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On the way down I tried to walk as quietly as possible so as not to alert whoever was down there. I was going to feel stupid if it was just the bartender coming down to get a new keg. I shouldn’t have worried about feeling dumb, though, because as soon as I came far enough down the stairs that the basement was in view, I saw Mario Pérez toss a woman down to the ground. She let out a small sobbing shriek.
“Please, no. Mr. Pérez…please,” she cried softly and looked up at him. Neither had noticed me yet. As soon as she looked up her hair fell from her face and I realized that my assumption that she was a woman was dead wrong. She looked to be about as old as the birthday girl and I guessed she was probably one of his daughter’s friends.
This man who had put on such a good show upstairs, who even had me fooled, leered down at this young girl and reached toward the button on his pants. Both the girl’s and my eyes fell downward at the movement and we both cringed, her in disgust, me in absolute fury. Gone were my doubts. All hesitation had fled with that one movement. Luckily, the thumping bass from the party masked the war cry I bellowed as I flew across the room and landed on his back.
From my peripheral I saw the girl scramble to her feet and race up the stairs. It didn’t matter. I knew that she would tell her parents or a trusted adult what’d happened and that was okay. For this, I would happily go to prison. I was scratching his face, raking my nails down his skin, so infuriated I hadn’t even thought of my gloves. Pérez was hollering and spinning in circles trying to dislodge me from his back, but I was clinging to him like a deranged spider monkey.
He slammed us up against the wall and I took the brunt force of the hit, all the air escaping my lungs.Okay, I was going to have to get better at attacking these guys.That hit knocked enough air out of me and sense into me that I snapped out of my blind rage. I thrust my hand into my cleavage and ripped the syringe from where it was being held to my skin by the tape.
Uncapping it with my teeth, I tried to stick him with it, but this fifty-something year old guy was flinging himself around and really giving me a run for my money. I was afraid I was going to accidentally poke myself so I finally jammed the thing into the front of his chest and cranked down on the plunger as hard as I could.
Almost instantly we toppled forward, and I landed in a pile on top of him.Jesus Christ I was out of shape, and hadn’t practiced fighting skills in way too many years,I thought as I lay there gasping for breath. I looked down and wondered if injecting him in the chest had killed him, he wasn’t moving at all. But when I rolled him over his chest was moving slightly.Pity.Of course, going out that easily was clearly too good for him.
I ran over and grabbed the bag I’d dropped when I flung myself across the room and quickly duct taped the crap out of his hands and feet so that he couldn’t move. He was lying face up on the cold, concrete floor. I glanced up the stairs again. There was only one way in and out of this place. I wondered how long I had before someone came down here? I locked the door, not that they didn't have the key, but it would at least give me warning that they were coming. I sat on the bottom step and waited for Pérez to wake up.
It took a lot longer for him to wake up than it had Santos. I wasn’t sure if that’s because he was older, if I had gotten the dose wrong, or if it had something to do with where I’d injected him. I wasn’t a fucking doctor, so I had no clue, but I was nervous because we were in a public place. I was sure his wife was probably searching by now because it had to have been twenty minutes since I’d come down here.
I’d duct taped his mouth. I wasn’t taking the chance of someone hearing his screams in between songs, even though I really wanted to hear him beg after seeing what he’d been about to do. The creature inside me urged me forward. I didn’t have time for a long drawn-out process and luckily, this time it wasn’t needed. Blood was all that was required. Taking my knife, enjoying the way his skin paled, and his eyes widened, I moved toward him. He started frantically mumbling behind the tape, pleading as tears streaked down his face. I felt no remorse.
“This is for my family,” I said softly as I knelt next to him. I saw confusion wash over his features.
“Mmmphhmm.” I know he said, ‘who’, but it didn’t matter.
“And this is for thatchild,” I spat the word at him, and he flinched. Opening his pants, I watched him as he struggled against the tape holding him. Then he roared as I slowly dug the knife into his crotch. It entered his flesh like it was cutting through hot butter. I was the last woman who would be going near that particular appendage and I knew he wasn’t enjoying what was happening. I pulled the blade out and then slid it in again before slicing his dick completely off. His eyes were wide with disbelief when I looked into them. The tape was moving so I knew his mouth was opening and closing on silent screams. I sat waiting until death claimed him.
Now came the tricky part. I wiped as much of the blood from my hands and knife onto his pants as I could and stuck it into the bag. I gathered everything and rushed to the top of the stairs. Staring through the little glass pane, I saw the coast was clear and I left the bag with my shoes as I darted into the bathroom. I let out a breath of relief when I saw no one inside and I quickly washed the blood from my hands and forearms, then cleaned the area. Scanning myself I made sure I was presentable, then ran back, put my shoes on, grabbed the bag, and walked as calmly as I could through the party, heading for the exit.
“Please.”
I’d almost made it. I froze and then slowly turned my head. Standing near me was the girl from the basement. Our eyes met and a thousand silent words passed between us.
A man bumped into her from behind and we both looked down and away as he exited the club. “I…I won’t tell anyone,” she said softly when we were alone again. The loud music made it impossible for anyone to overhear us. Hell, I almost couldn’t hear her. I looked up at her, startled.She hadn’t said anything to anyone yet? That explained why no angry father had rushed down there to help me kill that guy.
I didn’t know what to say to her, so I just nodded. “Is he…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. I nodded again and she let out a shaky breath. “Thank you.” I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to thank me. I wanted to tell her to be safe. I didn’t know how, so I let her turn around and leave without saying a word.
I made my way home knowing there wouldn’t be any throwing up after this one. There wouldn’t be any second guessing what I did. I found a dumpster on the way home, well outside the usual search patterns the cops would take and threw away the birthday bag. I tucked my tools inside my jacket for the walk home.
It was after one a.m. when I finally exited the elevator onto the floor of my apartment. I was exhausted and I wondered if the Beast would let me sleep tonight. If that was the case would the nightmares of the bombing also let me rest? One of the two seemed to always keep me awake lately. I rested my forehead on my apartment door, about to dig in my clutch for my keys when my heart exploded in my chest.
“Need some help?”
“Jesus fucking Christ!” I yelped and jumped back, then promptly twisted my ankle in the three-inch heels I had on. Luckily, Dante was quick and agile, and he leapt forward and caught me before I broke that ankle in my fall. Somehow, I managed to keep hold of the side of my coat, ensuring that my knife and hammer didn’t fall at his feet.
I was slathered against his naked chest, glaring at him as his muscular arms tightened around me.Why was he naked?My brain was so confused. Okay, he wasn’t completely naked, he had pajama pants on, but tell that to my hand that was currently pressed up against hard, firm, smooth skin. I jerked it back and wrapped my arms around myself to secure my tools better while I tried to gain my balance so I could step away from him.
His arms flexed, as though he didn’t want to release me, but finally he let me go. “What the hell, Dante? You scared the shit out of me!” I was embarrassed that I’d been caught so unaware.
His grin spread slowly over that gorgeous face. “Sorry. You’re pretty jumpy.” I stared at him incredulously.
“It’s one o’clock in the morning! What are you doing skulking around in the hallway?”
He blinked as though he was surprised to hear the time and then he rubbed a hand over his chest. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I was watching TV and heard the elevator. I wanted to check to make sure you made it home alright.”
I’d been monitoring these guys’ work schedule, so it didn’t surprise me that he stayed up late on his days off. It shocked me that he was bothering to check in on someone he literally knew nothing about. Was that just the kind of person he was or was there something in it for him?
“Um, thanks…” I was at a loss for words. We stood there awkwardly for a moment. “Well, I’m going to go to bed so…” I turned to open my door when his next words made me freeze.
“Hey, what happened?”
