Page 11 of So Wicked

Lillian switched on the tv as soon as she reached the house. She squealed and clapped her hands when she saw Frank. God, he was so handsome! Why hadn’t Faith begged for the chance to do whatever he wanted? I mean, whowouldn’twant to give that man everything he ever wanted?

The news story was about the new trial set to begin tomorrow. Frank’s first trial had ended with a mistrial when some jurors maintained that the FBI mishandled evidence in the case and denied Franklin West due process. His new jury had been selected, and now once more, the jury would determine whether or not Frank could be held legally accountable for the thirty-two murders he was alleged to have committed.

The scene changed to show the crowded courtroom, full of civilians eager to watch the trial of the century. How lucky they were to be in Frank’s presence. Lillian wished she could be among them, watching that god of a man make his accusers look like fools.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t let the world know that she adored him, or her own mission would be endangered. And she couldn’t allow that. Shehadto get Faith Bold. She had to destroy her and then show Frank that she was worthy of his love. Then she could break him out of prison, and they could be together. Yes, they could be together.

She sighed and crooned as the image switched back to Frank. “I’m going to win your heart, baby,” she whispered. “Did you get my letters? Did you know they were from me?”

There was no way he could know they were from her, of course, but that was all right. He would fall in love with thewords, and then, when he saw the woman who had written them, he would fall in love with her too.

But all in good time. It was enough that she had found the courage to talk to him. Everything else would come later.

Maybe she’d write him another letter. Maybe she’d ask him who she should kill next. She could set up an anonymous P.O. box and…

No. Too risky. The FBI could track the owner of that P.O. Box, and then the jig was up.

She sighed. “One day, we’ll be together. In the meantime, I should start thinking about my next call for Faith’s attention.”

Faith Bold was difficult, but she wasn’t impossible. She would crack with the right pressure. Lillian just needed to know exactly where to put that pressure.

Then, she'd leave a message for the entire world to read.

CHAPTER FIVE

Ten Days Later

Faith took a deep breath, lowered her head and sprinted up the hill. Turk followed, not sprinting, but loping gently to match Faith’s pace. Faith kept her breathing controlled as she ascended the slope. Her side ached, and her lungs burned, but she kept the pace until she reached the crest of the hill a half mile from the base. The hill sloped downward at a much gentler rate after the crest. She continued at a fast jog—barely a trot for Turk—and reached the house a few minutes later.

She headed upstairs to the shower, Turk at her heels. She glared at the dog, who looked just as energetic as he had at the beginning of the run. “Yeah, yeah. In my defense, I only have two legs.”

Turk cocked his head, confused. Faith chuckled and said, “Go on to the yard, boy. I’ll make dinner when I’m done in the shower.”

Turk shot off like a bolt of lightning.Well,heloves it here, Faith thought.

Retired First Sergeant Jacob Delroy lived in a spacious house in Carmel, Indiana, a suburb a few miles north of Indianapolis. Jacob’s particular neighborhood was just far enough from the city to be quiet while remaining close enough to be convenient.

And he had a big backyard, which made him instantly a great friend to Turk, who now spent almost all of his waking moments running around, splashing in the pool and chasing squirrels. Faith loved watching him play. He’d spent his entire adult life as a K9, first for the Marine Corps, and then the FBI. This was probably the first time he’d had a chance to act like a puppy since hewasa puppy.

As for Faith…

Well, she appreciated the quiet. She no longer lived near downtown Philly, and the place she rented with David was a lot quieter than her old apartment, but it was far and away louder than this neighborhood was. She liked that the neighbors kept to themselves but were polite to each other when they did interact. She liked Jacob’s cooking, which was every bit as amazing as she remembered it in the Corps, except he had much better ingredients to work with. She liked talking to Jacob too. It was nice to reminisce about the Corps with someone who really understood what fighting in a war was like.

But she was going stir crazy. Her daily runs weren’t enough to shake the restlessness and overwhelming boredom that she felt. A few short months ago, she had seriously considered retiring and moving somewhere just like this. She was very glad that she had elected to stay with the FBI instead. She was definitely not ready to stop.

Yet here she was, stopped. Doing nothing. Waiting for news from back home to let her know if she could expect to return anytime soon or if she was going to be forcibly retired.

Shehatedthat.

“Should’ve just ignored everyone and stayed in town,” she muttered. “Disguised myself and looked for the Messenger.”

That was a bad idea for many reasons, but anything would be better than just… existing.

She finished showering and dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, then headed downstairs. Jacob was grilling steaks. He looked up at Faith and smiled. “Now I’ve seen everything. Staff Sergeant Faith Bold in oversized sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt.”

She chuckled. “I’m a lot less by-the-book these days, First Sergeant.”

“So I hear. Word on the street is you’re a maverick.”

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