Romeo’s palms were flat on the table. He raised his gaze to the ceiling, as if he were remembering.
“I finally felt right, like the real me suddenly existed.”
A small smile tilted the corners of his lips, and his eyes glazed over.
“I didn’t have to repress my need anymore.”
“Romeo…” Chad whispered.
He had no idea what he was planning on saying after his name, just hoped it was enough to pull him back from wherever he’d drifted to, but Romeo’s smile only climbed higher, and his eyes darkened.
“Did I ever tell you what it feels like?”
“Yes, you did—”
“The adrenaline hit, the buzz, the afterglow, whatever is … it’s incredible. You feel like you’re untouchable, a god, more than that, a god of death. You have the ultimate control, the control over someone’s life, and you crush it because it was what you’re born to do.”
Chad backed away. “I’m—I’m gonna go have a shower.”
Romeo zeroed in on him. “Come on, you must’ve felt a bit of it when we took down Marc, together, all of us.”
“All of us?”
“You, me, and the monster.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Why?”
Chad swallowed. “Because…”
“I want to talk about it. If it can never happen again, then at least let me relive it.”
“I can’t.”
“Please.”
Chad nodded, but his gut tightened, and he battled with his need to run.
Romeo beamed.
Chad could see excitement in his eyes, the monster pushing forward. The green in his irises sparkled, and Chad had never seen eyes that mesmerizing. He always found Romeo attractive, but when he stilled, and his swirling eyes were all that moved, Chad couldn’t breathe at how beautiful he looked.
Chad was so busy staring into Romeo’s enticing trap, he almost didn’t hear him speak. The murmur of his voice set off a wave of goosebumps, but the words followed fast, hitting like a shock wave, and leaving Chad disconcerted.
“I want to know what it felt like to watch me kill.”
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“Try. For me, try.” Romeo didn’t blink. “I want to know.”
Chad balled his hand into a fist, then released it, over and over.
“Come on, tell me honestly what it was like.”
He didn’t like thinking about it, not because it was a horrible feeling, but because it shouldn’t have been a pleasant one. It should’ve been horrendous, but it hadn’t been.
“Please.”