Page 95 of The Villain

The head gets pulled off and he hands me a flash drive that’s hidden inside.

I take it with my lips parted. “Keep away just leveled up.”

“Scoot over,” he snaps, crawling onto the bed as I make space for him. He lies on his belly just like I did and plugs the drive in.

It opens to reveal three file folders. I lay back down to watch whatever he’s doing. If he’s comfortable enough to be on the bed with me, surely he’s ok with me being pressed to his side as he works.

Each file has a name as its identifier.

Daniels.

Evan.

Shade.

He opens the Daniels file first.

A list pops up with dates as the titles. They span back more than ten years.

He clicks open the first one and my eyes widen with delight.

It’s a kill list. There’s a name and typical physical description. A list of crimes. Whether or not they served time. Paragraphs worth of planning then execution.

He opens each one with a scowl.

“Stop,” I whisper and put my hand over his on the keyboard. “Open Evan.”

His fingers flex beneath mine, then he does.

This one has three dates.

The first is old.

“How old are you?” I ask with a head tilt.

“Twenty-eight.”

He would have been thirteen.

I start to frown. “Open them.”

He does one at a time.

The first one is simple. A kid’s notations instead of an experienced man. A rapist. Sarah Daniels listed as the victim.

“Who is this?” I keep my voice hushed but my tone is gritty and breaking.

“My mom.”

I nod as my jaw clenches.

“I wasn’t good enough yet. He went quick. Bled out while I watched.”

I lace my fingers with his and shift the computer towards me to start doing the work clicking on information. The next date is the man who helped his mother’s rapist. A two year gap in between and already his writing is becoming more formal. The last one is a name that surprises me.

“Glasgow?”

He huffs a laugh.

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