Kill Switch (Devil's Night 3)

I ground my teeth together. He wasn’t lying exactly. But still…

“Winter?” he pleaded when she didn’t say anything. “Winter, I just… It’s not as bad as it sounds, okay?”

She shook, still trying to pry my hand off, but not trying as hard as she could. She didn’t know who to trust, and she was struggling to figure out what to do or who to turn to. I just took away one of her only friends.

“They were candids,” he explained. “You were so beautiful, I…” He stopped and then shouted at me, “You broke into my house?”

“Did you mess with her?” I demanded.

When he didn’t answer, I shot in, whispering against Winter’s lips. “If he touched you, I’ll know,” I told her. “Your skin will be red and flushed. Your lips will be swollen. His stink will be all over you.”

She panted against me, and for a moment, I was reminded of our times together back in the day. When I whispered to hide my voice, but she was mine and I was hers, and she was in my lap, driving my car. Did she ever think about that?

I jerked my chin at Crane, and he spun Belmont around and landed a punch right into his stomach. The pipsqueak dropped like a ton of bricks, crumbling to his knees, coughing, and gasping.

“Again,” I said.

But Winter piped up. “No!” she answered quickly. “He didn’t touch me!”

“I didn’t touch her,” he said, wheezing and still coughing. “I would never hurt her.”

I released Winter but kept my body on her, so she didn’t move.

“Get him out of here,” I said.

>

Crane picked up the kid on the floor, and after a moment, they were gone through the side door again. Headlights streamed through the window, there were shouts, and eventually doors slammed, and two engines drove off. He was probably worried about leaving Winter here with me, but Crane would make sure he got home, even if he had to give his car a little push with the SUV.

“You thought you were so fucking cute tonight with that little performance, didn’t you?” I taunted. “Now, I like it when you misbehave, just do it in private where we both can take some pleasure in your punishment. You make me wait, it gets less fun for you.”

“I hate you.”

I pressed her back into the door again, and she sucked in a breath as my body molded to hers. She wouldn’t look at me as I leaned down, smelling the remnants of her lip gloss still on her mouth. Where had the rest gone? Did he taste it tonight?

Or maybe she wore it because she knew I liked it.

Her little face turned away, so defiant. But she wasn’t moving, either.

“Are you sure you hate me?” I asked in a low voice.

And I slipped a hand between her legs, swiping my fingers over the fabric of her leotard, and feeling what I knew would be there. She was seeping through. She was wet.

I brought my fingers up. “If he didn’t touch you, then is this for me?”

She slammed me in the chest, and I stumbled back, letting her out.

“You’re a monster. You’re no better than him,” she growled. “You played with me. You took advantage of me not being able to see, just like he did, and got exactly what you wanted. You abused me.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, getting back up in her face. “Yeah, I did. I got you any way I could. I…”

I stopped, finding myself losing control. I couldn’t say too much.

“You wanted to be powerful,” she said. “You wanted to win. You wanted revenge on my family and to cause pain, and you did. You humiliated me. You wanted to humiliate me. You wanted what you wanted, and you didn’t care about me!”

I stared at her, knowing I would never explain myself.

She thought she knew everything. She thought it was black and white.