell of old pages and polished wood greeted her, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.As she walked toward the reading area, her thoughts raced. She replayed Dr. Chen’s findings, the victims’ photos, the taunting patterns of the killer. Why brides?Lost in
Last Updated: 2025-01-23
Chapter: The White RoseThe Ridgeview precinct's war room was a stark, no-nonsense space. A whiteboard dominated the front wall, covered in photographs of the victims, maps, and timelines. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting a cold glow over the team gathered inside. Detective Jane Michaels stood at the edge of the room, clutching a coffee cup, trying to steady her nerves. This was her first official briefing on the Bride Killer case, and every eye seemed to be on her, sizing her up.Chief Walter Garrison strode in, his presence commanding the room's attention. He tossed a stack of files onto the table and cleared his throat. "Alright, let's get this circus started. Michaels, pay attention. This is your baptism by fire."Jane bristled at his tone but nodded, stepping closer to the table where the files lay.Garrison gestured to the whiteboard. "We've got five victims so far, all women between their late 20s and late 30s. Different backgrounds, different professions, no immediate connection between
Last Updated: 2025-01-23
Chapter: New Beginnings The drive to Ridgeview felt like a journey into exile. Jane Michaels gripped the wheel of her battered sedan, the highway stretching endlessly before her. The sun was rising now, splashing warm hues over the rolling hills, but its beauty was lost on her. Her mind was too preoccupied with the weight she carried.Her life in Detroit was over—or at least, the life she had imagined for herself. One high-profile case had gone catastrophically wrong. A decision made in the heat of the moment had left a key witness dead, and with that, her reputation had crumbled. No one cared that she had acted out of instinct, that she had tried to save lives. All that mattered was the headline: Detective Fails, Innocent Dies.Now she was here, driving into the middle of nowhere, where Ridgeview's precinct awaited her like some kind of purgatory. A "fresh start," her former captain had called it, but it felt more like punishment. A rural town, known for little more than its annual spring festival, seemed a
Last Updated: 2025-01-23
Chapter: Til Death Do Us PartThe morning fog clung to the earth like a heavy shroud, casting everything in an eerie, gray light. Ridgeview's outskirts, typically peaceful, felt suffocating. The town's quiet was always deceiving, and today, it felt especially so. The mist rolled in from the hills, a thin veil that covered the small flower meadow. It was here, in the soft, wild grass, that the jogger found her.At first, it didn't seem real. The jogger, a man in his late forties, slowed to a halt, his breath visible in the cold air. He squinted into the fog, his eyes narrowing. There, lying in the dew-covered grass, was a woman. She was sprawled unnaturally on her back, as though she had fallen asleep, but the sight of her pale, unmoving face made his stomach lurch.Her wedding gown was pristine, the delicate lace catching the morning light. It billowed around her like the petals of a ghostly flower, yet the blood-stained hem told a different story. A single red rose rested gently on her chest, its dark red petals
Last Updated: 2025-01-23
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