Page 9 of Bake the Town Red

I smile. He nods once, firm and decisive.

Who knows, maybe in some alternate universe, he will.

CHAPTER ONE

Tyler

Seven years later – present day

The last day of September.

Tomorrow will be the day to mark the fourth year of her ritual. October first is just around the corner, and I have no doubt it’ll happen again.

That first year took me by surprise. I’d been stalking Dahlia Valentine for the past four years. I never imagined she’d become a serial killer. That she’d lure people into her cupcake shop after closing time. One for every day of October.

Not one of them came back out. I’ve never seen bodies being hauled out of Sweet DeNights.

But she did kill them. I’m sure she did.

She’s kept doing it for four Octobers since, every year like clockwork.

That’s her pattern. I recognized it, because it’s what I do. Other than writing code for Blazing Fire Gaming, I’m a sleuth. An online detective.

My blog has generated five arrests and ended up with over ten killers dead so far. I’m good at what I do.

So good that no other sleuth has found out about her.

Or maybe it’s since none of them knows Dahlia or stalks her like I do.

No one loves her like I do.

Even though I shouldn’t. Even though this aching feeling might make me snap one day. I might have the crazy idea that I want to be with her.

I can’t. We were happy before. Once upon a time. As friends. As neighbors.

Twice.

After years of knowing her, I even fell for her.

But bad things happened to us. To the people around us.

There’s no one else to lose anymore.

Next time the universe hurts us for finding joy with each other, it’ll go for her. It’ll kill my Dahlia. No doubt about it.

That’s why I won’t talk to her.

We’re not friends. Not lovers. Barely acquaintances.

Fuck you, fate, or universe or whoever the fuck.

Fuck you for letting her deal withthisby herself.

Like this.

Coping with her panic attack by killing people instead of being with me.

More curses. I hate the world. For the unfair choice I had to make. The one I had to make.

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