Page 37 of Spiteful Heart

I watched Sylvester and Maddox exchange a look. Neither one spoke right away, but it was Sylvester who said, “He thinks we should give the killer what he wants.”

“Me,” I said, causing all eyes around the island to stare at me. “He wants me.” How long had I known that? Since practically the beginning of this whole mess. I didn’t fancy myself a psychic, but maybe I should be. Get myself one of those crystal balls and some tarot cards and get a side hustle going. Fortune-teller by day and Bloody Queen-slash-Night Slayer by night. What a combination.

“We’re not sending you alone anywhere,” Viper declared, but no one else agreed with him, at least not out loud. That caused him to look at the others. “Right?” When no one responded to him, he frowned. “Don’t you tell me—”

Sylvester said, “Giving him what he wants might be the quickest way to end this. We all want this over with, don’t we? What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. Now, I’m not afraid of this guy—I don’t think he could get close enough to us to actually kill us—but he wants Lola to come alone. My guess is he’ll be watching somewhere to make sure she’s alone, and if she’s not, he won’t show his face.”

“So, what? We just send Lola out there, by herself, and hope she can draw the guy out just so we have an identity?” Viper didn’t sound too thrilled at the prospect. “What if he kills her? Figuring out who he is isn’t worth that.” Beside him, Mike nodded along in agreement.

“Hey, I can take care of myself,” I reminded them both. “I’m not some helpless chick who doesn’t know left from right. I can handle myself. I’m going, whether you agree or not.”

Viper opened his mouth to argue, but Maddox spoke, “None of us like the idea of letting her go out by herself. I sure as shit don’t like it. But… this might be our only chance.” That dark stare turned to me, heavy.

“No fucking way,” Viper said, shaking his head. “No. Just no way! We’re not letting her go out there by herself! I won’t do it—”

“Yes, we are, and yes, you will,” Sylvester interrupted, his words firm and completely serious. “She will meet him alone.” No one could argue with him, because he took on that tone that said,that’s an order.

Well, at least I didn’t have to convince him to let me go. I was anticipating a problem with it, that he’d want to come with me, like Viper so clearly did. It was a relief, even if it was odd. Sylvester wasn’t one to let me march head-first into danger by myself, but maybe going to talk to Daddy Luciano had helped him see the light.

“Now that that’s settled,” I said, “I should try to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.” I shot them a smile before walking off. But as I went, I couldn’t fight the feeling inside me that told me this meeting with my killer wasn’t going to go as planned.

I reached my room, stripped off my clothes, and lay in bed. I probably should’ve taken something to help me sleep, because sleep didn’t come right away. I stared at the ceiling in the darkness, wondering what tomorrow night would hold.

I’d finally meet my killer. I’d put a knife in his heart and make him regret hurting those girls. One way or another, this game of cat and mouse was going to end… and right now, I had no idea who would come out as the winner. Who was the cat in this game? Was it me, or was it the other killer?

All my life, I’d never had a protector, someone who was willing to do anything to keep me safe. The ones who should’ve protected me ended up throwing me to the wolf, over and over again, turning a blind eye when they should’ve been helping me. To say I wasn’t angry or bitter about it to this day would be the biggest lie of all—and it was because of that I would never stand down.

This killer wanted me? He’d get me, knives and all. I wasn’t afraid of him or what he could do to me. Everything a man could do to me had already been done. I’d already lost things I could never get back, and I’d be damned if I let him kill Sylvester, Maddox, Viper, or even Big Mike. Those guys were mine, and I would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant…

Even if it meant leaving them.

I’d never been afraid of death. I didn’t want to die, of course, but a part of me knew the guys would be okay if they lost me, eventually. It might take a year or two, but they’d move on. Time kind of forced you to. The thought of them with another girl enraged me to no end, but I’d be dead at that point, so there was no use getting pissed off about it.

I wasn’t giving up, though. I wasn’t going to lay down my weapons and surrender to this asshole. No, I’d try my damnedest to take him out. That was the best-case scenario.

Sleep took me eventually, and when it did, I didn’t dream. No dreams of old mommy and daddy just doing their best. No nightmares of my brother and his wandering hands… or other body parts. Just the pure, undiluted nothingness that only came with oblivion.

And then I woke up.

Maddox and Sylvester never left last night. They’d slept in two of the guest rooms in the house—having a freaking mansion, there were plenty. They, along with Viper, tried their best to keep me calm during the day. They tried to distract me from the night’s upcoming events with sex, and a lot of it, but for once, even a good dicking couldn’t distract me from the anxiety.

The hours passed, and I did a lot of aimless wandering around the house. I didn’t eat much, though Sylvester did force me to eat something for dinner. If I met this asshole on an empty stomach, I’d only be doing him a favor. Pizza, because you could never go wrong with pizza.

I showered and got ready after that. I spent a long time doing my hair and my makeup. Had to look good, you know? If tonight was going to be the cowboy standoff between two serial killers, I had to look my best. Ain’t nobody looking better than me.

I changed into a bralette that kind of matched my mask; it had a few dangly bits and cupped my tits perfectly. I paired it with a thin leather jacket with spikey studs on the shoulders, along with shorts and some fishnets. The diamond-encrusted skull pendant Sylvester had gotten me a while back sat on my collarbone, sparkling in the light. The look was finished with a pair of ankle-high boots. My mask sat on my bed, waiting for me.

A full-length mirror sat in the corner of my bedroom, and I stared at my reflection for a while. My blond hair was kinky and wild, my blue eyes looking particularly bright thanks to the makeup I put on. The scar on my stomach was visible, and I ran a finger down it, along the white, risen flesh.

I used to hate looking at it. I hated seeing it, knowing the pain that had come before it. And after. But now… now I was coming to view the scar like it was a part of me.

A knock on my open door brought me back to the present, and I turned away from the mirror to look at the man standing there. Wearing a suit, like always, Sylvester was beyond handsome. With his blond hair combed back, he looked slick, a man you wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, eyes on me as I was slow to walk towards him.

I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Which was to say, pretty fucking ready. “Is Viper still pissed?” Didn’t know why I asked; of course he’d be pissed. Really, all four of them were pissed at this plan, but it was the only plan left.

“You will keep your phone in your pocket and call me as soon as you can,” Sylvester reminded me of my duties. That was, assuming I lived through the encounter with the mysterious killer. “You will not let him get under your skin, no matter what he says—do not let him blind you by making you angry.”

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