Page 10 of Only in the Dark
“My friend Sarah and I actually have plans tomorrow night. But maybe next time,” I responded.
Sarah’s jaw was on the floor. She knew what it meant, but he didn’t. Though I hadn’t told her yet, we were going to the club. She put the pieces together instead of believing I was lying to him.
“I hope you have fun. Maybe next time. I have to get back to work. I stopped by to get some food on my lunch break. Good seeing you.” He smiled and ran off before I could say goodbye or ask for his number. One thing he didn’t do was grab any food.
“He’s cute. Why’d you say no to hanging out tomorrow? No better way to get over a guy than to get under his brother. Or on top. Whatever you’re into.”
I shook my head, laughing. Sarah cracked me up. She had no filter, never had. “Because you and I have a masked stalker to go meet at a sex club.”
Sarah squealed with excitement. “You’re not going to regret this. It’s going to be so fun, even if nothing happens or if we have to kill him or something. Let’s meet before and I’ll do your makeup and we can take a few shots,” she suggested.
“I sure hope I don’t. I’m ready to kill him if I need to, but for now, let’s go shopping for some black lingerie after lunch.”One of Sarah’s favorite activities was shopping, and I knew she’d know where to go.
“You’re in the right hands, babe. I’ve been waiting to take you shopping foryears. Maybe I’ll pick up something cute with the hope of getting railed by a psychopath, too.” She beamed, way too excited at the prospect of getting laid on Halloween night. But then again…I was kind of, too. He had already shown me what he was capable of, and I couldn’t wait to see more as he awakened more of my dark side.
Olivia Mercer
15 Years Old
Mother had me learning since she took me in when I was eight. Not only did she hold lessons for me about poisons and ways not to get caught, but she had me watch footage of kills from her employees, and even started letting me trail behind them at jobs. She said my time would come soon because little girls were trusted. No one would suspect me. In return, she promised to always give me a solid alibi and told me I’d never get caught.
On the surface, I was heir to a respectable private security firm. In truth, Mother used it as a front for contract killings—the promise of protection masking the trade of death. The illusion of safety lured in clients, while her real business thrived in the shadows. She had an arsenal of loyal, trained killers, each ready to obey on quick notice, whether it be a fake robbery of a loathed, rich husband, or poison to avoid suspicion. There were many ways to kill people for money these days. Mother said women preferred an easy and clean kill, which was why she chose for me to learn poisons. If I wanted to, I could kill a kid at school and no one would know. I was pretty certain I wasn’t going to kill aclassmate.
It turned out that learning how to kill people and being groomed to take over a massive business didn’t mean I wouldn’t have to attend school. I learned algebra by day and murder by night. Mother said I’d need a degree one day, too, or else I’d look like I hadn’t earned everything she left for me. We chose for me to aim for a business degree at a top university. If I were playing the part of Madelyn Langford—rich security firm heiress—I needed to act like one, too.
I dropped my backpack off near the front of the stairs when I arrived home. Our driver had picked me up as usual, but sometimes Mother rode with him. She wasn’t there today, but she told me this morning it’d be a busy day. I was excited.
“Darling, in here,” Mother called out from our downstairs kitchen—yes, there was an upstairs one, too. We lived in a three-story house in the Chicago suburbs. One of the richest suburbs, of course. Mother’s businesses made her a fortune. A fortune that would belong to me one day, but she made it clear that I had to uphold the business after she was gone.
To my shock, there was a man in the kitchen—tall, handsome, and rich-looking. I recognized him as a mark. The pieces clicked, and I realized today would be my first killing. I wasn’t sure I was prepared, because what fifteen-year-old would be prepared to take a life, but I had to do as Mother said. I didn’t want to face punishment ever again. Being locked in that basement and deprived of food was inhumane and awful.
I smiled at Mother and the stranger. “Hi, I’m Madelyn,” I said, feigning my innocent voice.
“Be a dear and grab William here a drink, please,” she advised, winking at me.
I knew whatthat meant.
I went to our bar in the living room and made him a Scotch. Mother’s safe with her secret poison—tetrodotoxin—was on a bar shelf. I opened it and grabbed a vial, which had enough to kill him in rapid time. It would paralyze him in under half an hour. He’d stop breathing. I tried not to think about whether that man deserved it as I brought it to him, being the one to hand him his death sentence.
He took a whiff, my nerves on fire while I waited for the drink to pass his test. “Scotch. Delicious choice. She’s smart, Lucy,” the man said, referring to Mother as a name I had never heard before. He downed his drink in one swift motion, and Mother’s face turned to something filled with evil.
“Good job, Clandestine,” Mother praised, using the name she gave me that only she could call me. Like a nickname. She said she gave code names to all those who worked for her.
“What’d this one do?” I asked, curious if he had deserved what was about to happen.
The man looked between us with fear in his eyes, and that was the first time I felt a sense of power.I, at fifteen, had made a grown man fearful. It clicked into place why Mother loved her job so much and talked about feeling empowered.
“Nothing awful, sweetie. He cheated, and his wife was pissed. She needed his money, but a divorce wouldn’t allow that. Now it’ll look like his heart failed when we drop him back off at home while his wife is away at work. She’ll have a solid alibi, but no one will know what happened beyond his heart failing.”
The man clutched at his chest, his hands grabbing the counter in front of him as I imagined he began to lose feeling in his legs.
“You probably shouldn’t leave the bar with women you don’t know. Would’ve saved you a bunch of trouble,” Mother said, watching as he collapsed to the ground. “Your wife says goodbye, jackass. Her words, not mine.”
I stared at his body as his breath weakened and watched as the life faded from his eyes.
Mother kicked him to make sure he was dead, then called for Brody, her assistant. He helped her move dead bodies around with his enormous muscles.
“Do your homework, and then you can have a snack and play while I finish this job. I’ll be splitting some of the profit with you, placing it in your trust. You did well,” Mother said, approaching me. She bent down to look me in the eye, her hands grabbing my shoulders. “You made me proud. Congrats on your first kill.”
