Page 251 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

Vance’s attention moved away. Elliot breathed again.

“Dylan remembers part of the abduction.”

Ronan straightened.

“What?”

“He was taken outside his apartment.”

“By who?”

“Masked individual.”

Elliot’s stomach dropped.

“The copied mask?”

“Yes.”

“Voice?”

“Distorted.”

“Height?”

“Approximately six feet.”

Ronan exhaled. Not him. Not Elliot exactly either. Vance continued.

“Dylan says the person told him something.”

Ronan’s expression tightened.

“What?”

Vance looked directly at Elliot.

“He said, ‘You were never his type.’”

Silence. Elliot felt cold spread through him. Ronan stared.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Nobody answered. Because Elliot knew. Not fully. Enough. The person who took Dylan wasn’t trying to kill him. They were making a point. To Elliot. About Ronan. Possession answering possession. A rival obsession. Vance continued.

“Dylan also remembers another sentence.”

Elliot’s pulse pounded.

“What?”

“He said the masked person told him, ‘He’ll choose the monster he knows.’”

Ronan went completely still. Elliot forgot to breathe. Vance watched both of them.

“Does that mean anything to either of you?”

Ronan looked at Elliot. Elliot looked back. Monster he knows. The phrase cut directly through everything. Five bodies. One confession. Ronan’s lie to Vance. The choice already made. Whoever was watching knew. Not just the murders. Not just the mask. They knew Ronan had chosen Elliot. Or believed he would. Elliot forced his face blank.