Page 163 of Villainous Intent

The hands seemed to be watching me. Which was ridiculous because hands don’t have eyes, but still. I could feel them there, a silent reminder of exactly what Cipher was capable of. What he’d done for me.

“Simmons, could you store these for me?” I asked. “Just until I figure out what to do with them.”

Like what? Put them on my mantel? Use them as bookends?

“Of course.” Simmons carefully replaced the sides of the box.

I nodded, already heading for the elevator. “I need to go.”

“Annie—” Havoc started.

“I need to not be around the hands,” I said, jabbing the elevator button repeatedly. “I need to think. Somewhere without dismembered body parts as décor.”

The doors slid open and I threw myself inside.

“I need normal,” I whispered as the doors closed, cutting off the sight of Havoc’s concerned face and Simmons wheeling away my gruesome gift.

Normal. As if I even remembered what that was anymore.

CHAPTER 33

CIPHER

The secondary lab felt wrong, sterile and unfamiliar compared to my primary workspace that now lay in ruins. Another mess I’d created.

I stared at the display even as my eyes burned from lack of sleep and my muscles ached in protest at last night’s exertions.

“Nightshade is Underground-Alpha7,” I typed, sending the final confirmation to Dread.

The response came almost immediately: She’ll be dead within the hour.

I leaned back in my chair, a strange hollowness replacing the rage that had fueled me for the past twenty-four hours. One less problem to worry about. One less loose end that could expose what I truly was.

My hand trembled slightly as I reached for my coffee. It was cold now, but I drank it anyway. The bitter taste matched my mood perfectly. I hadn’t felt this physically drained in years but I’d pushed too far, burned too hot.

“Sir, the primary lab restoration is approximately thirty-eight percent complete.” Twenty-six’s voice came through the comm system.

“Double the crew if necessary. I want it operational by morning.”

“Already done, sir.”

I leaned back in my chair, fighting the pull of sleep. My mind was quieter now, as quiet as it gets, anyway. The threats Baron Ash had delivered to Annie no longer echoed in my head. They’d been replaced by the screams and pleading of the bastards who’d worked with him.

A smile tugged at my lips as I replayed those sounds. The way they’d begged. The way they’d offered money, information, anything to save their miserable lives. The way they’d died at my hands anyway. I fucking enjoyed every second of last night’s massacre. Twenty-seven lives extinguished, each one connected to what happened to Annie. Each one deserving exactly what they got.

My body ached in protest as I shifted in my seat. Wiping out an entire criminal network in one night was exhausting work, but the calculations had been perfect. 27 targets, 8 locations, 4 hours.

My phone pinged with a notification, Annie was active on her laptop. I reached for the device, fingers hovering over the notification. One tap and I’d have full access to whatever she was looking at.

What the fuck was I doing?

I pulled my hand back like the phone had burned me and my brain helpfully supplied possibilities about what she was doing. Maybe she was reading fanfiction about other Villains. Maybe she was looking up ways to get bloodstains out of silk. Or how to tell the asshole you’re fucking you don’t want to see him anymore.

I stared at my phone, the notification still glowing accusingly. With a muttered curse, I swiped it away and tossed the device onto the desk. I jerked in my chair when the phone buzzed again. Christ, I was jumpy. It was a clear sign I needed to fucking sleep before I started hallucinating or my body simply shut down on me.

The phone buzzed again. Probably Menace, texting for the fiftieth time today. I should let him know I was still alive, at least. The man had been blowing up my phone since the news of my rampage broke, alternating between congratulatory messages and concerned inquiries about my mental state.

I reached for the device, ready to send a quick “not dead” confirmation, when I saw the name on the screen.