Plotting
* * *
Kevin said nothing as he left the house and climbed the stairs to the unfinished garage apartment. Lucy had thanked him again for being so understanding, and she had kissed him passionately again as he left.
But he had not responded.
Postpone the wedding?
He sat down and stared at the wall, raised a hand and scratched at his chin.
Who the hell did she think she was?
He had thought at first, Kevin had, that the whole heart attack business could be turned in his favor. Lucy was a daddy's girl, immature and childlike, constantly in need of male approval. Kevin had seen this right away and in fact it had been one of the things that had gotten his attention about Lucy when they had first met. But as nice as this was for him, it did carry a single risk: daddy's girls often had daddies who you had to watch out for.
And Eric Camden might just be that sort of daddy. Lucy had to be eased into the new lifestyle she was going to have, a bit at a time, lest she go running to Eric and telling him about some of the things Kevin was doing with her. And since Eric knew Michaels and who knows who else in this town, that could spell trouble for Kevin's fun.
And Kevin Kinkirk liked to have fun.
But with Eric incapacitated, it should have been even easier to get Lucy in line. Sure, she might go running to Matt, but that boy was as big a wussy as Kevin had ever seen. Simon had more spine, but he was a mess with all his teen angst. That left Annie, who was as mean as a piranha in heat but who Kevin also knew he could manipulate. And he knew as well what none of the Camdens were willing to admit: Annie wasn't actually that fond of her two older daughters.
But Eric was.
Who would have thought that Eric would have more influence on Lucy while he was in a hospital bed than while he was healthy?
For a little while Kevin weighed his options, taking out his service automatic and playing with it as he did. Ideally, Eric would just die, because then Lucy would come to him lock, stock and barrel and he could get her to marry him whenever he wanted, and then the real fun would begin. But reports about Eric's health only suggested a long recovery, which would delay the wedding until or unless Lucy's silly little fantasy could be changed.
I just need the bastard to stand there and officiate one stupid ceremony, Kevin thought. Then he can die or whatever.
Kevin Kinkirk did not like to wait for things, particularly fun things like Lucy Camden. He thought about this for a while.
There were two other options, as he saw it. One, he could just dump Lucy and go hunting for someone else. That would have the fun of watching her come completely apart when he told her she wasn't woman enough for him, maybe that she was ugly or that her butt had gotten too big or something like that. Then he would be free to find some other woman who would do as she was told, and he could have some fun then.
The trouble was that Lucy was a rare find: low self-esteem, an upbringing that denigrated women already, a desperate need for male approval, and a deeply repressed but very powerful sex drive. And she really wasn't bad looking, either, except for that hair, which he could make her fix.
That left the other option. He had to manipulate her into dumping her loser dad. This wasn't going to be easy, and it irritated Kevin that he would have to do it. But it could be done; girls like Lucy Camden were charming precisely because you could get them to do things, and this was no different.
Kevin took his pistol, checked to make sure it was unloaded, and pointed it in the general direction of the Camden household. He pulled the trigger, and heard the satisfying click.
* * *
Kevin said nothing as he left the house and climbed the stairs to the unfinished garage apartment. Lucy had thanked him again for being so understanding, and she had kissed him passionately again as he left.
But he had not responded.
Postpone the wedding?
He sat down and stared at the wall, raised a hand and scratched at his chin.
Who the hell did she think she was?
He had thought at first, Kevin had, that the whole heart attack business could be turned in his favor. Lucy was a daddy's girl, immature and childlike, constantly in need of male approval. Kevin had seen this right away and in fact it had been one of the things that had gotten his attention about Lucy when they had first met. But as nice as this was for him, it did carry a single risk: daddy's girls often had daddies who you had to watch out for.
And Eric Camden might just be that sort of daddy. Lucy had to be eased into the new lifestyle she was going to have, a bit at a time, lest she go running to Eric and telling him about some of the things Kevin was doing with her. And since Eric knew Michaels and who knows who else in this town, that could spell trouble for Kevin's fun.
And Kevin Kinkirk liked to have fun.
But with Eric incapacitated, it should have been even easier to get Lucy in line. Sure, she might go running to Matt, but that boy was as big a wussy as Kevin had ever seen. Simon had more spine, but he was a mess with all his teen angst. That left Annie, who was as mean as a piranha in heat but who Kevin also knew he could manipulate. And he knew as well what none of the Camdens were willing to admit: Annie wasn't actually that fond of her two older daughters.
But Eric was.
Who would have thought that Eric would have more influence on Lucy while he was in a hospital bed than while he was healthy?
For a little while Kevin weighed his options, taking out his service automatic and playing with it as he did. Ideally, Eric would just die, because then Lucy would come to him lock, stock and barrel and he could get her to marry him whenever he wanted, and then the real fun would begin. But reports about Eric's health only suggested a long recovery, which would delay the wedding until or unless Lucy's silly little fantasy could be changed.
I just need the bastard to stand there and officiate one stupid ceremony, Kevin thought. Then he can die or whatever.
Kevin Kinkirk did not like to wait for things, particularly fun things like Lucy Camden. He thought about this for a while.
There were two other options, as he saw it. One, he could just dump Lucy and go hunting for someone else. That would have the fun of watching her come completely apart when he told her she wasn't woman enough for him, maybe that she was ugly or that her butt had gotten too big or something like that. Then he would be free to find some other woman who would do as she was told, and he could have some fun then.
The trouble was that Lucy was a rare find: low self-esteem, an upbringing that denigrated women already, a desperate need for male approval, and a deeply repressed but very powerful sex drive. And she really wasn't bad looking, either, except for that hair, which he could make her fix.
That left the other option. He had to manipulate her into dumping her loser dad. This wasn't going to be easy, and it irritated Kevin that he would have to do it. But it could be done; girls like Lucy Camden were charming precisely because you could get them to do things, and this was no different.
Kevin took his pistol, checked to make sure it was unloaded, and pointed it in the general direction of the Camden household. He pulled the trigger, and heard the satisfying click.
