Page 42 of ’Til You Break

Vik

What a fucking rush.

Progress.

The unfortunate circumstances surrounding it aside, tonight proved fruitful in my mission.

I knew early on that the man named X wasn’t part of the crew who killed my mother. He was too young to have run with them, and still too soft around the edges from barely scratching the surface of this twisted life. Even so, he gave me a name, before I squeezed the life out of him.

Brian Harris.

By all accounts, he fits the bill. An older man, graying now but once dark-haired, with a history of violent robberies. You could walk down almost any street in New York and find someone with a similar record, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one.

X drew his last breath before Hannah interrupted me. She had no part to play in what I’d done, but I’m almost glad she saw it.

I’m slipping, though. It’s only a matter of time before I fall completely and expose the truth about who I am.

If she gets any bright ideas about calling the police, they won’t find anything in that alley. Even as I’m racing home to avoid her suspicion, my cleanup crew is already clearing away every trace that anything happened there. The biggest hurdle now is getting home and convincing Hannah I’ve been here for hours.

I need to erase any doubts before they have the chance to take root.

After all, I touched her. Felt her trembling against me. Gave her just enough to piece together who was behind the mask, if she can think past the fear.

Without the inconvenience of having to obey traffic laws the way her taxi driver must, I make the trip home in under ten minutes. Once there, I head straight for the laundry room and throw tonight’s clothes in with the rest of the washing.

After what happened last time, I don’t make the mistake of skipping a shower. There’s no blood this time, but I can’t trust Hannah’s nose not to pick up something else.

The adrenaline from tonight’s success makes standing still almost impossible. I’m practically vibrating. Even keeping hold of the soap proves difficult when my hands are shaking this much.

That’s how I know it’s been a good night.

I’m getting close now. I can taste it.

Brian Harris is in my sights.

Vengeance is getting closer.

I wrap a towel around my waist and step out of the bathroom just in time to hear a commotion somewhere in the house.

Hannah’s home.

I skip pulling clothes on. My body aches with need, and it’s only going to get worse seeing Hannah. Celebratory sex is in my future, whether she knows it or not.

“Hannah?” I play it cool, walking down the hall.

She’s sniffling. Crying, probably. I don’t have to see her to recognize the sound. In my elation, I hadn’t considered the state she’d be in after coming face to face with me, masked and dangerous.

Fuck.

She witnessed a murder, or rather, the end of one. She saw a lifeless body crumple like paper and the demon who did it grabbed her right afterward.

“Where have you been?” It’s easy to pretend when I’m not a warm person to begin with. My voice rarely shifts timbre and I don’t let emotion slip into it easily.

“I had to get the kitten food,” she snaps, sharply.

Kitten food…

I fucking knew it. This little beast is going to make my life more difficult. It surprises even me that it happened on its first night here.