Page 2 of The Pretty Psycho

"Oh, good." The voice I knew all too well came from my left, pulling me back from all the thoughts attacking my mind. "You're awake."

I turned slowly, coming face to face with the bright smile and shining dark, golden eyes of the man who kidnapped me.

He was older, rugged, his face covered in a shabby beard that did nothing to hide the dark circles underneath his eyes. But it was the death of the kindness those dark orbs used to hold that drove home what I already knew—everything we shared was a lie.

He carried a paper bag in his right hand, lowering it down on the ground before he straightened up and looked straight at me. "Don't look at me like that, Vega." He grinned as if what he did was as normal as walking in the park. "It's nothing personal, really. It's just life."

"Life?" I bit out, feeling my anger stirring to life in the pit of my stomach. "Forgive me for having a hard time believing that this right here isn't anything personal. You killed all those girls, didn't you?" I wanted him to say no even though I already knew. I wanted him to tell me that it was all one big misunderstanding and that me being here was for my own good.

I wanted him to smile how he used to smile and show me at least a glimpse of the man I knew.

"I did," he answered, proudly even, while coming closer to me. "I had to get your attention somehow."

"Well, you've got it. You got everyone's attention."

"Good," he chuckled. "I wanted you all to see what I am capable of. I needed you to see."

"But why? Why would you do this, Tyler? Why am I even here?"

He crouched in front of me, his eyes dragging over my face as if he was seeing me for the first time. As if he was looking at a stranger.

"You really don't know?" My eyebrow arched, waiting for an answer I hoped would come. "Come on, Vega. I thought you were smarter than that. You already know why. Deep down, you know why you're here. Deep down, you know why I took you."

"No." I shook my head. "As much as I would like to say that I do, I actually don't. So why don't you fucking enlighten me and tell me the reason behind this kidnapping, the fire, and all those murders, Tyler?" I was fighting with myself to keep my voice steady, to keep it low, because deep down I wanted to scream and shout. I wanted to shake him and make him tell me all the secrets he was keeping.

If I hadn't been looking at him, I would've missed the sudden change in his expression. The darkening in his eyes and the sneer coming over his lips as his hand shot out, grabbing my chin and squeezing until it became too painful to stay quiet.

"Why?" He laughed darkly. "You really want to know why?" His thumb slid down to my pulse point, pressing until nausea started swirling in my stomach while his maniacal laughter filled my ears, making me dread his next steps. "Because you betrayed us, my little Vega." He brought my face up, closer to his until I could see the yellow spots in his eyes. "Because you were supposed to destroy him, but instead, you let him fuck you, touch you, use you like a little slut. Because you fell for the one person I hate more than anything else in my life. And because he fell for you."

His grip on me eased a bit, but he never let me go.

"Because Adrian Zylla does not deserve everything he has. He doesn't deserve his empire and he doesn't deserve you. But you just had to be like all those other girls. You just fucking had to spread your legs for him, instead of doing the one thing thatwas asked of you!" His voice thundered, echoing around us as it bounced off of the stone walls surrounding us. "But I guess I should thank you, huh?" He chuckled, finally releasing me. "I've spent years looking for his weaknesses, trying to figure out the way to bring him down, and I never thought it would be you. Had I known, I would've pushed you in his direction a long time ago."

"W-What are you talking about?" How did he even know Adrian? Why did he hate him this much?

Tyler stood up, looking down at me as if I were nothing more than a stain on his shoe. "I'm talking about taking what's mine, Vega. I'm talking about destroying your little boyfriend and everything he holds dear, and you, my darling, sweet Vega, will help me."

No. He could kill me, for all I cared, but I would never help him destroy Adrian.

Adrian broke me, betrayed me, but there was not a life in which I could help kill him, and that's exactly what Tyler wanted.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm not gonna do anything like that. You're fucking insane!"

"Maybe." The psycho shrugged. "But it's not like you have a choice. After all," he leaned down, brushing my hair back from my face, "you are my little bait, Vega, and knowing him," he smiled widely, "he's going to bite. I just have to wait."

"He's not," I said. "Whatever little game you think you're playing is not going to work, because Adrian doesn't care, Tyler. Trust me."

"Oh, he doesn't care?" The idiot had the audacity to grin. "Is that why he's been tearing the Academy upside down for the last couple of hours? Is that why an entire fleet of his soldiers is on their way, because he doesn't care?"

Fuck.

I hated the sliver of hope blooming in my chest, and before I could latch on to it, I extinguished it, because I knew there was no way someone like Adrian would ever care for me. I was just a task, a pawn in this game, brought on this path just to be used in the wars they were waging.

Neither one of these men cared about me. Neither one of them cared for my heart or the fact that it felt like a thousand knives were sticking into the organ in the center of my very being. I should've disappeared when I had the chance.

I should've killed Heinrich even when Alena told me to wait.

I should've forgotten this life and everyone in it.

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