Page 5 of Vows From Hell

“Goodnight.’’

The moment she hung up the phone, I was off the floor, cracking my back in the process. I had a lot of things to go over before the morning meeting, and I had barely scratched the surface. All Kyle needed from me for the meeting were theories or to perhaps catch something other officers were unable to do.

It was only then that I realized just how much he was counting on me, and I didn’t like that.

Becoming too reliant on me meant pressure to finalize this as soon as possible, but that would only fuck up my personal vendetta. He was probably already aware that I didn’t come just for the money or out of the goodness of my heart to help them.

Which was why I paid close attention to that man.

The hotel room I was staying in was nice. It was all paid for by Kyle, so I had no right to complain. It had a small terrace, though the night was too chilly for me to take my work outside.

All in all, I was grateful that I wasn’t paying for a damn thing.

Sierra loved to call me cheap, but I just loved saving money. I never knew when I’d need it, what kind of an emergency might pop up, which was why I was pissed when a sudden knock at the door came.

It was a staff member, bringing me champagne and dinner. Briefly, I was thrilled, until the bill came later on and I wanted to rip out Kyle’s hair. I didn’t order it, but by the time I realized I had to pay for it, I’d already finished half of the bottle and the entire plate.

Only when I was slightly intoxicated was I able to focus on work properly.

Micah’s most recent victim was a man in his early thirties. His record wasn’t too bad. A few speeding tickets here and there, but nothing major to provoke anyone to kill him. He was arrested for underage alcohol distribution, but that was years ago.

The crime scene was gruesome.

His body was mutilated beyond recognition. Only his hair remained intact, which was used to find out who he was. He had severe burns all over his body, his fingers missing, eyes gouged out, and his tongue brutally removed.

It gave me chills. Goosebumps broke out on my skin and I shivered.

He was murdered in an alley where no traffic cameras reached. No witnesses, not a single person had walked by at the time of the crime. It was a crowded part of New York, so it was rather surprising how no one had seen anything or at least heard screams. He was bound to scream, given the wounds inflicted.

Well, unless the tongue came out first, then it was understandable.

I bit the inside of my cheek until blood filled my mouth, my brow furrowed. I couldn’t find a connection that had a reasonable explanation. Everything was a mess, and given the recent history, the chances of Micah still being in New York were slim.

Unless he had other business here, then it was highly unlikely.

Then again, when it came to that unhinged man, nothing was impossible.

It wasn’t until I got sent the location for the morning’s meeting that I realized Kyle was working on this case unofficially. We met up at his place, with a couple of detectives he used to work with.

They were all nice enough, though that was irrelevant. If Kyle decided to save his own ass later on, I could end up being in trouble for acting like a cop and working on a case that was kept confidential.

“You shouldn’t worry too much,’’ Adele said with a soft smile.

She was a woman in her early thirties, with a short pixie cut. She reminded me of a beautiful fairy, especially with her deep, sea-blue eyes. A kind smile that seemed to permanently be attached to her face was enough for me to slightly lower my guard.

“Should I be worried about getting arrested?”

“I’ll take full responsibility for you.’’ Kyle spoke before Adele could get a word in. “I need your help.’’

With narrowed eyes, I tilted my head. “I didn’t sign up for this. Does anyone – your superiors, I mean – know that I’m helping?”

Kyle glanced between Adele, Beck – another detective – and me a couple of times, before sighing.

“Yes. They just don’t know I flew you out.’’

I nodded.

“So, tell me, what exactly is my job here?”

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