Page 44 of Shattered
A sneer crossed her face at the realization of what that meant. “Is that why you’ve been coming here? Because you knew I framed you?”
“It had something to do with it.”
After a few moments of careful thought, the sneer evaporated into a shrug. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Being with a murderer—hell,fuckinga murderer, must have been like thinking you could tame a predator. Letting the beast out of its cage, inviting it inside of your home. Knowing that at any minute, it could turn on you.
She must have known that there was a chance that I had another intention for coming here. Melissa was special, but I hadn’t always known that.
“The thing is,” she sat up again, crossing her arms, ready for defense, “I don’t know if he’s a rapist. I blame myself for what happened. I shouldn’t have been using alcohol to escape like that anyway.”
“He did it to you multiple times.”
“He—” she stopped herself before she finished.
“What?” I asked.
“What?”
“Go on.” This would be good. “Defend him.”Defend him and I won’t touch you until you’re begging for punishment.
We stared at each other, each of us waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Melissa spoke, “It was my fault,” her volume raised, “I chose to drink those drinks.”
“You didn’t choose to have sex.” I stood up. In a cold voice, as thin as I could make it through the voice changer, I added, “You’re making excuses for a criminal.”
“I’m not. I’m as guilty as he is.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“That’s something coming from a murderer.”
“Iknowwhat I believe,” I said, lunging toward her, my mask against her forehead. “I know what I am. And yes, Melissa, I am out of my fucking mind. I don’t pretend to be anything different. I don’t pretend to be your protective brother. But you,” I straightened again, “You’ll kill a man because he’s about to rape your friend. But when a man silently rapes you and other women, you’re willing to let him go. To be free to do it again. To be the silent criminal. All because he says he’s your friend.”
“I’m not letting him do anything.”
I stood and shook my head. “That’s good for you.”
I turned towards the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
I tossed my head to the side, not bothering to face her. “You can get yourself off tonight.”
“Rourke!” she shouted. “Don’t hurt him!”
I walked down the stairs, ignoring her as she followed me. She stood half-naked in the kitchen, yelling, then slammed her fists into the cupboards. Her eyes burned dark, the embers of her passion reeling in the flames.
Jake could live another night. Killing him now, when I hadn’t planned the best way to subdue him, wasn’t the kind of target I needed right now. But I wouldn’t settle for him living. He would get his own punishment.
But a random person? Someone unattached to Melissa? That would work fine.
Once I was out of view on the side of the canal, I removed my mask, tucking it inside of my pants, and went back to the car. The drive to the abandoned neighborhood behind Ivy Ledge Bridge went by in slow motion. The cops hadn’t found an interest in that area yet.
The car trudged through, and I made my way to the house. Put on the mask. The gloves. But I didn’t care about whether or not my informant heard me coming.
She startled when she saw me, her frizzy blond hair swaying as she stepped back. “Angel?”
“Give me a name.”
Her eyes widened at the voice changer’s tone. She shivered, fear rattling her bones. “John. He’s got one of our girls in the back of his car right now.”
