Page 41 of Mischievous Lies

The two women, however, seem to relax at the sight of him, meaning they most likely know him. And Makayla approaches him flirtatiously, but he holds out a hand to stop her. I then question if this is some twisted sexual fantasy being recorded. It wouldn’t be the first one I’ve seen.

Makayla reaches out and plays with the shoulder strap of the other woman’s dress, and the woman seems unsure as she looks back toward the door. But the man says something to her and steps forward as if to reassure her. Makayla doesn’t seem happy by the exchange.

My hands are covering my mouth, and I gasp before what’s about to happen hits me. With lightning speed, he slices the woman’s throat. The woman grabs her neck with one hand, the other reaching out to Makayla, whose expression I can’t see from this angle.

Snatching my phone from the arm of the couch, I press call. She needs to get the fuck out of there. Whatever is happening is bad. I change to a different camera, but I still can’t capture the face of the man in the hoodie.

The woman with the slit throat drops to her knees, and that’s when I see Makayla’s expression as her friend bleeds all over the floor, gasping for her last breath. She’s smiling as if she didn’tjust watch her friend get murdered. Wait. Did she lure her into this?

Makayla pulls her phone from between her tits and frowns at it. She flicks her hair over her shoulder as she answers.

“Don’t answer,” I hear the male say as Makayla says at the same time, “Oh, so you want to speak to me today.”

“You need to leave,” I tell her. I don’t know what the fuck is happening right now, but I do know she’s in danger and clearly out of her mind on fucking drugs to have any part of this. I might not agree with her recent actions, but I know this isn’t the type of woman she is. Well, at least that’s what I thought.

“What are you talking about?” she says, looking around. That’s when the man in the hoodie reaches for the phone, disconnects the call, and throws it to the ground. She doesn’t seem fazed. If anything, she’s acting like he’s asserting dominance, so they have time to themselves.

I watch in horror, realizingshewas the lure, and I can’t look away as the feeling sinks deeper that this is all types of wrong.What the fuck am I watching?

She begins to remove her dress for the man who’s still standing in front of her, holding the knife. Wearing only heels, she spins to show him her ass and bends over as if trying to seduce him. When she straightens, he approaches her from behind, squeezing her tit with a gloved hand. She smiles, satisfied. And still because of the angle, I can’t see his face.

Why is she doing this? And why the fuck am I even watching? I’m so confused by the situation and the fact that she’s completely naked as one of her friends lies on the floor in a pool of blood.

I choke on air as the man brings the knife to Makayla’s throat and slices.

Makayla pauses, shocked, and it takes a moment for her hands to lift to cover her throat as she tries to step away, but theperson behind her keeps her close. He whispers something in her ear, and when she turns, I can finally see a glimpse of their face, only to realize they’re wearing a knitted mask, as well. This person is careful not to be identified.

He releases her, and she falls forward on her hands and knees, one hand landing at the edge of red, pooling around her friend. She slips, and as she does, her other hand leaves her throat, and more blood pours to the floor.

And then she collapses.

I gasp, looking for air I hadn’t known I wasn’t taking. She falls into the pool of blood, dead. Waves of panic roll over me, but I’m quick to let my analytical mind take over, thinking with rationality. All I know is I’m meant to send this video to get my money. Was this targeted? Do they know my connection with Makayla, or was it entirely random? It has to be random because I know my identity is completely concealed. Right now, all I know for a fact is Makayla and another woman have just been killed, and her last phone call was from me.

Fuck. What do I do?

I’m on my phone to Hawke before I even know why he’s the person I turn to. But if anyone is equipped to deal with the aftermath of a murder, it just so happens I know the perfect killer.

“Lov—”

Before he can finish, I blurt, “Where are you?”

“Whoa there, lover. What’s wrong?”

I feel stupid as I gather my thoughts, realizing I need to give him context.

Breathe.

Focus.

“I took on a job, hacking into surveillance cameras to record whatever transpired. I’m supposed to send the recording now,but… They killed Makayla and another woman. I don’t know how or why she’s involved, but I—I don’t know what to do now.”

“Damn, sucks to be her,” he says. “You hungry? I’m at Five Guys. I can bring you a burger.”

His nonchalant, almost emotionless response shocks me.

“Are you fucking crazy?” I screech in disbelief.

The man on the screen leans down to check Makayla’s pulse, then proceeds to pick up her dress and use it to wipe the knife before heading back in the same direction he entered from. I track him through the cameras, trying to trail him to catch anything I can use to my advantage. But I just can’t think right now.

---