Page 18 of Mistress Mayhem

A grin sneaks across my lips as I shake my head. “I see you haven’t grown any funnier in the last ten years.”

“There hasn’t been much to laugh about recently.” He says it like he has no care in the world, but I can see the pain in his eyes. Pain that I at least partially put there.

This is going to be so hard. Not just telling them what happened but watching their reactions. Seeing the hurt I caused when I left without them.

“The maze downstairs? It’s for me to hunt my prey in.”

“That sounds...” Austin trails off.

“Fun?” Cooper offers.

“I think you mean hot. That sounds hot as hell, angel.” Fox licks his lips. “I definitely want to hear more about that.”

I snort, laughter spilling from me—surprising all of us. Within moments, they all join me. And for just those few precious seconds, I feel relaxed. I feel like I did before my world turned dark and cold.

But it doesn’t last long as I sober up, tapping my nails on the arm of the chair. “What do you want to know?”

Now it’s Cooper’s turn to snort. “What do we want to know? We want to know everything.”

“Which is obviously very specific,” I snark back. But I’m only biting back at him because I don’t want to talk about it. I know exactly where they want me to begin, and I don’t know how to start. I don’t know how to talk about it.

Austin sighs, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs, his hands clasped between his legs. “Why don’t we start with who you’re hunting tonight? We can figure out if your list and our list are the same.”

I shoot him a soft, thankful smile. “That I can do.”

“William Kensington. Howard Fenwick, Lawrence DuPont, and Cary Van Buren.”

Fox’s laughter fills the air as Cooper shakes his head. “Are you serious?”

“Ummm... yes? Why would I joke about something like that?” I don’t understand his reaction.

“Those four names? They’re the same names on our list,” Austin tells me with a tight smile.

“How is that even possible?”

Cooper leans back, taking a drink from his glass. “Fuck if I know. But it doesn’t matter how it’s possible. What matters is that they’re the same. You’re planning to kill all of them?”

“I am.”

“We only need proof of death.” Fox sighs. “Technically, we don’t have to be the one that kills them. Maybe we can help one another out.”

I scoff. “And who says I need your help? I was doing just fine before the three of you crashed in here.”

“Yeah, but if you don’t let us help you, then we’ll just end up getting in your way even more.” Cooper cocks his eyebrow as he studies me. “I assume you don’t want that.”

This motherfucker. Do I want them getting in my way? What kind of question is that?

He’s just trying to get under my skin—and succeeding. He’s always been good at that. Too bad that couldn’t have been one of the many things that I’m sure has changed in the last ten years.

“Why are you hunting them, little one?”

My head jerks in Austin’s direction. “Little one? You haven’t called me that since I was like ten years old.”

He shrugs. “It’s always suited you, but I figured if I kept using it, you’d see how I felt.”

Did he just... He did. He just admitted that he was into me when we were kids. At least, I think he did.

Get it together, Sage. That’s not important.

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