…he looked rough, Bastian. Rougher than I expected…
Good.
…I hope for the kid’s sake this case gets dropped…
And why wouldn’t it? My contact in the DA’s office assured me they’re pushing for no weak cases. Which means Kai’s charges will be delayed while they wait on the DNA.
…between you and me? That boy wouldn’t last a day in gen pop…
I’d thanked Barnes for his thoroughness. Ended the call. Poured a glass of bourbon. It sits untouched beside my laptop, the ice long since melted.
I can’t seem to bring myself to drink it.
Outside, the wind blows a few loose leaves against my study’s floor-to-ceiling windows, drawing my gaze.
Inside, the amber glow of the Edison bulb in my desk lamp falls on the paperweight, casting a warped shadow of the butterfly inside onto the surface of the desk.
Even deeper inside, someone starts humming the chorus of Hallelujah.
The sound cuts off when I realize I’m the one making it.
…wouldn’t last a day…
Bad Wolf stretches luxuriously, tongue lolling with satisfaction at the thought of Kai stripped of his designer clothes and fraternity swagger. Kai in orange scrubs, flinching at every sound. Kai learning what it really means to be alone.
The image was designed to please me.
Every aspect of Melissa’s release was calculated for maximum impact. Kai’s public accusation and subsequent humiliation, his loss of control, the dawning horror as my little pet realized someone else held his fate in their hands.
So why are my bones made of lead, and my flesh of concrete?
I push back from the desk and move sluggishly to the window. No moon tonight. No stars. The absolute darkness of the woods presses against the glass.
Good Wolf whines.
I ignore it.
The sound persists, growing louder, more insistent. A low keening that vibrates somewhere behind my sternum.
“You hurt him.”
I hurt everyone. That’s rather the point.
“Not like this. Not him.”
The distinction is meaningless. Kai is just a piece in a set I intend to add to my collection.
Good Wolf isn’t satisfied with my reasoning.“You forced her to abandon him. Left him alone and scared. You’re punishing him for what he did to you.”
My hand lands flush with the cool glass, fingers pressing hard enough to ache.
Kai didn’tdoanything to me.Iwas the one who?—
“Fucking liar,”Bad Wolf growls.“You lost control, and that pisses you off.”
My eyes squeeze shut with annoyance.
I don’t lose control.
