Page 40 of Haunt Me

“Zavier, right?” She nods.

“Would you mind telling me more about their relationship?” I ask and she scoffs, placing her cup down.

“They constantly fought, she would come home crying about things like, he yelled at her and called her by another girl’s name.” I stilled, staring at her and waiting for her to continue. “Um, what was the name? Uh, Scarlett or something like that—every time they argued.”

Starlet.

Anger burst through me like fire in my veins but I kept my composure, “Um, okay, and did anything else bother you about him and the relationship?” I urged, leaning my elbows on the round light wood dining room table. Her gaze locked on mine and I could see every inch of hurt swimming in her drained, icy blue orbs, she licked her dry lips before answering, “He started getting…physical,” I could see how much she tried keeping it together.

“She came home one night covered in bruises and I demanded that she leave him, and she did.” I bite my tongue. How can anyone lift their hands for someone who they claim to love?

It makes me sick to my stomach.

“I’m guessing he didn’t take that very well,” I state and she nods.

“No, in fact, he pestered her for a week before she agreed to meet him and talk things through—I told her not to go, but she went anyway.” Tears start building behind her eyes, her lip quivering but she continues, “She never came home, and her mutilated body was found two weeks after we reported her missing.” Tears streaming down her face now, and I feel bad for coming here in the first place, reminding her of what she lost. I place my hand gently on her shoulder in an attempt to console her, “You think he had something to do with it?” I asked in a low voice.

“Yes, I do. He had this dark and wicked aura surrounding him, always staring at me with these black, dead eyes—I do not doubt that he knows what happened to my baby.” She insists, harshly wiping the tears from her stained cheeks.

With that, I thanked her for the coffee and all of her assistance before leaving and heading back to my car. There’s no doubt in my mind that Zavier is psychotic and Starlet leaving him took a toll, which caused himto trap women that resembled her and when they also threatened to leave, he murdered them instead. The thought of him wanting to potentially kill Starlet, has my skin crawling.

It also makes so much more sense why he bought so many weapons, he uses them to kill his victims.

Jesus.

Before heading to the last victim's family, I take my phone out and call Demitri.

“Hey, Arg.”The terrible nickname made me cringe.

“Don’t ever call me that again. Is everything still good there?” I hear him chuckle on the other end, “Yeah, I was just at her house, saw her go in and everything seems quiet.”His response gives me some ease and I feel the tension in my muscles relax.

Wouldn’t be a bad idea if I asked her to rub all the tension out of me once I get back and I would most definitely return the favor. A grin pulls at my lips at the thought of her soft delicate hands running over my skin.

When I first laid eyes on her, my instincts were driven by pure desire and lust, but now—I feel so much more.

I would destroy everything in my path to keep her safe, even if it meant destroying myself.

Chapter 24

Starlet

The proximity of hispresence sends shivers down my spine. The sensation of his breath on my face is unmistakable as he exhales, causing me to instinctively flinch when his hand reaches up to brush a stray strand of hair from my face.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Star,” he warned, his voice filled with a dangerous edge. “But trust me, I will if you don’t behave and come with me willingly.”

Go with him?

I’d rather die trying to get away from him than go anywhere with him.

As I scan my surroundings, my eyes lock onto the large cutting knife that I had used earlier to slicebananas for my morning smoothie. As adrenaline surges through my veins, I steal one last look at him before forcefully shoving him with all my strength. As he stumbles backward, I seize the chance to dart forward and snatch the knife. With an unsteady grip, I extend the blade towards him, a faint chuckle escaping his lips.

“Careful now, you might hurt yourself.”

“You have no idea what I can do with a knife,” I answer with a smirk on my lips, thinking about the time when Argent's knife was inside of me.

Perhaps I can do the same to Zavier, but this time using the sharp side of the blade instead.

In the next few seconds, time seems to stretch, enveloping me in a surreal haze—a twisted nightmare. I see his furious approach, each step echoing like thunder in my ears. With a surge of adrenaline, I thrust the knife into his left upper leg, the blade sinking deep into his flesh. A piercing scream shatters the air, jolting my senses.

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