Page 374 of Dark Love

“I didn’t pick your club by accident. Everyone has heard of the great Vex—”

His mocking tone grates on my nerves.

“—The Serial Killer Exterminator. This was my ultimate challenge.”

The grin would disappear if I put my fist through his face. “You must have a death wish.”

“No one is going to die today. Unless the rumors aren’t true. They say once you make a promise, you keep it. Were they wrong?”

“They weren’t.” What is his angle?

“I’ve killed hundreds of women. Their deaths were glorious. I wish we had the time to go over all the details. But if you want the last two to survive, you’ll need to leave soon. My beauties haven’t had anything to drink in days. It has been days, right? Time gets lost in here as you can understand.”

His beauties? Survive? “You have more victims?”

“Two of the sweetest women you’ve ever seen. They’re waiting for me in their little holes. You can’t believe the smiles on their faces when they see me.”

His smile causes my stomach to revolt. This… thing almost had Dahlia. “Where are they?” I bite the words out rather than releasing the rage burning inside of me.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?”

A noise that he probably thinks of as a laugh echoes through the room, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“I’m not going to give you the pleasure of rescuing my beauties without something in return. If I die, they die.” The filth swaggers forward like he won this game. “Who do you care about more, them or me? Take your pick. Just picturing my beauties at home withering away makes me happy. Does it make you happy? They say you’re the best killer on the planet. Do you enjoy killing? Do you enjoy knowing that you have all the power?” He steps forward until he reaches the end of his chain.

Sheer force of will and experience keeps my face expressionless. “Where are they?”

“Not until you give me your word that you won’t kill me. That’s my price. Them for me.” He folds his arms and gives me a challenging look.

There’s no way evil like this can walk away. “If… they are alive, I give you my word that no harm will come to you from my hand.” But you’re dying today. “Now where are they?”

“Where they would never be found. My family bought the land hundreds of years ago, but it’s not in my name. You have to follow my directions exactly or you’ll miss the turnoff. It’s a dirt road about four hours outside of Urbium…”

***

“Do you think that we’re going to find anything, or do you think he sent us on a wild goose chase to stay alive a few more hours?” Payne asks as we hit the fiftieth pothole down this poor excuse of a dirt road.

The soon-to-be-dead guy was right. No one would find this place without following his directions. “I’d prefer it to be a ploy than to know there are hundreds of dead women up ahead.” But I know there are. From a young age, I’ve seen things that no human should have to see… Things that should never have been done to another human being.

“You think they’re there.” Shadows of the past fill Payne’s eyes.

“Yeah, I do. If you don’t want to get out of the car, I can handle it myself.” Payne still has some memories from his past that haunt him.

“I should go. You might need my help if both of them are alive.”

Payne will always step in regardless of the cost to himself. That’s why we’ve been friends for decades. I’d trust him with my back. “I can call you if I need help.”

Payne stares out the window for a long moment as we slowly pass by endless trees.

This guy was smart. I’ll give him that.

“We’ll see this through together. How are you going to get around the promise you made?”

By playing at being a loophole lawyer. “I promised that no harm would come to him from my hand. I said nothing about yours.”

Payne smiles for the first time since all of this happened. “Consider it done.”

An old wood shack comes into view. At one point, it was probably someone’s pride and joy. The wood looks to be hand-milled, probably from the surrounding trees. How long has this place been forgotten by the world?

---