Because for now, there isn’t.
Adam’s still out cold. Which suits me just fine. I need the caffeine. I crave a moment in the stillness. A moment of calm before everything sharpens again. This night’s far from over, and I’ll need the heat in my hands to match the cold I’m walking back into.
I failed Kyla.
All those years ago, when she came to me—nervous, uncertain, saying someone was following her—I dismissed it. Brushed it off like she was paranoid. And not once did I stop to really listen.
By the time I realised she wasn’t wrong, it was already too late.
I won’t make the same mistake again.
Not with Nell.
Not with this monster, or the others crawling out of the same rotten woodwork. They’re all cut from the same diseased cloth. Predators. And they all deserve the same end.
When I re-enter the cell, he’s stirring—eyelids fluttering against the clinical burn of the overhead bulb. The light makes everything feel uglier than it already is.
“Evening, sleepyhead,” I say, setting my coffee just out of splash range. Might as well enjoy the luxury of caffeine before the night descends.
But he doesn’t plead. Doesn’t even flinch. Justlaughs. Low and smug, like he’s in on a joke the rest of us aren’t invited to.
He tugs at the ropes—Nell’s handiwork, knotted so tight it looks military-grade.
Figures. The knot queen strikes again.
“Something funny?” I ask, stepping closer.
He shrugs, that smirk spreading like oil. “Typical Nell. Always hiding behind someone stronger. She could never fight her own battles. No wonder her uncle had such an easy time with her.”
Everything stills, and for a beat, I don’t breathe.
What did you just say?
He keeps going—casually cruel. “Where is she? Hiding? Too scared to come face me herself?”
My jaw clenches so tight it might crack.
This man is filth. Way worse than I thought. He doesn’t just hurt women—he studies them. Catalogues their fears and tries to make them bleed with words before fists.
Not today.
“She’s upstairs,” I say evenly. “Didn’t even know I came down here. Truth is, she wanted to do this herself. But I figured it was more appropriate you faced me. After all—” I lean in slightly, voice cold. “I don’t think you fight men, do you? Just girls.”
“What are you doing?”
Her voice slices through the silence behind me, icing my spine in an instant.
She’s not supposed to be here—not now. She should be upstairs, asleep, shielded from this part of the night. From me like this.
When I turn, her wide doe eyes take in everything. The blood. The body bag. The mallet resting by my side. Me—splattered in crimson and cornered by consequence.
“You said we were waiting until morning.”
I know what I said. I said it to keep her safe, to buy her a few hours of peace. I didn’t think she’d follow me.
Before I can find the right words, the bastard in the chair lifts his head, eyes lighting up with spite.
“Well, well. There you are, Nell. Tell me—how many times did you suck his cock before he agreed to play your bodyguard? Bet you opened your legs real fast for a little protection.”
