“You’re going to kill him?”
He nodded.
I swooped in to press my mouth to the corner of his. I wanted him so bad, but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t know the last person to take something from him was gone from this earth. “Yes, do it ASAP.”
Ari rested his forehead against my temple. “Would you have killed me if I’d cut you?” He studied my face while slowly rocking on my hard cock, as if he wanted me to rip his pants down and shove into his ass right now. My hands trembled with the effort it took to restrain myself, but there were rules that needed to be followed, and I’d just realized that Donny dying had to happen before I could have Ari.
“No. Maybe for a wound that needed a hospital I would’ve.”
He bounced on my cock in a way that made me seriously consider my sanity—even more than our conversation. “Fuck me.”
“No. Bring me something nice from Donny.”
Ari got to his feet and could almost stand straight, even with the low ceiling. “It’s... like a present?” he asked, brows furrowed. The shadows cut strange angles into his face that made him seem like a vengeful spirit.
“Yes, I suppose so. I would love it.”
He pointed at me. “And then you’re mine.”
The quiet words were cold and possessive and sent shivers racing over my skin. “If I were yours, would you be mine, too?”
He hummed. “What would that mean? No blowing strangers?”
I got up, and he shrank away from me a step, which I didn’t necessarily want, but it was good he was wary. He reminded me of a big cat—he might like me, but he could easily sink a fang into my jugular and be sad about it later.
“Yes, your body would be mine, but more importantly, you would kill who I say to kill because I know who needs to die in this city.”
“I’ll kill the bad people?” he asked, glancing at my box of IDs again. His voice sounded too young.
“Yes.”
Ari stepped closer to me, and I was shocked when he kissed my cheek. I didn’t get another word from him before he raced toward the open trapdoor and climbed down the ladder with single-minded determination on his face.
My stomach sank, but I also couldn’t stop smirking. I wasn’t sure what horror I’d just unleashed on New Gothenburg, but as long as I pointed Ari at the right people, it would be all fun—for us—and in the end, the city would be grateful. The sound of the front door slamming jolted me back into reality, and I picked up the flashlight and tracked down the IDs. I cursed when I couldn’t locate Wengrow’s and had no doubt Ari would add to the kill list. I would have to be more careful in the future.
6
ARI
Two kills.The thought was exhilarating and set my blood on fire. My cheeks burned hot, and if there was a skip in my step as I walked into the New Gothenburg Public Library, I didn’t think I could be blamed. Nothing excited me like taking the life of someone who deserved it. Not only had Rogers—Jules—given his blessing, but he’d also provided the names of who to destroy. The hair on my arms stood on end.
I’d spent the rest of the week planning in my head. I thought about all the ways I could kill Donny and Wengrow with methods that were different enough not to start a witch hunt for a serial killer, but also with enough flare that Jules would be impressed. I wanted to see those eyes glow, pride in his gaze as he stared at me hungrily. I’d already imagined him cupping my cheeks and telling me my work was flawless, a piece of priceless art.
I shuddered and headed over to the computers. The librarian, an older lady with gray curls and thick glasses, waved at me as I walked past her, and I nodded curtly. I’d visited here a few times to read because I missed my family library in the mansion where I’d grown up, and she’d always been kind, something I hadn’t expected. I suspected she knew I was homeless, but she treated me equally to all the others, and while I didn’t understand it, I remembered it. She wouldn’t ever go on my list of people to take out.
I plopped down on the plastic seat in front of one of the computers and began searching through old newspaper reports. With the information Jules had given me I was able to bring up articles about Wengrow and the incident he mentioned with Wengrow’s cousin. The pictures of the mother, distraught and on her knees, elicited nothing from me.
I stared.
Anyone else would’ve felt sympathy for the woman, commiserated with her pain, but I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t as though it was my child or relative who this had happened to. What Ididknow was that this man had killed a little girl, barely able to feed herself, let alone survive in this world. It wasn’t a fair fight, and Wengrow needed to die.
He’d meet his match in me.
I smirked as I hit Print and watched while a piece of paper was fed through the machine. Once the printing was done, I slipped on my winter gloves, even though it was summer, and grabbed it from the tray. The last thing I wanted was to leave any DNA on this news article, since it was about to become part of a crime scene.
Waving goodbye to the librarian, because I wanted to stay in her good graces, I left through the front door and took my time strolling down the city streets. The sidewalks were jam-packed with people dressed in business attire. Most of them probably worked around here. My parents had dressed a lot like these people—professional, stoic, and fake. They were pretending, a lot like me, but they didn’t do it to fit in. They swindled the poor of their hard-earned money. How many of them would I kill? All, if I had the chance, but I’d never get away with it. No, I had something—someone—telling me who I was allowed to touch now. The choice was Jules’s, not mine.
I grinned at the thought. Tomorrow, Wengrow would be the first for Jules, and I would make him pay for what he did.
