LEVI 🔞

( 16 )

I click and scroll through them before seeing he'd been contacting Axel.

"You son of a bitch." I whisper to myself as I realize Axel was the one who'd hired him, despite the story Astraia had told him at the club. He still believed she had something to do with it.

I immediately start deleting all of it and all of the backups. I install malware to corrupt the files for extra precaution and take my time meticulously destroying any evidence or leads towards me or Astraia. When I'm finished, I take the hard drive back and the paper copies with me as I leave the office.  I return the way I came and exit down the fire escape again. When I get back in the car, I start planning out my next moves and analyzing everything I had to do.

I pull into the driveway of the house and set the PI's belongings on the island counter for now to burn later. I go downstairs to the basement to grab my toolbox, and then head back upstairs to Astraia's room. There wasn't much blood on the walls from my hand covering his sliced neck, but the carpet and her bedsheets were ruined.

I take off my hoodie get to work. First, I start undressing her bed, throwing her blankets and sheets in a trash bag before removing her twin mattress and pulling it into the hallway. Then I disassemble her bed frame and set that in the hallway as well. Next, I open the toolbox and grab the utility knife to start cutting around the stained carpet on my hands and knees. I made sure to not to hit the subfloor as I removed the damage.

I repeatedly stand and get back down to make sure I got every square of carpet that had even single drop of blood on it, so I'd broke a little sweat from that and all the pulling. I might have to put in all new carpet...

I set my hand on my hip as I check the time on my phone. It was past two in the morning now. I think that was enough work for tonight, and I'd have to go shopping for carpet when the stores opened up anyways. And after burying a body, going back and forth, and sweating from all the manual labor, I could use a hot shower.

I retreat to my room and strip of all my clothes before hopping into the hot water. I let all the dirt and sweat wash off of me with the suds from the soap and shampoo in my hair. I close my eyes and tilt my head down directly under the water as it now runs down my back in a clear rinse. I was thinking about Astraia now, what she had done. Surely she'd had enough time to get out.

I turn off the water and wipe my hand over my face before stepping out and grabbing my towel. There was only one way to find out.

[ 3:31 AM ]

I head up to my temporary villa, conflicted thoughts in my head. I'd found myself getting used to Astraia being there, but another part of myself, I think, wished that she wouldn't be when I unlock this door.

I pull out my keycard and swipe it into the lock where it beeps green and lets me enter. The suite looks even nicer in the dark from the lights of the city illuminating the kitchen and living room. But the silence is extremely thick.

I close the door behind me and glance around as I leave my shoes by the door. I felt my heart beating hard in my chest as I walk right of the living room, down the short hallway to the bedroom. I open the door, flipping on the light switch to discover an empty room. The bed is made like she'd never as much as touched it. I check the bathroom; empty. She had to had left fast, as soon as I left damn near. That's how untouched the place was.

I turn off the light and head back out to the kitchen to make something to eat. I wash my hands directly in front of the windows as every thought of Astraia flashed through my head.