Well, at least he’s living up to my first impression of him.
Obviously, I don’t plan to remove my clothes. I approach the bed quietly, and very quickly straddle him, startling him into opening his eyes.
“Cute, but I said take your clothes off.”
I tug my hood back. “I don’t think so, Gage.”
His brow creases and I see the alarm in his expression. “How the fuck did you get in here?”
“You let me in.”
“No, I—” He closes his eyes again for a moment. “What do you want? Did you come to fuck me or something to throw your weight around?”
“I definitely didn’t come to fuck you. You disgust me. I know what you are, Gage. I can see it in your eyes.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? You don’t know me.”
“I may not know the details, but I know a lot of men like you. You’re so insecure and disgusted with yourself, you target people you deem less than you. Weaker than you. And then you do, what, Gage? You abuse them. I stopped you twice tonight. Twice. What would you have done if I wasn’t there? Would you have forced him? Hurt him? That’s what makes you feel powerful, right? It makes you feel like a man, but really, you are nothing.Absolutely nothing. And the world will be a better place without you.”
He swallows hard, glancing at his nightstand, but his phone is pretty far away. “Do you want money? I got a safe with some cash in it.”
“I don’t want your money. I want you to die.”
Gage tries to move beneath me, but I’ve got his arms and legs pinned. His face turns red as true panic sets in.
“It sucks, right?” I lean closer. “Feeling powerless. Afraid. Wondering if this is really it. Well, it is. Consider me the grim reaper. You’re not going to hurt anyone else.”
“No! There has to be something we can do. Some other way to work it out.”
“Nope. Sorry. If it makes you feel better, it’s not personal. You’re right—I don’t know you. For all I know, you might be a great son, a good friend, a generous brother, or a brilliant coworker. I doubt it though. People like you keep other people at a distance. You never let them get close, right?”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m karma.”
“I could scream, you know.”
“You could. I bet your neighbors would really panic too, given the nice thick walls in your fancy condo building. Or maybe they’d think it was just another wild night of sex for you.”
His brow creases. “Have you been watching me?”
“I’ve never seen you before tonight, but like I said, I know your type, and I can’t sit back and do nothing about it. Your kind can’t be helped. You can’t be saved. It’s just in you.” I pat his chest. “But don’t worry. We’ll get it out.”
Making sure to keep his legs pinned as he struggles beneath me, I yank his left arm up, reach into my pocket, and pull out a very sharp knife.
“I could rob you and make your death look like it was related to that, but that might garner you some sympathy, and you definitely don’t deserve that.”
Tears are streaming down his cheeks now, and his breathing grows heavy as he tries to buck beneath me. “Please no. Please. I’m begging you.”
“They always do. How many people have begged you to stop hurting them? Stop touching them? Stop breathing on them? How many, Gage?”
“Okay, okay, I’m an asshole, but I’ve never killed anyone.”
“Maybe not directly.” I slash the knife across his wrist, angling it away so his blood doesn’t get on me. “I could tell you the suicide and addiction rates of sexual assault survivors, but I think I’d just be wasting my breath.”
The pain seems to register, and in his eyes I see the moment he decides to scream and slap my hand over his mouth.
“Now, Gage, don’t make this harder than it has to be.” I reach over and pull open his nightstand, hoping to find something I can gag him with, but there’s nothing. Then I spot a pair of socks on the floor.
