“Remind me, Derek, what happened that night?”
He shakes his head, tremors wracking his body.
“You don’t remember?”
I rest my hands on his knees. He shakes at my touch. “Let’shelp you recall,” I tell him, leaning in close to whisper, “You hurt the woman I love.”
A whimper escapes his lips.
“She was scared, confused, paralyzed.” I tilt my head. “Want to know what that feels like? To be so helpless? Vulnerable?”
“Just kill me,” he cries. “I know you’re going to. Just do it already.” A little fire comes back to him.
Good. I like snuffing out their light.
Papa steps forward, syringe in hand.
I take it from him, slowly pushing the paralytic into Derek’s arm, letting him feel the slow anticipation as it works its way into his bloodstream.
I laugh as he tries to cry out, to speak. But I made sure to use one that would lock up his jaw. I want him to feel as helpless as Izzy did—to steal his voice from him.
Palming the knife, I use it to cut through his shirt. Letting the sharp tip rest against his collarbone, I wait, let it build, then slice a quick X through his skin. A tear drips from his eye as he helplessly watches his own downfall.
Izzy
Noemi lounges across from me, legs kicked up on the couch like she owns the place. “So, tell me about a young Enzo.”
I can’t stop the laugh that slips from my throat. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. Was he always so,” she grins, “serious?”
It’s strange how different the version of himself that he portrays to the world is to the one I know. Even now, while he has a harder edge than before, he still jokes around with me. I see the way his face lights up.
Shaking my head I sigh. “No. He was always protective. But he never failed to make me laugh.”
Noemi leans forward. “You mean he can smile?”
I roll my eyes. “Yep. Seen it myself. Verified.”
“Damn.”
“How did you get into this life?” I ask her, taking the conversation away from Enzo.
Her face darkens. “I was at an event—serving, not attending. Some guy got handsy with me in one of the back corridors.” She smirks then. “Broke two of his fingers and kneed him in the junk.
“Enzo saw. Said he appreciated my fire. I grew up on the streets. While my life was better than before, I was barely surviving. He gave me a lifeline. I took it.” She shrugs at me. “The rest is history.”
Noemi stays for most of the evening, keeping me company while Enzo’s off doing God knows what. He’s made it clear that until I tell him my secrets, he won’t indulge me with his.
Once Noemi leaves, I’m bored and restless.
I text Enzo, but there’s no answer. That has me frowning. He never ignores my texts.
Needing out of the apartment, I throw on a woolen dress, then head down to the reception. Henry is at the front desk like usual.
“Do you know where Enzo is?” I ask him.
He freezes, like a deer caught in headlights. “I… Um…”
