There it was. “We both know that’s not exactly how that happened. I advised you there were certain rules of my profession I couldn’t violate. That I was legally obligated to report any crime before it happened. You broke the rules. You left me no choice.”
Allen’s slow smile unsettled Tobias. “Ah-ah-ah. You violated them first, Doc.”
“How so?”
Allen picked up the tiny buddha figurine. “The cameras? You filmed our sessions. You never said you were going to do that. I admit it was helpful, though. It was easy enough to break into your house, hack your feed, add a few small cameras of my own. After that, I could watch you as much as I wanted. Watch your other patients, too.”
Tobias let that information sink in. “You’ve been spying on me.”
Allen scratched his temple with the gun’s barrel. “Oh, yeah. And you wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen. Dirty, dirty, Doc.” He furrowed his brow. “You still don’t get it. I was the one who slashed your tires. I’m the one who’s been breaking into your house, befriending your dog. I’ve seen everything.”
Hopefully not everything.
Slashing his tires? That was weeks ago. The toy Tobias hadn’t recognized. Allen had been accessing his home for weeks, at least. The idea of this maniac having access to Mantis gave him a little chill, but, luckily, he either hadn’t known how important she was to Tobias or didn’t care. He needed to be honest with Allen if he wanted any chance of getting out of there without a bullet between his eyes.
“Everything?” he asked, keeping his tone conversational.
Once more, the gun waved wildly, Allen gesticulating as he spoke. “I used to think this was you. This buttoned up, conservative, collegiate type. But that’s not who you are at all.Your assassin boyfriend. Your kills. That’s the real you. I’ve seen your hidden room. I’ve watched you lose your shit in there, watched you shed your headshrinker persona whenever he’s around. Seen how amped you get after a kill.” He sniffed, the muscles in his face twitching. “Yeah, that’s right. I watched you kill that mob guy. That was your first, huh? There’s nothing like your first, is there? I bet the cops would be interested to see my secret footage, no? I tried giving it to Killeen’s goons, but they wouldn’t even let me in the door. Claimed they didn’t know anybody named Killeen.”
“I suppose turning me in would be a bit of karmic justice,” Tobias admitted. “But if you planned on doing that, you’d have just done it. So, what is it you want, Clyde?”
Once more, the muscles in his face ticked. “I want you to suffer. Do you know what prison was like for someone like me?”
Tobias shook his head. “No, but I imagine it was quite grim. But you won’t get what you came here for. Not if you need me to beg for my life. As I said, I lack the capacity for fear. I won’t give you what you got from those girls.”
“You don’t lack the capacity for pain, do you?” Allen asked, rising to walk around the desk. He set the gun down within reach of Tobias, but his hands were bound to the chair. Allen pulled a wicked-looking knife from the sheath on his belt, holding it up for Tobias to get a good look. “I figure the best way for you to get in my head, Doc, is to actually let you live the experience. Be a part of the show.”
“I get it now,” Tobias said.
Allen sneered. “Get what?”
Tobias sat up as straight as he could. “Why you do it. Why you kill. I never got it before, but I do now. I’m sorry I betrayed your trust. I used you…and others to try to temper my own impulses. I see now, I should have just…given in to them.”
Allen frowned. Tobias watched the wheels turn in his brain. “Well, thanks. That’s good to hear. I’m still going to kill you, but maybe I might make it a little quicker now.”
Tobias felt a tiny shiver of unease creep along his spine. Allen didn’t want him dead. At least, not right away. Nobody created a backdrop this elaborate for a quick kill. Did he plan on slowly torturing Tobias over the span of months? Most likely, but only because he was frustrated about not getting what he truly wanted. A friend. A companion. “Can I make another confession?”
Allen chuckled. “Sure, Doc. Every man deserves his last rights.”
Tobias flinched at the casual use of one of Soren’s many names for him. It felt wrong coming out of somebody else’s mouth. Would Soren end his trip early when he realized Tobias was no longer responding to his texts? At least then Mantis would be cared for, regardless of what happened to him.
Tobias took a deep breath and let it out. “I envied you. I was jealous. I wanted to be you. It irritated me that you were out there living the life you wanted and I was forcing myself to go without. Your tapes were a constant reminder of what I could have, if I’d only just allowed myself to give in to temptation.”
“I would have taken you with me, you know,” Allen said, voice choked with frustration.
Tobias allowed himself the minor victory, but then pushed it aside. “Would you, really?”
Allen was nodding emphatically, moving to pace about the room. “Yeah, I saw right away what you were. A twin flame. We were soulmates, Doc. And not in a sex way, I’m not that type. Not that I have a problem with you being who you are,” Allen clarified. “It’s just not for me.”
Tobias was always fascinated by the moral compass of his patients. “Understood.”
“Is that why you chose him?” Allen asked. “Your assassin boyfriend? Is it because he knows who you really are?”
Tobias was relieved to have some room between him and the knife. The gun was still on the desk before him. He considered his response. “Yes.”
“That’s real sweet, Doc. You know, for a psycho.” Allen had a laugh like a rusty hinge. “Too bad he has to die.”
The words hit Tobias’s heart, the spike of pain sharper than any blade. He cut his gaze to Allen. “Why? What does he matter?”
