“Dale here is still butt hurt that I dumped his sorry ass in high school. Apparently, after all these years, it still bothers him that I left him for a woman, one with a dick twice his size.” I snatched the bag from her hands and tossed it at Dale, the cubes scattering around his curled-up body. “You might want to ice that. A bruised ego tends to hurt, or so I hear.” I turned, skating away towards the beach.
“Hey, Delilah,” Cherri called after me. “Delilah!” I fought back my tears, my face throbbing as I aimed for Reef’s spot. Our spot.Please be there.
I rolledup to the edge of Reef’s cove, ripping my skates off as I scurried down the rocks, spying him in the water surrounded by the Blacktip sharks.Thank God you’re okay.I quickly fumbled to the base of the cove, rushing towards him when he turned to face me. His face dropped at the sight of me.
“Delilah,” he called, rushing from the water towards me. “What’s wrong?” I ran into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably as he held me.
“Everything.” I bawled.
Reef waited, comforting me before he gently examined my face, noticing my cheek. “Who did this to you?” he growled, the words rumbling in his chest like a thunderstorm. I stared up at him, his fingers softly wiping my tears as I explained everything. His arms flexed, his jaw tightening as he thought for a minute, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s kill them,” he spoke without missing a beat.
I pulled back, both shocked and startled by his resolution. “W-what?” He wasn’t serious, was he? Reef nodded, repeating his words. “Reef, I-I appreciate the support and enthusiasm, but I’ve never actually planned on killing someone before. Yeah, I-I’ve lost my temper a few times—okay, more than a few—but I’ve never just targeted someone.”
Reef looked at me, carefully examining my cheek again. “I thought you decided to dive into the darkness? Besides, what’s the difference? Murder is murder.”
“Well—” Wait, what was the difference? “I mean—” Fuck. He was right. I had taken that leap, chosen to embrace the darkness with him. Planned or not, there was no real differentiation.Murder was murder. I’d killed many times before; what was two more? I peered up at him, the corner of my lips curling. “Alright, then. Let’s do it.”
“That’s my girl.” Reef lifted me, holding me as I wrapped my legs around his torso and allowed him to carry me from the water. “Who do you want to kill first?”
I pondered the question, accidentally hitting my cheek when the answer came to me. “Her.”
“Well.”Lee’s girlfriend tsked, approaching me as I stood at the edge of the sea. “I didn’t expect to hear from you, not after earlier today.” She spoke, examining her fist, pleased with her abuse. The woman stopped a few feet from me, crossing her arms. “What do you want, slut?”
I raised a brow, biting back my temper. “I wanted to apologize.” The lie tasted bitter in my mouth.
“Apologize? For what? Killing my boyfriend?” she snapped.
“Okay, I—” I had to force myself to breathe. “I didn’t kill your boyfriend.”
“Lee. His name was Lee!” She stomped her foot. “And he’s dead ‘cause your skank ass lured him into the water, trying to seduce him!”
I busted out in laughter, unable to stop myself. She glared at me, fuming as I wiped my eyes. “I’m sorry, that was so rude of me.” I sniffed, snuffing out my laughter. “But I didn’t do anything to Lee. He was the one who invited both me and my friend to play a game. He was drunk, trying to get me to hook up with him, but I said no. I mean, he’s not even really my type.The whole reason he was even alone out there in the ocean was because I turned him down.”
“You’ll say anything to move the blame to others, won’t you?” she hissed.
“Excuse me?”
“You think I don’t know about you, Delilah? You're the Chief’s daughter. The one who took off the second she graduated high school, only to return a failed college drop out.” She stepped closer, closing the distance between us, spitting her venom. “You lure other people’s partners in with your crazed sexual energy and use them to try and fill your own endless emptiness. Well, newsflash, sweetie; nothing can fill that gaping void inside, ‘cause you’re just fucking damaged.” She poked my chest with her index finger, jabbing me. “The Angel of Death should target you next, do this town a favor and rid us of your filth.”
“You really think I’d be stupid enough to fall victim to that killer?” I cackled at her ignorance.
“I mean, you were dumb enough to abandon your own mother on her deathbed. No wonder your daddy hates you.” She placed her hands on her hips, pleased with her spiteful words.
My hand gripped the butterfly knife in my pocket. “The only one dumb enough to fall victim to the Angel of Death” I swung my blade, piercing it straight through her neck, “is you.”
I twisted the blade, ripping it out, watching as her wide eyes stared at me. She choked on her own blood, falling to the sand, flailing around like a fish out of water, desperately trying to cover the gaping hole in her neck. Blood pooled around her face, gathering on her chest as she tried to scream, the sound drowned out by her own blood. Her eyes began to roll, a sign that she didn’t have much longer on this earth.
“No, no,” I sang, dropping my knife and gripping her shoulders. “We’re not done yet. I have one more surprise foryou.” I pulled her body into the water, her legs kicking and thrashing as she tried to resist. “You see,” I strained, pulling her further into the depths, “I met someone. And he’s quite the catch.”
I released the woman’s body, watching as it floated a few feet away.Now, Reef.As if hearing my thoughts, Reef jumped from the abyss, biting into her body, dragging it beneath the surface. I grinned, thrilled by the shared murder we had just committed, binding us together. The waves splashed my face as I swam back to the beach, waiting for him to return.
A few minutes later, his head popped up from under the water, his body inching closer as he carried the woman’s corpse to the shore, tossing it onto the sand. Her head and one of her arms were gone—bitten off. He wiped his mouth, her blood trailing down to his bare midriff. “God, you are so fucking hot,” I blurted out, staring at him.
Reef laughed, brushing his hair back with his fingers. “What’s really hot is watching how you move so effortlessly when killing someone.” He grabbed me, pulling me close. “You feisty little Barracuda.” Our lips crashed together as we licked the woman’s blood off each other's skin.
“The shark that attacked Lee, that was you, wasn’t it?” I asked.
He nodded, proud of himself. “Got to protect what’s mine.” I bit my lower lip, smiling like a child.
