After Dark

The entire twenty-five-minute walk from my apartment to my work, I was trying to convince myself that Bodhi was scared the other night, not disgusted.

As I debate this with myself, I pull the mop and bucket out of the janitor’s closet on the second floor of the Arts building where I’m currently employed. Wheeling the cart to the far side of the hallway, I begin to scrub the floor. Most of the students are in a classroom somewhere, but there are still a few lingering around, getting in my way.

I push the dirty water around on the linoleum as I pass the piano studio where I would watch Jessa. Flowers still litter the sleek instrument inside of the room scattered around a beautiful picture of her. I wonder if she really will get anything done on her piece tonight. It took everything I had not to burst out laughing at her expression when I told her she needed to work on it. A slight smile breaks out onto my face as I replay the memory in my mind. I don’t actually think she will get anything done. But what I said about her being smart is the honest truth and I look forward to seeing what, if anything, she accomplishes while I’m gone.

When I make it to the door on the far side of the studio, I see two girls inside, sitting at a table. One of them is crying. I recognize one of them from seeing her and Jessa together often. Alice, I think her name is. The other one I’ve never seen before, but she is comforting Alice.

“Has there been any progress on the case so far?” she asks.

My interest is piqued as they aren’t saying much about it on the news.

“No, they have absolutely nothing to go on,” Alice answers.

“Do they know if she left the building alone that night? Did she make it home to her apartment at all? Aren’t there cameras around here?”

There are cameras around here. That’s why I chose to take her down where the dressing rooms are; where they aren’t allowed to have cameras. There is a door that leads out to an alley at the end of the hall, and there is a camera situated there. I needed to figure out how I was going to deactivate it.

When I was completing my surveillance of the building, I became chummy with one of the night guards; some young guy who was dishonorably discharged from the Army with a chip on his shoulder. He’s pissed off at the world when he only has himself to blame for drugging and raping one the female soldiers in his platoon. He said that it was all a lie, that she made the whole thing up and that someone else lied on her behalf. All it took was for me to share a similar “bitches be crazy” story for us to start bonding. It was awful, I hated having to spend time with him.

One night I asked him if he wanted to smoke a J with me. I told him I knew of the perfect place, but there was a camera out there that would catch us. He asked me which camera it was and that he could shut it off using the computer at the security desk. When I told him, he laughed and said that it was a fake. That the University uses a lot of the cameras to try and deter crime, but that they can’t afford to have all of them up and running.

He’s a complete idiot but, thankfully, he knew what he was talking about in regard to that particular camera.

The girls look up from where they sit and notice me standing there.

I tip my head toward them and let them know that I am just paying my respects.

They offered me a tight smile and I got on with my business.

Chapter 10

After we got to my front steps, I decided to make my gods wait outside. It’s not a rebuff or second thought that’s plaguing me, rather I don’t want to get my own home dirty with whatever fluids they’ll begin to seep once I’ve decided that I’ve become bored with them.

“Hey,” I say, nudging Persephone’s leg with my foot. She’s slumped over against Dionysus with her mouth hanging slightly open, and it’s then that I decide I want to know their real names. I won’t ask just yet since I don’t want to sour the mood before the time comes.

“Get up,” he barks at her as he shakes her off his arm and I can feel my eyes narrowing. Don’t let him get to you, I tell myself as I grit my teeth. I don’t know either of them outside of the meal they watched me eat in almost complete silence, but the way he treats her makes me wonder why the fuck she stays with him.

Not that it will matter soon.

I reach down and offer a hand to the good queen and she takes it with a drunken smile as she uses her free hand to wipe her mouth. “Sorry,” she hiccups with a giggle, “I guess I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay,” I assure her with a kind smile.

I won’t begrudge her girlish little moment—it seems the bastard who’s arm she holds onto like it’s made of gold does that enough. I?

??ll be kind to her, make sure she doesn’t suffer, but I will also offer her the chance to join in when I lay her boyfriend out for decimation.

“So, where are we going?” she asks as she staggers on her feet. I tighten my grip on her hand and pull her closer to me. She immediately wraps her arm around my waist, casting a triumphant glance at her companion who rolls his eyes, and turns away to spit on the pavement.

“Somewhere that we can have fun without being interrupted,” I say with a smile as I begin to walk.

Dionysus falls into step beside us, content on keeping a stony silence all the way to my real home, and I don’t mind.

Soon, he’ll be screaming more than he ever has in his life, and that will make up for the silence.

“So, what’s your name?” I ask her after we’ve walked into the building and I’ve pulled the grate down behind us.

“Persephone,” she admonishes with a shake of her finger.