Page 152 of Craving Venom

“You were sneaking into an estate to steal a car. You had adrenaline in your system. You knew you could get caught.” A pause. “And you’re telling this court that you just—fell asleep?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“And what happened when you woke up?”

“When I woke up, it was already too early, so I ditched the idea and walked to Luke’s place.”

That’s it.

That’s his explanation.

That’s how he explains away a murder.

“Mr. Zane Christopher Valehart, how do you plead?”

“Not guilty.”

I snarl under my breath and slam my finger down on the treadmill’s console, stopping both the recording and the machine in one go.

Not guilty, my ass. Zane wasn’t sleeping in that gazebo.

He went inside and killed his mother.

She probably caught him stealing the car. Maybe she tried to stop him, maybe she threatened to tell Christopher. And Zane, being the unhinged psycho he is, took care of the problem.

But Alex?

Alex saw something he shouldn’t have, maybe he heard it first, maybe he caught a glimpse of Zane covered in blood, standing over Isabella’s body, but either way, that was it. That was Zane’s motive. His own brother had seen him do it, and Zane, true to form, did what he always does: he cleaned up the mess without hesitation.

If I can get my hands on Christopher’s statements, Isabella’s behavior with him and as a person, I can put the pieces together.

Zane’s grandfather already established that Isabella was an alcoholic.

Maybe she wasn’t just some neglectful drunk. Maybe she abused Zane. Maybe that's the reason why he likes hurting women. If Isabella abused Zane, it wouldn’t be surprising that his pain twisted into something darker. Children learn from what they experience, and if the one woman who was supposed to love and protect him instead became a source of fear and trauma, it could have warped his view of women entirely.

Violence might have become his way of regaining control, of turning fear into power. It doesn’t excuse what he’s done, but it could explain why his instinct is to dominate. Zane isn’t just some cold-blooded killer. He’s a product of years of emotional corrosion. Isabella’s drinking might have been more than just a flaw.

Maybe that was his real motive.

It’s almost impossible to see him as a victim, to see anything in him that isn’t dangerous, cruel and beyond repair but it’s not impossible.

And that’s how I can conclude this project.

But first…

I need to calm down.

Because if I don’t, I’ll be marching to that prison myself.

And unlike his mother and Alex… I wouldn’t be a loose end he’d tie up.

No, Zane would keep me alive.

Long enough to make me wish he hadn’t.

The line at the college cafeteria is too long, too slow, too normal for the kind of rage sitting in my veins. I cross my arms, tapping my fingers against my biceps as I grit my teeth.

I step forward, staring at the bored-looking guy behind the register. “One large pizza.”

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