Page 39 of Vicious Little Darling

“We already checked out the apartment number you called in, and it seems like there was a struggle. Perp isn’t there,” says the tallest and oldest-looking one. He looks like he’s straight out ofa movie and his expression isn’t the least bit welcoming as he turns to me.

“What happened?”

I stumble over my words then, doing my best to tell the tale in the most truthful way, while also leaving out the fact that I started out as a willingly participant. However, the longer they listen, the more I feel like a liar—the more I feel likeIam the one to blame for everything that happened.

“You have a nasty cut on your hand,” he points out. “You stabbed him, yeah?”

I stare down at the cut. “Yeah.”

“I think we need to take you to a hospital,” he replies. “They’ll also want to do a kit on you as well. There’s always a whole damn list of offenders walking the streets. Never know which one it might be.”

I grimace, hating the idea of going, but… I also know I want this to stop before I end up on the other side.

“Okay. I’ll go,” I agree finally.

Chapter Nineteen

JAXTON

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Fuck.

I press the edges of the gash together, wincing as I hold the superglued wound closed. I would’ve called my uncle, but I didn’t want to hear about his ranting—and then Ember called, further fucking my head up. This should’ve been over tonight.

But she outdid me with the shock factor.

I grab a bandage from the counter and tape it over the wound, grimacing in pain as I do so. Everything about this is bad; bad that I didn’t get it done, bad that the police were called, and bad that she called me afterward.

Why did she call me?I stare at my phone, lying on the bathroom sink. It’s covered in blood from my trying to stop the bleeding with my hands, as I scrambled out of her apartment.Ifthe police do their job correctly, they’re going to have a fuck ton of DNA—and what if they want to compare it to samples from people she knows?

I’m pissed, and I’m pissed that I’m more intrigued by her than ever. I’m pissed that I jumped to be at her beck and call the moment she offered it. She’s a fucking siren, that’s what she is.

I want her so bad.

I double over in pain as a cramp runs through my side, and I groan into the night. It’s going to be hard to pretend that I didn’t get shanked with a massive shard of glass, and it’s going to be even harder to keep it hidden around Ember—if she calls me, again. Technically, if I stay in the game, I don’t have to see her for another two days, as that’s when my next shift is.

Maybe she won’t call again.

I grab my phone and trudge from the bathroom to my bedroom, before collapsing onto the bed. I take a deep breath and stare up at the ceiling fan. This is a big fuck-up. I know they’ll match my DNA to other killings around the city, and then my uncle will be left to pull all his connections to cover it. He’ll warn me to stay away from her, or to lethisguys take care of it.

But she’smine.

I roll onto my good side and rest my head against the pillow.When did I get so fucked up? What made me this way?

I drift off into a restless sleep, dreaming of Ember’s cunt wrapped around my cock, the color draining from her face…

And once again I feel the same fuckingpanicI felt when I realized I might actually kill the one woman who’s ever intrigued me.

***

“Good to see you back after you missed your last session,” Dr. Pitman says, his voice flat and unreadable as usual. “I spoke with your uncle, you know.”

“Mmm,” is all I say, trying not to favor my right side. It’s healing, and thank God Ember didn’t call me again.

Dr. Pitman sighs and leans forward in his chair.

“Listen, Jax—can I call you Jax?”

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