Page 33 of Like A Moth To A Flame

“Nah, that’s it,” I said, smiling at him. “I’m tired. Haven’t been sleeping.”

“Well, I’m always just a phone call away,” he said, and I nodded. “Number hasn’t changed.”

I thanked him and stood up from the booth, making my way over to Barrett. I sat down, plopping my purse down on the counter. He’d ordered me a breakfast scramble, well-done toast, just how I liked it, and hash browns.

I picked at it. I wasn’t hungry now.

9

Father, please, please don’t waste any time. The sirens are turning red, I found a whole ‘nother vice.

Firefly

I’d made her cry.

I made her sit up all night, clutching a knife, afraid for her life. She thought I couldn’t see her, the curtains drawn the way they were, but I had to be there.

I had to keep her safe. I’d need to be punished.

Who would protect her from the shadows if not for me? She didn’t have anyone else. She didn’t have parents to keep her safe, and her best friend wasn’t exactly who she thought he was.

Why was I like this?

I couldn’t control myself with her. I couldn’t stay away from her, even when I tried. She was my angel, my goddess, fallen to earth. I’d never believed in perfection until that day at the funeral, and then when I realized who she was, it felt like fate.

We had to be together.

That’s why I was there when she needed me.

She would love me, I know she would. I would make her.

I slipped along the back of the house, to the back door propped open with a rock, and let myself in. I had watched them drive away, and in the silence of the house, I’d hear them when they came back.

Another twinge of guilt shot through me, and I sighed.

I had some nerve, being in this house, after everything Chief Harper had done for me. He’d helped me when no one else did and kept all of my dirty little secrets. And how did I repay him, by hunting his daughter like prey?

The things I planned to do to her? Was that any way to repay the man who’d saved my life?

I was going to destroy her.

I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face at the thought, or the way my jeans pulled just a little tighter.

Damn it.

I moved to turn away, but before I could, something on the coffee table caught my eye—her phone. It sat on the edge of the cluttered table, its pink and teal glitter shining like a beacon in the shadows, calling to me. I snatched it up and squeezed the button along the edge, and it lit up in my hands. Swiping my thumb across the screen brought me to the home screen, and I sighed.

Poor, naïve Little Moth didn’t even have a passcode.

There was so much I would have to teach her.

Pushing her phone into my pocket, I stepped across the room to the wall, looking down. The lamp was plugged in at the outlet behind the couch. I pulled a screwdriver out of my pocket and knelt, working quickly to remove the cover. It only took a few seconds of work, and it wouldn’t be anything more than smoke and scarysmells, but she was a smart girl. It would be the perfect lesson for her.

When she came home and flipped on that lamp, it would spark, and the show would begin.

All I had to do was stay by the radio, and I’d be her hero again.

Easy.

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