Page 26 of Holy Sinner

“Because then you can’t follow me.” He wraps another shaking hand around the knife and squeezes it. “Stay still. I’m leaving.”

There’s a hitch to his breath and I feel him relax. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

When Aaron Jamie exhales, I jerk the blade up and don’t stop until I feel the blade slam against bone. I don’t know if it’s in his brain but I twist my knife for good measure. I let him go and he slumps forward and falls onto the table, his hands still on the knife while blood gushes out of his useless body and onto the screen. When the cops find him they’ll think he was into some kinky shit that went wrong and move on.

The city has bigger problems than one less parasite like Aaron Jamie to worry about. I step away from him before the blood gets to me. Everything looks the same as when I entered the apartment. And because I’m no fucking liar, I leave just like I said I would and lock him into his ratty apartment with gory ass porn playing while he rots.

I almost feel sorry for whoever finds him.

Chapter Thirteen

KIT

“It’s so nice out. Can we stay outside a little longer?” I ask Rafe. I’m laying on a picnic blanket in the sun while he broods next to me. Rafe isn’t laying down because of course he wouldn’t do that where people can see him. I lift my sunglasses and look at him when he doesn’t answer. He’s busy scanning the production lot like he thinks someone’s about to come running out of the trees at us.

I guess it’s fair, given what happened last night.

“We’re safe, Rafe.”

His dark eyes come to mine and he shakes his head. “Not yet, but soon.”

“Soon what?” I ask and sit up, all thoughts of the sun or how to get my morally black boyfriend to lay down next to me flying right out of my head. Whenever he talks like that it isn’t good. He hasn’t killed anyone since we’ve been together but I’ve seen the darkness in him bubble up to the surface.

There was the time one of the security guards at a club patted my ass. Rafe went after him with just a quick “He’ll learn in a minute.”

“Learn what?” I’d called after him but Grant had just wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up to the bar with him.

“What’s he going to learn?” I asked Grant.

“That you can look all you want but don’t touch, sweetheart.”

The next time I saw the security guard he was being supported by a friend while he held his arm to his chest and limped out of a side exit.

Rafe has the same look on his face as he did the night he taught that security guard a lesson. “Hey, answer me, please.” I rise up on my knees and cup his face in my hands so he has to look at me. “Stay with me. I’m here.”

That does the trick and the dark look in Rafe’s eyes abates. He shifts back and focuses on me like I asked him to.

“What’s going on?”

Rafe answers me immediately. “Grant went to find the photographer.”

My stomach drops and I swallow hard. “Why?”

“We need more information.”

I bite my lip and look down at my hands. The sunshine feels wrong now. It’s too bright, too hot. It's been weeks since I’ve felt this warm and I want the shadows back. The rain and the clouds. I take in a shuddering breath and squeeze my hands together.

“He’s going to kill him, isn’t he?” I whisper.

We’re far away from everyone else. In the back corner of the lot with the trees to our backs, enough room that no one will hear me, but I can hardly say it. Oh god. What does that make me? I threatened Jasmine yesterday and here I am shaking at knowing that Grant is probably killing someone right now.

“Yes.”

“He’ll get caught.”

Rafe snorts and turns his face up to the sun with a smile. “Grant is a lot of things but he won’t get caught over something that small. It’s just one photographer.”

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