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I nodded. ”I don't know. But it's always been in the back of my mind. It's like...like someone didn't want her to keep investigating. Like they wanted to shut her up, permanently.”
”And now you’re after a serial killer,” he said, matter-of-factly.
I shrugged my shoulders. ”I guess I wanted to help people too,” I said. ”And I thought, you know, if someone comes after me, at least I’ll be ready.”
The Orchid Strangler III
Forthelongesttime,it didn’t feel like anyone would notice. I often sat alone in my dark apartment, my mind racing with thoughts of the next person who’d cross me. Even though I told myself it was all strictly business, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as I imagined the fear in their eyes, the struggle for survival, the rush of power.
I could tell that it was starting to become an addiction I couldn't control, but I didn't want to. Not only was I doing the world a favor, I was making myself feel alive. I knew the only way to do that was through the ultimate act of domination - taking someone's life.
I had been careful, of course. No one suspected a thing. I was charming, handsome, successful. The perfect cover for my dark desires.
And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was getting too close.
I kept my personal life separate from my professional interests, but I could tell that someone was about to start breathing down my neck. When I used my resources to ascertain who it was, I decided that the easiest thing to do would be to get close to the person investigating me.
I’d found ways.
But before I did any of that, I needed to make sure to keep them off the trail. And I could kill–if you’ll forgive the expression–two birds with one stone. There were some people that were too powerful and too prominent for me to target, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t undermine their carefully constructed reputation.
Because I refused to be powerless, and my plan was working, even though it was happening slowly.
More slowly than I wanted it to.
If it had been up to me, all of this would’ve been quick. But I needed to be careful. Regardless of my resources, I did not want to get caught. That would undermine all my carefully organized work.
These opponents were powerful and organized too.
But I had an ace up my sleeve.
One I knew they wouldn’t see coming.
And it was time for me to use it.
Chapter Fifteen: Teo
I’dalwaysbeenaman with a plan. When Sofia came into our lives, that threw that plan into disarray, and I had no idea how I could deal with her, the standard day-to-day transactions in the club, and the killings that some asshole was trying to pin on us.
But being honest with myself, it was mostly Sofia.
One week had passed since I’d found her bruised and bleeding in the storage room of our club and the bruising had subsided. She seemed to be taking her situation in stride, all things considered, and my men liked her.
A little too much for my taste, actually…but I wasn’t going to tell her not to make friends, considering she wasn’t going to go anywhere any time soon.
I noticed that Grayson stopped by HQ a lot more often, usually with one of those magazines that he found when he was checking out of a pharmacy, a chocolate bar (always a different chocolate bar, so I could tell he was trying to find her favorite) and a hydrating face mask or a bath bomb. They spent a little while every day talking about the news, pop culture, music...anything that would make Sofia not feel like she was trapped.
I was surprisingly jealous of what I would’ve normally thought of as a strategic move. When I arrived at HQ and they were sitting on the couch together, with Sofia throwing her head back as she laughed, I could feel myself getting angry.
But I knew that wasn't the time for jealousy. Not when we had a killer on the loose, and we needed to find out who it was before they could do any more damage. The only way we could do that was by working together.
And there was no way she was interested. I could see the way she looked at me; desire and fear mingling in her eyes. But despite hating to admit it, even to myself, I was a gentleman and I wasn’t going to take advantage of her situation.
Maybe in a different life, I would’ve asked her out on a date.
Not this one.
”Boss,” Victor said, then cleared his throat to attract my attention. We were sitting in my living room, and I was…well, I was completely ignoring him.
