Page 134 of Stalker

“There’s that word again. Nothing is safe any longer. Is it? All we’ve ever known, good versus evil and right versus wrong could be tossed out the door at any moment. How very sad.”

Her words twisted the knife that was already rusting in my gut.

“I have a question for you. Why were you so insistent on investigating me and my company? I doubt it was a random choice and you’ve told me you’ve never played Dark Nights.”

“My boss. He asked me as a personal favor.” She narrowed her eyes. “But I did start the game. Very intriguing.”

“To investigate for improprieties.”

“Yes,” she managed and even as good of an actress as she’d been forced to become over the years, I noticed the second’s worth of a twitch in the corner of her mouth.

“There’s more, Cassandra. Your boss has a personal reason for seeking justice.”

“I don’t know. Maybe nothing, but I need to think something through. But if you’re insinuating my boss is part of this twisted group of people, you’re wrong. He’s a very good man.”

“You said so yourself, Lady Butterfly. Right and wrong are basically a flip of a coin. Maximus Wells was a young, eager, and aggressive cop who’d just taken the detective’s exam when Cain Demarco interrupted his life. He had no money, no clout, and a family to support. Maybe he was paid to look the other way, not expecting innocent people would be killed.”

“You know more about what happened all those years ago. Don’t you? Either from memory or digging through the muck where people tried to bury this.” As before, she folded her arms, backing away from me to create a separation of our business and personal relationships.

“I do so adore your choice of words. Information is not only vital in my world as well as extremely useful, but can also be used as a weapon. I have as many friends as I do enemies. What I don’t know is why does he feel any guilt? It was a very long time ago. Unless our father’s escape was merely too much for the principled man to handle.”

She briefly acted like she didn’t want to tell me, avoiding my eye contact just long enough to think of an alternative answer. “He turned your mother away when she asked for protection. Don’t be angry with him. He’s carried the burden for the majority of his life.”

So many pieces were falling into place. Her ideas were becoming more and more feasible.

As sick as they were, they were also quite delicious and sounded like something my biological father would do. It was funny how relaxing and enlightening conversations could be. My butterfly was still trying to look at the best in everyone and everything around her.

“We’ve all carried a burden, sweet butterfly. Every one of us. Which is why you need to understand that when this is finished and the man has been sent to hell, the entire fucking city will be better off. Then you’ll be safe.”

“We’ve had this discussion before. You still haven’t answered me. What is safe any longer?”

“Without me in your life.” I’d boomeranged too often. Keeping her as a possession was all I wanted, yet freeing her was what a decent human being would do.

Although I certainly wasn’t decent by any stretch of the imagination.

There was another ping of my phone, the sound pulling at all sense of control. My jaw clenched and suddenly, I tasted copper.

Like I had the night my mother had been slaughtered when my father had backhanded me.

Very slowly, I lifted the phone, glaring at the screen.

Unknown:The end is near, the hunt soon to begin. Only one winner can take the prize. Only one can rule the kingdom. Come to where it all began, men of the Obsidian Society, to the birthplace of true evil.

I lowered my phone, taking a deep breath.

“Who was that?” she asked with the usual concern in her voice. Just looking into her eyes allowed me to experience a fleeting look at what being a decent human being would feel like.

“No one important. We need to talk.”

She moved closer, placing her hand on my forearm. I witnessed the flash of pain in her eyes before she shut down her emotions. I’d been around enough doctors and lawyers in my life to know when one was determined to break through the barriers and provide help. The sooner she realized it wasn’t possible the better.

“Wilder, listen to me. I know what you’re going to tell me, but I won’t buy a word of it. You need to realize and accept that you aren’t anything like your father. Nothing. You’re a good man and since you don’t believe it, I’m going to keep reminding you of that fact. I care about you. Don’t you see that? You were right all along. We connect in a deep way, deeper than anyone else I’ve ever been with.”

“So you’re willing to accept I’m a killer and have no issue learning to live with it.” Ice ran through my veins.

“You won’t need to do that any longer. Will you? You’ll have your final justice, which is all you wanted in the first place. All those people you helped by killing their abuser or their attacker was all about your father. Not you. You wanted to avenge your mother’s death. Now, you get the chance. You won’t be able to live with yourself if you don’t. I get it now. And if you won’t allow me to hunt with you, then fine, but I will be here when you return. I’ll be waiting for you. Then maybe we can have a happily ever after.”

“A happily ever after? I’m a monster and you’re an angel.”

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