Amare (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 23

Hey everyone!!! I'm back with another chapter!! I hope you guys like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who is reading! I love reading all of your comments and seeing your votes! It makes me so unexplainably happy! Thank you for all of your support and I hope with all of my heart that you enjoy. I'll be updating soon again, I just wanted to upload this before I went to bed. So thank you all, again! I love you all! XOXOX Enjoy :D

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CHAPTER 23: Ethan discreetly watched Alice from the corner of his eye, just out of his peripheral vision. Her shoulders were slumped and she leaned her head against the large column of the banister of the stairs that led to front door.

Ethan's heart was pounding hard against his ribcage, his mouth dry as his fists clenched and unclenched, before he finally made himself listen to Drake as he heard his name.

"Ethan?" Drake asked. "Did you hear me at all?"

Ethan shook his head, blinking furiously. "Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?" Asked Ethan.

Drake sighed as he leaned his back against his truck.

"I was saying that the rabbits were tortured and killed. Probably a large hunting knife by the wound patterns. And I also suspected that they were taken and brought to Alice's room before being tortured and killed. He did it all once he was in her room."

Ethan's lips thinned. "That's what I was thinking," he murmured to himself before straightening and laying a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Would you mind calling Frank to get it all cleaned up?" He asked.

Frank was their 'cleaner'.

He came whenever there was a crime scene that needed to be cleaned up impeccably so the police wouldn't get wind of anything, which Ethan did not want the police to get wind of this.

It would start up an investigation in its own and too many questions would arise. That was not a good thing. He couldn't have the police digging around right now.

Drake smiled crookedly.

"Of course. I'll call him up and set up a time," Ethan cut in. "Before the rest of the dorm mates come back this weekend." He said and Drake nodded, repeating Ethan's quietly spoken words.

"I'm going to go get Alice back to my place. I think she went into shock." He said, quickly glancing at the beauty before returning his gaze to Drake.

The other man winked, nodded as a wicked smile crooked up his lips.

"Got it."

The two men clapped each other on the shoulder before Ethan turned to begin making his way to where Alice sat, while Drake pulled out his phone, notepad and pen to call Frank the Cleaner.

When Ethan was standing next to Alice, he found that she was staring at the night sky, watching the stars that winked down at them and the few clouds that were wispy pillows in the velvet black night sky. He sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close to his side.

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as he dropped a kiss onto her head.

They sat there for a moment, watching the hushed night from around them before he wordlessly picked her up into his arms and began to stride down the walkway to the waiting car.

Her head rested against his large chest and she sighed at the reassuring and grounding beat of his heart.

"Where are we going?" she murmured tiredly.