Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse, #1)

by H.D. Carlton

How did I manage to get ketchup up there?

Good question

A snarl overtakes my face, fury tearing throughout my chest. “Hey, Mom?” “Yes?” “Fuck off.”

Damn lol

I’m deep in my musings when my eyes snag on movement from above. Curtains flutter in the lone window at the very top of the house. The attic.

Oh...

“You’re such a bitch, Addie. All you do is give me blue balls and I’m sick of it. I’m done with you and this creepy fucking house,” he seethes, pointing a finger at me. “And you’re an asshole. Get the fuck out of my house, Greyson.” His eyes widen with shock first, and then narrow into thin slits, brimming with fury. He turns, cocks his arm back and sends his fist flying into the drywall. A gasp rips from my throat when half of his arm disappears, my mouth parting in both shock and disbelief. “Since I’m not getting yours, thought I’d create my own hole to get into tonight. Fix that, bitch,” he spits.

Woah. He sucks.

Sweat drips down his nose, mixing with the blood on his face. His overgrown greasy blonde hair mats to his forehead and the back of his neck. Guess it’s not actually blonde anymore since most of it’s painted red now. I had already cut off one of his ears, along with ripping off ten of his fingernails, severed both Achilles heels, a couple of stab wounds in specific locations that won’t allow the fucker to bleed out too quickly, and too many broken bones to count.

What. Is. Happening?

“Please, man,” he blubbers. “Can you help me out here?” I nod slowly. “Yeah. I think I can do that,” I say, right before I swing my arm back and plunge the entirety of my knife through his pupil. He dies instantly. Not even all the hope has vanished from his eyes yet. Or rather, his one eye. “You’re a child rapist,” I say aloud, though he’s no longer capable of hearing me. “Like I’d let you live,” I finish on a laugh.

Oh. Ok.

sigh. What is that saying? If you want it done right, do it yourself? Well, in this case—if you don’t want to get caught and charged for murder, dispose of the body yourself.

Logical

I don’t know if God really exists. I don’t know if mankind has ever walked on the moon. Nor do I know if parallel universes exist. But what I do know is that I just found the meaning of life sitting behind a table with an awkward smile on her face.

Woof

All I want to do is break her. Shatter her into pieces. And then arrange those pieces to fit against my own. I don’t care if they don’t fit—I’ll fucking make them.

Oh. Makes sense

On the island sits an empty whiskey glass with another single red rose next to it. Only a drop of my grandfather’s whiskey remains.

Sexy

The soft breeze coerces my body forward, as if urging me to jump. To take the leap and plunge to my death. You won’t regret it.

Maam... Are you ok?

“Your great-grandmother, Gigi,” she declares, pulling me out of my thoughts. My head snaps towards her, shock curling through me. “Not only did she die in this house, Addie, but she was murdered here.” I couldn’t keep my mouth from dropping open if I tried.

Oh?

And now, I have one of my very own. The only silver lining is that I would never be so stupid to fall in love with him.

Oh yeah? I have doubts

She nods her head tentatively. “Ma and Pa were born there, but they haven’t been able to go back since they were in their teens. They said they named me after the island because even though they’re homesick, I provide them with the only home they need.” I nod, eyeing her face. Purple blooms from her right eye, and another spark of anger ignites. “You ready to give them a home again?” She pauses, and then a small smile forms. “Yes,” she whispers. Tears flood her eyes, but I don’t let her know I noticed. I can tell she wouldn’t appreciate it. “Let’s go then, kid.”

Omg

UNKNOWN: Sneaking off with random men, little mouse? If I catch his hands anywhere near you, they’ll end up in your mailbox by morning.

Oh... Well

Part of me doesn’t mind if he’s out there. I want to prove something to the deranged man who thinks he owns me. I want to show him he doesn’t.

I fear he will show you....

“Stay in the hallway. Whoever it is, I don’t want them seeing you.”

Well at least hes more protective than the last one

I should’ve told him I have a stalker, and I thought I saw something when we were in the sunroom, but everything happened too fast and now he’s actively putting himself in danger. The situation turns me on just as much as it terrifies me. I need to check myself into a mental hospital if I survive this night.

Lmao addie...

A rose, the petals crumpled from my foot. “Oh, fuck,” I mutter, bending down to pick up the rose. He snipped the thorns, preventing it from cutting me. But it doesn’t matter—this rose hasn’t been deprived of one’s pain. Dripping off the petals and onto my boot is fresh blood. Arch is gone, and all that’s left of him is a bloody rose.

Welp.

The phone lights up and that’s when I see another text—the one that came through in the club, and the one I dutifully ignored. UNKNOWN: Don’t feel guilty, baby. I don’t make idle threats, so consider this a lesson learned.

Oh shit lol

A tear escapes, but I quickly wipe it away. I killed a man. I brought him here knowing someone dangerous was lurking, and I did it anyway. And now he’s gone.

You win some you lose some

“Talavera, huh? This man might’ve done you a favor,” he says, muttering the last part.

Oh nice sheriff

“I’ll look into it. But Adeline? You understand that if the Talavera’s find out you have a stalker, they might place blame?”

You just told her shed be fine

But I’ve never killed someone out of jealousy. First time for everything, I guess.

Notch in the belt ig

I was relieved to see Addie kicked him out herself. It was the only reason I didn’t kill him that night. But it doesn’t mean I didn’t cut out his tongue for the names he called her. She still isn’t aware of that since I ran him out of town and forbade him from contacting her again.

Excuse me

“Come on, man. Are you this worked over a piece of ass? Her voice may be cut out for porn, and her pussy tight as fuck, but shit, you can find that in other bitches, too. I’ve fucked plenty of them.” What was going to be a fairly slow death is now going to be the slowest death to ever happen since the dawn of humanity.

Ope fucked up

What he doesn’t know is that the minute I properly introduce myself to Adeline Reilly, she won’t be able to think of anyone else. I will devour her from the inside out until every intake of breath will only stoke the inferno I’ve created inside her. Like oxygen feeding a fire, I will consume every inch of her sweet little body until she will think of nothing else but how to get me deeper inside of her.

Damn

He smirks. “You gotta relax them first. The plans I had for her…” he trails off, licking his lips vulgarly. “Her cries would’ve been such a beautiful song.”

Cool im behind this murder

The operator’s voice cuts through my thoughts. I was so zoned out, I hadn’t realized Daya had called the police for me. She describes the situation, and after a few minutes, the operator dispatches an officer and lets us know it’ll take him twenty minutes to get to us.

As a dispatcher this is just bad form...

She’s mentioned before that she deals with the dark web and human trafficking. And that alone is enough to give someone night terrors. Apparently, her boss is strict with keeping the details confidential, but there’s been times where Daya has looked more haunted than Parsons Manor.

Ooooh ok so hes dayas boss lol

UNKNOWN: You didn’t like my flowers?

I did