Not wanting to spend another second out in the cold, I race up the stairs of my apartment and into the bathroom, desperate for a shower so I can wash off the blood and grime from tonight.
When I finally tuck myself into bed, not an ounce of me wants to go to sleep. My brain is wired, running tonight’s events on replay, wondering if I could have done more. I stare up at the ceiling, trying and failing to fight off a wave of tears. They slide down my cheeks as my chest wracks with silent sobs, and I lose myself in my misery. Finally allowing myself to feel some of the anger, sadness, and helplessness I had to push down.
“You look so pretty when you cry.”
I scream, bolting upright in bed as a gloved hand claps over my mouth, silencing my cries as soon as they enter the air.
Red 7. He kept his promise.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SEVEN
Grace screams,lobbing a pillow at my head. It misses spectacularly, smacking me in the chest before falling to the foot of her bed, and I can’t help but chuckle. That is, until she launches another projectile—and this time, it hits the mark.
With a growl, I lunge forward, prompting Grace to scurry backward off the mattress. She tries to run, but I’m faster. I jump off the mattress, cutting off her path toward the exit. Eyes widening, Grace swings her gaze around the room, searching for another way out. Praying for salvation.
When she finds none, she levels me with her mightiest glare, raising her fist in defiance. “Don’t you dare come any closer. I’m not in the mood.”
My chest shakes with a laugh as I take a step toward her, spreading my arms wide. “I told you I’d come for you.”
“I didn’t think it’d be the same damn night!” Her chest rises and falls with rapid breaths, making her look like a scared little bunny rabbit. Then she opens her mouth andscreams—the sound powerful enough to shatter the windows.
Not wanting her to wake the neighbors, I lunge toward her, wrapping my arms around her like a vise as I hold her to my chest. “Be quiet, Grace.”
When she refuses to cease the incessant noise, I slap my gloved hand tight across her mouth. Far from deterred, Grace snarls, attempting to bite through the thick leather with little success. With my other hand, I reach up and pinch her nostrils closed, cutting off her oxygen.
“If you want to be a brat, I’m more than happy to correct you.” I hold her tight as she squirms in my arms. Half a minute later, Grace jerks wildly, her body doing everything it can to get a breath of air.
I lean in close enough that my mask brushes the shell of her ear. “Be good, and I’ll let go. No more screaming. Okay?”
Her head bobs frantically, and I let out a satisfied hum as I release her. Grace stumbles forward, landing hard on her hands and knees. She tucks her head between her arms, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.
“You… fucking… asshole…” She raises her head, turning to glare at me. “That wasn’t necessary.”
I shrug, my gaze unabashedly trailing over the curve of her ass. “I happen to disagree.”
“Of course you do.” She rolls her eyes as she pushes off the floor, giving me a perfect view of her pussy through her thin pajama shorts. “Why are you here, Red 7?”
“Seven.” My chest squeezes with an emotion I don’t recognize. “My name is Seven.”
Her brown eyes pin me with a heated stare. “Seven.I like that better.”
“It certainly sounds better rolling off your tongue.”
She blushes, her eyes dropping from my face as her body reacts to my heated statement. “You never answered my first question.”
My gaze moves slowly over her features, committing this particular expression of hers to memory. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. And if you were not, I wanted to comfort you.”
Grace sighs, her eyes closing in a long blink. “That’s… weirdly sweet. Thank you, Seven.”
“You don’t need to thank me.” My lips press together in a frown. “And I’m not sweet.”
She shakes her head. “You may be an unhinged masked killer, but you’ve been pretty damn nice to me.” Her brows pinch in a small frown. “Well, except for the tattoo. Still not crazy about that.”
My blood heats at her mention of my mark inked into her skin, but I manage to keep it together. “You never answeredmyquestion.”
Grace blinks hard, shaking herself out of whatever memory she fell into. “What?”
