Page 114 of Pure Vengeance

So far, so good.

As the door swung closed behind her, he rose to his full height and followed, his long strides taking him to the restaurant’s entrance within a few seconds. Pulling back the door, he paused and stared into the evening air, pleased to see she wasn’t still lurking there. Her spinning around to see him in such a public place would have required a dramatic pivot to his plan he hadn’t accounted for.

Fortunately, as it was, she wasn’t there. His pulse was assuaged by the reprieve. Instead, he was met by the cold, dark street, the front of the place illuminated by the only streetlight in the immediate area.

Where are you, Hannah?

Straining his senses, he stepped over the threshold onto the concrete, but he didn’t have to wait long to discover where his target was hiding. Her voice floated to the doorway from the side of the building.

“…easier if I just get an Uber.” Hannah sniffed. “You were right, Shannon. It’s too soon. I’m not ready for this shit.”

Stepping out of the doorway, he rounded the corner in the direction of her voice, hesitating as he peered quickly around the wall. There, standing on the quiet road, was his captive. Visibly distraught, she was on the phone again and apparently so distracted with heartache, she didn’t notice his presence.

“Thanks.” Hannah shook her head. “But I should have known better.”

Mark glanced around briefly, taking stock of who was around. A couple who looked dangerously close to one anotherhad just left the restaurant, but they’d headed off toward the busier main road. Aside from them, there were only two empty cars, both parked at the front of the building.

The gods, it seemed, were smiling on him. Consumed by her sorrow, Hannah had headed in the quieter direction to talk to her friend. That meant two helpful things. First, she’d taken herself closer to the place he’d parked his car at the far end of the dark alley that ran parallel to the eatery he’d chosen, and even more pleasingly, there was absolutely no one in the vicinity to save her.

“No, really.” She walked farther down the narrowing road as her conversation continued.

He couldn’t believe how nonchalant she was being about her personal safety. Hadn’t the things she’d experienced taught her anything? Evidently, her distress was great enough to have distracted her.

“It’s just my luck.” Hannah gulped back whatever emotion she was feeling for Saul, completely oblivious to the real threat only meters from where she stood.

Buoyed by the net that appeared to be closing around his victim and not wanting to push his luck, he stepped back and pressed himself against the wall beside the restaurant’s entrance. Let her wander into the dark. She was making it easy for him.

“Everything all right, mate?” A nosey bugger who’d just left the place turned to stare at him.

“All good.” Mark threw him a grin but ensured his voice remained low. It was normal for Hannah to hear other voices outside the restaurant, but he didn’t want any chance that she recognized whose voice she was hearing. “I just needed a piss before my taxi arrived.”

“Right.” The annoying guy chuckled. “You might have better luck up by the main road. Cabs rarely come down as far as this.”

“Got it.” Mark was counting on it. “I’m just waiting for my girl, and I’ll join you up there.”

“Have a good night.” The idiot lit a cigarette as he strode away.

Mark watched as his silhouette shrank, his attention returning to the reason he was there. Edging back around the wall, he was ecstatic to see she’d walked even closer to where his car was parked.

Time seemed to slow as he edged closer. Conscious of the sound of his every step on the concrete, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the syringe. He might not be in dentistry anymore, but he still had friends in the medical profession. Some even who were sympathetic to his plight and favored his sexual proclivities. Those pals had armed him with enough sedative to knock the pretty little Hannah out for a few hours. That was all he’d need.

“It’s fine.”

He could still hear her conversation as he approached in the shadows.

“I can book a car while you wait on the line with me, and anyway, it’s not like I’m in trouble.” She snorted. “Apparently, even men who pretend to like me can’t be bothered to show up.”

The suffocating pause that followed stretched out around him as Hannah’s friend replied. With one ear pressed to the device, her concentration was focused on the phone, but she might still hear him approach, turning too soon and ruining his plan.

Just another meter…

He held his breath as he neared, aware that every second was pivotal, each one potentially precarious.

Pressed against the wall with the syringe raised, he was less than a foot from her when she held the device aloft and loggedinto her Uber app. Even in the half-light of her phone, she was a vision, her pale skin begging to be punctured.

In the end, it was over in a heartbeat. One long stride saw his hand close around her mouth, muffling her cry as the fancy-looking phone smashed to the ground below. He pulled her body against his, holding her there for one blissful second before he plunged the needle into the side of her neck.

By the time he’d glanced around to check they were still alone, she was already wobbly on her feet, her body collapsing into his waiting arms as though they’d never been parted.

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