Page 42 of Kill Me Sweetly

I’d noticed sometimes Four spoke fluidly, and other times it seemed fragmented, and I’d wondered if he spoke the same exact way his brain was processing things.

“Before the pills, while you stayed here, JJ said he’d checked on you and you slept.”

“Rested. Never slept.”

“Do you like being able to fall into a deep sleep?”

“I like that it shuts everything off.”

I supposed anyone who had trouble sleeping could understand that. Four was wired a different way. He couldn’t embrace REM because his mind was likely always trying to protect him as best it could. The pill flipped the switch and for his health, it was a good thing.

Aziza, focused mostly on ways to calm the mind, asked some questions pertaining to his past, but nothing new was revealed.

After she told Four they were done for the day, he went back to watching TV, and she pulled me aside.

“Four is hiding a lot, and I’m almost sure it’s things he may not be able to pull out himself.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Hypnosis. I don’t know if he’s ready quite yet, but if we can uncover them, I can address them in a calmer way. Through hypnosis I can make it so he won’t remember telling me, and that way we can do it in pieces.”

“That’s if he’s susceptible.”

She hummed. “True, but it’s worth a try. What’s in there won’t be pretty, but in some ways brainwashing also works in a way that even good memories are suppressed. Bringing the happiness to the forefront could be healing for him.”

“Yeah, I trust your judgment on this.”

“Great. See you tomorrow.”

I decided I’d start dinner so that Shep didn’t have to deal with it when he got home. I wasn’t an amazing cook, but there were a few things I was good at.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I saw it was Shep. He had a flat tire and would be a little late. I had just slipped the chicken into the oven and responded at the same time Nick and Noel came running into the kitchen.

“Everyone…we need everyone in here.”

Within a minute we were all gathered.

“Where’s Shep?” Nick asked.

“He got a flat, he’s working on it. He’ll be here soon.”

Nick and Angel immediately got on their phones while Noel spoke.

“As you know, Nick and I have been digging everywhere. You all gave us a shit-ton of work. We got some good leads and were able to track the cell phone and establish a pattern of behavior. We’re in the process of connecting to street cameras.”

“That’s why you came in here like the house was on fire?” I huffed.

“No, ass. While we were doing that, we were alerted to two things. One, the church where we went to remove Four’s tracker got visitors.” Noel put his tablet on the table.

On the screen were four men, dressed in dark clothes but not like robbers. They were in suits. Jackets fell to the knee and were perfectly fitted to their bodies, and their shoes were shiny. While I could tell they were men when they turned, each one had a mask that covered half their faces.

“What the fuck?” Mason whispered.

“They were prepared for the possibility they’d be on camera?” Gabe chimed in.

“Possibly, or it’s a uniform. No idea. They searched the whole building for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. Nick and I were prepared to come tell you all, but another alert came through.”

“Where?” I didn’t think we’d set up any other cameras.

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