And I wanted every inch.
I killed the engine halfway down her block. She appeared a few minutes later, bundled up in a black jacket and a scarf. She shut the door and twisted toward me, frowning in the streetlight.
“What’s going on? Did you hear what happened?”
“Cops found him.” I stated the engine and drove. “This was going to happen eventually.”
“I hoped we’d have more time.”
“That’s not how it shook out. We’re still okay.”
“I’m starting to worry.”
“Keep it together, baby girl.”
She sighed and looked out the window. “What happened to freak?”
“You’re still my freak, but you’re also my baby.” I put a hand on her thigh. I was possessive of her, I realized. It was strange, feeling like this.
I’d had plenty of pussy, but never once needed to claim ownership. Girls came and went and I didn’t give a damn if they stayed.
Cora was different.
Maybe because we’d killed together.
“Where are we going?” She brushed my hand away. I liked that she denied her desire for me. It made the game that much more fun.
“We have a task and I wanted to make sure you were along for the ride.”
“We’re not killing anyone else, are we?”
“No, freak, we’re done killing.”
She closed her eyes. “My brother knows he’s dead.”
“Was he happy?”
“We laughed a lot.”
I smiled. I liked that she had a good moment. “Maybe this’ll be what he needed to move on.”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid we’re just stuck. I thought once the asshole was dead—” But she stopped and shook her head.
“Try not to let him keep taking from you,” I said softly.
She glared at me. “I don’t need your armchair psychologist bullshit.”
“Probably not, but you should listen to it anyway.”
I parked near a heavily wooded area and Cora perked up instantly. “I know where we are. You’re taking me to the quarry again.” She glanced over and I saw real fear in her expression.
“Don’t worry, baby girl. I’m not here to hurt you.” I got out of the truck and waved for her to follow.
I halfway expected her to stay behind, but she eventually came with me. We stomped through the forest again, not talking, until we reached the gap in the fence. Once through, I led her to the edge of the cliff and we stood there, overlooking the sheer drop.
This time, I wasn’t testing her.
I reached into my jacket for a cloth-wrapped object. She glanced down at it, frowning, until I moved aside the old t-shirt.
It was the bloodstained knife.
“Do you want to do the honors?” I asked, holding it toward her.
She hesitated then took it. The knife looked huge in her hand. I kept thinking about the feel of plunging it into Silver’s neck and all the blood that spurted out onto the ground. There was more blood than I thought and he lingered longer than I wanted, but after the second stab, he quickly faded away.
I should’ve felt something. Anger, sadness, my soul breaking into pieces. I committed murder.
But I felt none of that.
Dr. Silver was a pedophile, a molester, a rapist. He deserved what he got and I couldn’t regret sending him from this world.
Killing him was the only good thing I’d ever done.
“I almost want to keep it. You know, something to remember him by.”
“It’s better if you forget him.”
“I don’t think I’ll do that anytime soon.” She gripped the knife tightly. “I wish I was the one that ended him.”
“He needed to see you. He had to understand why it was happening.”
“I know, but still.” She chewed her lip. I loved when she did that. I pictured her mouth opening and my cock sliding down into her pretty mouth. “My brother said something.”
“What happened?”
“He said he felt almost robbed. Like the world might never find out about what kind of sick monster Dr. Silver actually was.”
I nodded slowly. “I thought about that, but I suspect we’ll get lucky.”
“Why?”
“The cops are looking into him now. I bet he has something incriminating on his hard drives. Once they go through this data, it’ll be there, and they’ll know.”
“What if they don’t release it?”
“They will. Cops hate pedophiles as much as we do.” I nodded at the knife in her hand. “You should throw it now before you lose your nerve.”
She cocked her hand back then launched it into the night. It spun end over end and dropped down into the chalky water down below. I couldn’t see the splash, but I knew it was gone.
We stepped back from the edge. She started to head toward the fence, but I caught her wrist.
“You did the right thing, you know.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t.”
“You protected people by taking him out.”
She nodded, not looking at me. “I know I did.”
I forced her chin up. “I want you to be brave. I don’t like this simpering little self-pitying girl.”
Anger flashed then. Good, that was what I wanted.