Page 46 of Liberated By Sin

In a flash, Stacia was there with her rag, but I snatched it and proceeded to wipe the man’s wet crotch. Of course he let me.

“Let me get that.” I grabbed his waistband and hauled his hips to my face, gazing up from beneath my lashes. “Just a little dab and it should dry in no time.”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a slight grin, and I returned the gesture, adding a wink for good measure.

“It’s…okay,” he said, using his finger to twist one of my curls.

I leaned close to his ear. “There’s an alley around the corner. I’ll wait fifteen minutes. Let me make it up to you.”

The bell signaled my departure as the door swung open, and I stepped into the warm night. A rush of adrenaline poured into my bloodstream with every step. I turned the corner into the desolate strip and smiled as I slipped on my mask, reveling in the familiar tingle of an impending kill. It had taken years to nurse my wounds, not just the physical ones but the lasting scars that had been carved into my soul. I never forgot the look of horror in Mr. H’s eyes when I drained his life, just as he had mine.

For months, I dreamed of all the men who had lined up to violate and destroy everything I was. And the only way to quiet their voices was through violence and death. Finding the worst of society was easy. They didn’t just dwell in the darkest corners of the internet or some obscure underground club.

Monsters lived among us.

“There you are.” His dark shadow loomed at the end of the alley.

He’d pulled a hoodie over his head, shrouding his features. But I imagined he wore a smug grin, his cock hard in his pants, ready to take his fill.

“Here I am.”

Despite my invitation, and like the scum I knew he was, his hand wrapped around my throat as he pushed me against the brick wall.

“You cost me a fun night. But I’m a forgiving man forthe right price.”

I brought my mouth to his jaw and cupped his balls. “Who says the fun is over? The night is young, pretty boy.”

The smile on his face only lasted a breath when my knife pushed into his abdomen twice before he even knew what happened. With wide eyes and slackened lips, he stumbled back, staring at his bloodied hands and then at me in disbelief.

When I returned home, my mind would be plagued with thoughts of Santino and all the ways he confused the hell out of me. But for now, I’d quench my thirst for revenge and quiet the demons with the pathetic cries of Mr. Douchebag rapist.

21

Thesharp elevator chime pulled me from the lull of droning cables, signaling that I’d reached my floor. As the doors slid open, I gave my hands a quick once-over, confirming the absence of blood beneath my nail bed or spatters I might have overlooked in that shrouded alleyway.

Clean.

He hadn’t put up much of a fight…although I imagined it was hard to struggle with one’s intestines spilling onto the ground. Disembowelment was not on my list of plans tonight—it was messy and foul—but he’d forced my hand.

“Good evening, Miss Carvalho.”

I froze, key mid-air, when my neighbor’s voice intruded on the mental inventory of tonight’s victim. After weeks of avoiding him and timing his schedule with mine, he’d finally caught up to me, and in a weak moment, no less. If I ignored him and pushed inside my unit without a word, it could cause more intrigue and encounters similar to this one.

But how he’d addressed me piqued my curiosity and had my handsubtly hovering over the blade tucked at my waist. While the memory of that night was slightly hazy, I was sure I might have shared my name, but I knew without a doubt that I would never have divulged my last name.

Detective Braga researched me.

That begged the question.

Why?

“Detective,” I said coolly, turning to face him.

I was suddenly aggravated when I realized I’d been so distracted that I hadn’t noticed when he approached. And that unnerved me.

He seemed like a decent man and father. The idea that I’d have to dispose of him and orphan his son didn’t bring me joy, but if it came down to protecting myself, well, Detective Braga would have sealed his own fate.

“I’m glad I ran into you this morning. My boy still remembers that night, you know?”