“The man who hurt your friend.The man who made you cry…” My voice lowers to a furious whisper, and I shake, unable to contain the rage that thought brings about. “I want to know his name.”
Grace blinks slowly, suspicion gleaming in her eyes despite being half awake. “Why…?”
“I want to send him flowers.”
She frowns, her lips forming the cutest pout. “Why?”
“Shh.” I brush my palm over her hair in a soothing motion. “Just tell me his name, beautiful. I’ll take care of the rest.”
She relaxes back into her pillow, her eyelids drifting closed as the sedative courses through her, dragging her into the dark. “Take care… of him…”
“Yes, my sweet, darling girl. Now, tell me his name.”
“Grabary Lite.”
“What was that?”
She sighs dramatically, her eyes opening for one moment to shoot me an irritated glare. “Gregory. Wright.”
With that, the air sloughs out of her, and Grace falls into a deep, peaceful sleep. I palm her face with both hands as I lean in, pressing my lips to the center of her forehead.
“I’ll be back soon, Grace. Have a good rest.”
Gregory Wright is about to have a terrible night.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GRACE
My alarm blares,pulling me from an uncharacteristically deep sleep. As soon as my eyes open, memories from last night flood my mind—images, thoughts, and feelings I wish I could hide from. Red 7—Seven—in my bed, caressing my hair, humming a somber lullaby I’ve never heard before. He didn’t hurt me. On the contrary, all he wanted was to make sure I was safe and cared for.
It’s strange, but then, everything in my life has been that way since Seven appeared. The day he saved me, my world was altered drastically, and it’s not all bad. In some way, I’ve come to enjoy his presence. With him around, I know I’ll always be safe. He will protect me until his last breath.
“What is wrong with me?” I whisper, shaking those thoughts away. Seven is a killer. A madman. I should not be sitting here thinking about him. I should be cursing him, hoping he dies a slow, painful death.
Instead, my mind wanders back to how good it felt to have him run his hands through my hair until I fell asleep.So good…
“No. Bad.” Gritting my teeth, I throw the covers off and head into the bathroom, hoping a cold shower will help me see reason again.
After my shower, I text Saffron to check in. It’s early, but she’s awake, and in some pain, but she claims she’s well enough for a visit, so that’s where I’m heading before work.
I get dressed quickly and rush out of my apartment, taking a car to the hospital so I have time to grab Saffron her favorite coffee and breakfast sandwich, and to give her a hug.
As soon as I step out of the hospital, I check my phone for the time. The hospital is a good twenty-minute drive from work, and there’s no way I’ll make it on time if I try to take the bus. With nothing else to do, I reluctantly put in an order for a car on my mobile app.
My driver arrives within five minutes, and after a few pleasantries, we drive to LoveBytten HQ in blissful silence. There’s nothing but the low, intonate voices on the radio to break my thoughts, and I can use the nice, peaceful ride to decompress. At least, that’s what I think before I listen to the breaking news story.
“Red 7 strikes again!”
My face pales, and I crane my ears to hear the report. Luckily, my driver is also interested, because he reaches to turn up the volume without any prompt from me.
“Reports from the police state that the madman took part in one of the strangest killing sprees that Moriton has ever seen. For some reason, Red 7 decided to target all men by the name of Gregory Wright. So far, the police have discovered four bodies, with more expected to be found as the investigation continues.” ”
My heart drops into my stomach, and I struggle for air. Hewhat? That can’t be true.
But as I listen to the rest of the report, I can’t escape the truth. Red 7 did it. He killed all those people. And it’s all my fault.
As I head into work, I’m unable to shake the paranoia that’s plagued me since I heard the news on the radio. I know that I’m partially responsible for getting all those men killed —yes,oneGregory Wright was a monster, but that doesn’t mean theyallwere.
