“But my friend is,” I pause, looking at the glass. “Come in, Kaya.”
She’s inside before I can speak. A wide, wicked grin is spread on her face as she steps forward. She pulls out knives from the inside of her jacket, picking through the small collection thoughtfully.
“Just leave him alive for me to kill.”
“Oh, absolutely.”
I step back, and Kaya gets to work.
She starts by slicing up his cheeks. The blade penetrates deep enough to cause bleeding, splitting his flesh apart. Thescreams of pure agony follow suit, and I close my eyes, basking in the sound.
Goosebumps prickle all over my skin, and some of the blood splashes my hands. I open my eyes, and I’m shocked by the sight in front of me. Alexander’s looking directly at me, with so much fear, agony, and suffering in those fucking eyes.
And Kaya?
Oh, she’s on a roll.
I’ll never understand how she did it so quickly, but there are pieces of his flesh on the floor. She cut him open, and I can quite literally see the bones of his hands. Blood is smeared all over her face, hair, and clothes. It’s bone-chilling, and if this were someone else, I’d probably be in the corner, throwing up.
“Wait, please,” his desperate pleas are met with a groan from Kaya.
She forces her hand into his mouth, making him gag. She yanks his tongue out, then, in a blink of an eye, she cuts it off. I’ve never seen this amount of blood anywhere else, and I’ve killed my mother and stepfather in cold blood.
Kaya dangles the cut-off tongue in front of him, laughing, mocking him.
“There, that ought to keep you silent.’’
I stay a few steps behind her, just observing her. She continues to cut, stab, and completely ruin his body. I wouldn’t be able to count the number of wounds on him even if I tried to, and for a moment, I panic, thinking she’ll kill him.
Instead, Kaya steps back, admiring her handiwork.
“There,” she turns to look at me, face filled with blood, hair sticking together. “All yours. Hurry before he dies from blood loss or pain.”
She hands me a bloody knife, which I take, deciding it’s better to use than the gun in my hand. My feet drag me toward Alexander, the crimson liquid warm on my skin. I take a deepbreath, looking at the pathetic state he’s found himself in.
“Wait for me on the other side, Alexander,” I lean down, whispering in his ear. “We’ll meet again in Hell, and trust me, I will make it far worse than it was before.”
I pull back, looking at him. His eyes are filled with tears, rolling down his cheeks. If he could beg, he would. However, since he can’t, seeing it all just makes my chest swell with happiness.
Without missing a beat, I plunge the knife into his chest. For a moment, I just stare at him. Getting to watch life drain out of his body has to be one of the most exhilarating feelings I’ve ever felt.
His dead eyes stare back at me, and the fact that I’m the last thing he saw before dying makes me giddy on the inside. I shove the knife deeper into his body, then let go of the handle, leaving it embedded in his chest.
“One down, four to go.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
In one hand, I’m holding a flashlight while rummaging through boxes and trash bags with the other. The coldness from the unused room seeps through my clothes, and my hair’s still a little damp from the second shower of the night.
“I’m here,” Kaya announces herself by strolling in, closing the door behind her. She’s squeaky clean, too, and wearing some clothes I’ve found in the bedroom I’m using. They’re Noelle’s, and although they don’t seem like something Kaya would wear otherwise, she makes no complaints.
“Good, good,” I sigh. “Come closer.”
Without another word, she stalks toward me,flopping on the floor next to me and crossing her legs in a lotus position. This entire room’s been filled with all the important documents from the De Santis manor, and it’s been a struggle to figure out which box is whose. We had no time to label them, and now it’s come to bite me in the ass.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for Noelle’s work phone. I could swear I’ve seen it while we were packing,” I mutter under my breath, then turn off the flashlight, angling my body to look at Kaya. “But that’s not the reason I called you here.”
