Page 14 of The Devil In Disguise

News travels faster than light around here.

“That little brat showed up at the tavern while I was talking to Dario and started freaking out on me. She kneed me in the groin and took off. I chased and crashed her, but the scene was quickly swarming with pedestrians soon after she crashed, so I didn’t finish it. Tomorrow will be her last day living.”

His face betrays no emotions when he stares back at me. “You are getting sloppy. Do I need to call Luciano to finish the job instead?”

Any time he talks down on me as if I’m a child pisses me off in indescribable ways. My cousin Luciano is the most powerful capo in our organization. We have always been the first two people picked for important jobs. He has always tried to one-up me—I know it’s because he wants to be the one to take the throne instead of me. But after Renato, I’m taking that role. I didn’t come this far for nothing.

“That won’t be necessary, I have it all under control. Give me a day and you’ll see.”

“You have one day to fix this fuck up. I expect you to keep me updated.” He nods at the guard still blocking my path and dismisses me with a wave as he walks inside his house.

Immediately after I round my house, Ace is running up to sit next to me. I grab a cigarette out of my jacket pocket and take a few pulls before dialing one of our men, Benito, who works in cybersecurity. A quick rundown of what happened gives him enough information to figure out what hospital they took her to. Amaris’ license is sitting in my pocket, but the hospital has other ways of finding her information. I have Benito delete any records of her in their system.

“What’s the name of the hospital?”

“Johnson Wingate Hospital,” he replies instantly.

“And what room is she in?”

Rapid clicks are all I hear until he says, “Room 22 in the emergency wing. There will be less nurses on shift between eleven a.m. and three a.m. I suggest entering through the east entrance. I’ll send you a map showing you the easiest way in and out.”

My phone pings right as he finishes his sentence. “Got it. Thanks, man.” With one long pull from my cigarette, I flick it to the grass and go inside with Ace, not feeling any better.

If she doesn’t die overnight, I’ll kill her with my own two hands tomorrow.

A strange emotion begins to weigh down on my chest. Her death doesn’t feel like enough, it won’t make me feel better. I need her to suffer. She is the reason I became this monster. I want to bend and break her. Only then will it be enough.

I hope you get everything you want and realize it’s not enough.

Why the fuck is her voice popping into my head now, too? It’s bad enough that her face haunts me. I grab the glass bowl sitting on the counter in front of me and hurl it across the room. All this energy flowing through me has to be released somewhere. I can’t sit still, but luckily I know exactly where to go.

It’s just past one in the afternoon when I finish my intense training session. My pump from the workout is still running through my body, coupled with my thoughts in anticipation of my hospital visit, as I ride through the busy streets.

Will she be awake? What if she died overnight? I hope not, I want her to feel every bit of pain I’ll put her through.

When I pull into the east wing parking lot, I pull into a spot that’s easily accessible and not far from the door I’ll be going in and out of. A quick scan around the parking lot tells me there’s no one hanging around out here. Benito answers on the first ring when I call him.

“Temporarily disabling the hallway cameras.” I hear him say more to himself than me, so I stay quiet. “You have a thirty-minute window, sir. Stay on the path I sent you and you should be good.”

I thank him and leave my helmet on the bike, keeping my gloves on. I walk in and keep my head inclined towards the ground, but walk with purpose, like I’m supposed to be here.

Because I am.

Most nurses and doctors are too busy to notice me anyway, with their head stuck in a clipboard or too preoccupied with talking to someone else. My steps slow when I see room 20. I’m close. No one notices me as I sneak into room 22 and close the curtains they have over the small window on the door.

There she is. Amaris must be asleep or unconscious, I’m not sure, but she is alive. Her hair is a mess. There is a small, but noticeable cut on her dry lips. Minor scrapes and bruises run up her arms. Even like this, she’s gorgeous.

I fucking hate her for it.

Of course, she didn’t die. She’s too stubborn even for death.

Little does she know her death belongs to me. It’s mine.

As I walk closer I reach out for her neck, ready to strangle her. At the very last second, I hear the damn door creak. It’s a warning that someone is about to walk in, but not with enough time for me to hide. I drop one hand smoothly and lay the other on her cheek.

“Oh,” a soft female voice gasps behind me, sounding surprised. “Hello, sir. Do you know the patient?”

I turn around and paint on the fakest sad smile I can muster. “Yes, I’m a close friend.”

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