I lick the blood from my lip. “Do you want the answers? Truly? Because after I’m done, I have a few questions of my own.”
“Tell me.”
“Matt was a rapist. I had proof from five women. He would go to the bars, pick up a woman, and take them home. Once he had them behind locked doors, he violated them and held them hostage for days. He took pictures. Kept files that he took pride in. He let them go when he was done, which was unusual, and got away with it. The women were terrified by whatever he told them. He probably threatened their loved ones,” I hiss, and lean forward. “He was a piece of shit. Cocky. He didn’t think he could get caught, but I proved him wrong. I followed him, recused the women he planned to take, and took pleasure in ending his life.”
“You’re lying,” he says.
“I don’t lie. Definitely not about this.” I inhale deeply. “But you are.” I narrow my eyes. “Did you know? Help him? I didn’t see any evidence of your participation.” I would have remembered him.
“No, he—” He flinches and looks away.
“You knew,” I say slowly. “You either encouraged him or saw what he did.”
“He didn’t hurt anyone,” he growls, glaring at me.
“He did. I saw the women. Five women. They took pictures.”
“No. You couldn’t. He was—”
“Careful?” I lift my eyebrows. “How do you know?” He shuffles his feet, his chest rising. “He showed you,” I guess, and he grinds his teeth. “You liked seeing them.”
“Fuck you. I’ll ask the questions,” he spits.
“Go ahead.”
“Did he…did he say anything about me?”
I frown. “Bode, if I knew your name then, I wouldn’t wonder why I am here now.”
“He was my best friend,” he states.
“I think he was more than that,” I murmur.
“No.” He shakes his head. “He was gone. I couldn’t find him. We talked every day.”
“You missed him, and the pictures he sent you.”
“They wanted it.” He pounds the sword on the floor. “He didn’t do anything they didn’t want.”
“That’s not true,” I say quietly. “And you know it.”
“Shut up,” he roars.
“How did you find me? How did you know I killed him?” Every job is carefully planned out, researched, and executed without a paper trail.
“I had to know,” he mumbles, rubbing his head. “You were paid to do it.”
“Fuck.” One of the women hired me. She didn’t know there were others. “You fucking didn’t,” I growl.
“She didn’t want to tell me.” He smiles slightly. “I convinced her.”
I close my eyes. “You killed her.” If Bode saw the pictures, he knew who they were. “She was hurt enough.”
“He loved them, and they turned him in.” He glides the weapon across my leg. “They betrayed him,” he rumbles, and blood drips down my calf.
“He tortured them,” I hiss, my arms flexing. “They wanted to die, but found the strength to move on. She was getting help. How dare you take her power away?”
“It didn’t take much to make her talk,” he sings, and my stomach rolls. “She told me your name, where you were when you talked, and what you looked like.”
