Page 49 of As Angels Sin

“The fuck did you just say?”

“Yes. Another crazy thing to imagine, isn’t it? Me, a dad. Positively delirious.” I walk over to the wall on his left, and lift the machete that’s leaning against it. As much as I want to end this, with my six-inch dagger and complete my ritual, I need something bigger for Tomas.

“I see you’re still wearing your engagement ring. That seems like bad practice when she’s called off the wedding, don’t you think?” I drag the point across the ground, and it screeches as I make my way over to Tomas.

“I don’t give a shit.” His lips barely move to say it.

“Well, I do. She would. And now, you’re going to.” I let him frown, confused and watch the gears turn in his eyes, as he tries to piece together what I mean.

I lift my machete over my shoulder and bring it down with tremendous force.

Yes. Kill him. Do it.

My shadow, ever hungry for death and destruction, can finally rest. Well, a little bit.

Tomas pulls the stump of his left hand through the metal cuff that’s attached to the chain, screaming in a mixture of terror and agony. I walk over, collect his hand, and use the bloody stump to writeFalse Kingacross the wall.

I’d have thought of theatrical ways to end all three, if I were a serial killer. It might’ve been fun, too. The false king loses the hand wearing his ring, so what will the lowly peasants kiss, then?

The executioner? Oh my, in a twist of fate, it washishead found in a basket instead of the criminal’s.

The judge and jury?... I’ll have to think about that one some more. But I’ve always liked the idea of popping someone’s skull like a watermelon using a hammer. A gavel is pretty close to a hammer.

I grab Tomas’s face in my gloved hand, and squeeze his mouth shut to stop his incessant howling. I have one last thing to say, and it will be the last thing he ever hears.

“You tried to steal her innocence, Tomas. You tried to break her.” I press the curved end of the machete against Tomas’s belly. I slowly start to slide it in. His eyes widen as it moves further inside, puncturing organs, vital and otherwise, until it emerges on the other side of his torso.

I twist my wrist and the blade rotates inside him, emulsifying his guts and leaving a gaping hole where his stomach once was.

“This is mercy. If you have a god, use your final seconds to beg him for the same.” I slide the machete out and ram it into his chest, directly over his heart.

That is how I leave him — a martyred monster, for all the terrible crooks of New York City to find and whisper about.

In my head, the fog retracts. Not completely, but it shrinks to a tiny spot in the furthest reaches of my mind. For the first time in two and a half months, it’s at peace.

Chapter Twenty-Three

FIAMETTA

Ihear the sound of tires kicking up dirt, before the approaching vehicle’s headlights beam straight through the small kitchenette window above the sink. I freeze, at first, wondering if this is it. Have they already found me, less than forty-eight hours after my daring escape?

I run to the window to stare out into the night as my thoughts turn from me to Simone. No one else knows where I am. If Tomas had found me, he would have had to have gone through her.

I don’t know why I go to the window. It’s not as if I can do anything if I see a black G-Wagon traversing the small dirt path that leads here and only here. I can’t even run now. There’s nowhere to go. I’m surrounded by water on all sides, and if Imake a break for the trees, they’ll see me, and hunt and catch me before I can disappear into the green cover.

I should have brought a gun.I tell myself, but what good would it do? I never learned to shoot, and anyone with experience would be able to tell I’m inexperienced. Even if I did have one, I’d never be able to pull the trigger on someone. It’s not in my nature to hurt.

At this point, I can’t even say I’m certain that pushing Crue in Tomas’s direction was a good idea. He’d kill him in a heartbeat, and do it for fun. But can I live with the consequences of feeling guilty about that?

As the car comes into view, I see that it’s not a tall, robust Mercedes-Benz but rather a sleek, Midnight Black BMW. The real truth hits me like a bag of rocks, leaving me lightheaded and breathless. I am excited, overwhelmed and nervous.

Because my handsome dark monster is outside in his black car. His presence alone washes away my doubts and concerns. Since he’s always been around, in one way or another, I should have known that he’d be there.

I sprint outside, making it to his car’s door just as he gets out. I throw myself into his arms and pull his head down to kiss me. He does, with the same feverish intensity I want from him.Needfrom him.

Crue’s right here with me. Lost to the embrace as his eager hands search and feel the back of my body.

“How did you know where I am?” I ask, but Crue just kisses me again. It’s not a refusal to answer. It’s just his way of showing me how much he missed me.

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