Page 36 of The Psychopaths

With effort, I tear my gaze away, forcing myself to search the room systematically. Desk first. I rifle through drawers, careful to replace everything exactly as I found it. Each movement is precise, leaving no trace of my presence. Her laptop is password-protected—no time to crack it now, though I make a mental note of the brand and model for future reference.

The closet yields nothing but neatly arranged clothes and shoes—more organization than I would have expected from a college student. Then the bookshelf. They say books are a portal to a person’s mind, and I believe that. Its contents reveal more about her than perhaps she realizes.

Medical textbooks rest alongside Russian literature. Self-defense manuals hide behind romantic novels. The complexity of her tastes both surprises and intrigues me.

I check beneath the bed—nothing but storage containers filled with seasonal clothing and a first-aid kit more extensive than standard issue. Of course she would be prepared. Of course she would have contingencies.

Where would she hide the stuff she stole from me? Where would I hide it?

I pause, eyes lingering on her sleeping form again. What would her reaction be if she knew how close to the monster she was right this second? She murmurs something in her sleep, leg stretching out before curling back.

The answer comes to me instantly.Closest to her.Where she’d feel secure.

Moving to her bedside table, I carefully slide open the drawer. The slides make the faintest whisper, and I freeze, watching her face for any sign of wakefulness.Nothing.

Her breathing remains steady, untroubled.

Inside, concealed beneath a novel, lies the USB drive I’ve been searching for—along with a small notebook and a watch that used to be in Aries’s closet. I snatch them all up. If she took these other two things, then they mean something to her. Now, I need to know if she got into that drive and what she knows.

The journal’s leather binding is worn with use, pages dog-eared from frequent reading. The watch gleams in the dim light, expensive and untouched. And the USB drive—small, innocuous, potentially devastating.

But as I prepare to switch off my emotions, to shove down the softness I feel for her, something stops me. A realization that settles like ice in my veins: this was too easy. She wanted me to find these. Wanted to confirm my identity.

Clever girl.

This was a test. She’s been playing her own game all along, testing theories and gathering evidence. The knowledge that she’s been manipulating me, however subtly, enrages me. I can’t let this pass without consequence.

Without teaching her exactly who she’s dealing with. I’ll have answers and a lesson at the same time. I move to the bed, settling my weight on the mattress beside her sleeping form. Quickly, I stuff the re-stolen goods into my cargo pants pocket so my hands are free.

The springs creak slightly under my weight, but she doesn’t stir. Up close, I can see the faint scatter of freckles across the bridge of her nose, the slight furrow between her brows even in sleep.What does she dream about? Does she dream of him? Of me?

When she finally learns the truth, who will she want?

She stirs slightly, murmuring something unintelligible. For a moment, I simply watch her, memorizing the curve of her cheek, the flush of her skin in sleep.

Then I strike.

My hand clamps firmly over her mouth, careful to allow enough space for breathing through her nose. My other arm pins her shoulders to the mattress. Her eyes fly open instantly, confusion transforming to recognition and then fear in rapid succession.

She struggles against my hold, body bucking beneath mine as I shift to straddle her, using my weight to subdue without harming. The last thing I need is to trigger a heart episode—though part of me wonders if her condition is as severe as her family makes it out to be. There’s too much strength in her resistance, too much fire.

I lean close, my lips brushing against her ear.

“Is this what you wanted?” I whisper, feeling her shiver beneath me. “Breaking into my room, stealing my things...were you hoping I’d come for you like this?”

Her breathing accelerates, chest rising and falling rapidly against mine. I ease the pressure on her mouth slightly, allowing her to speak if she chooses. She remains silent, eyes wide and wary, but there’s something else there too—a flicker of excitement she can’t quite hide.

“You think you’re clever,” I continue, licking a slow line up the column of her throat, tasting salt and fear and desire. She whimpers, the sound vibrating against my lips. “Think you can play detective without consequences.”

I hold up the USB drive where she can see it, watching recognition dawn in her eyes. Her pupils dilate, with fear or arousal, it’s impossible to tell.Maybe both.It’s sick and twisted at the excitement that realization gives me.

The thin barrier of her nightshirt does nothing to hide the rapid beat of her heart against my chest or the warmth of her body beneath mine. I can see the tight pucker of her nipples straining against the cotton. I want to suck them into my mouth, taste her, see if she’s as forbidden as Aries thinks.

Slowly, deliberately, I lower my head to the junction of her neck and shoulder, teeth grazing her pulse point. I feel it jump under my touch, a rabbit caught in a snare.

“Did you look at the USB?”

She whimpers, and I nip slightly and angle my hips. It’s a dangerous game, but it’s obvious how much she wants me—him—and I can use that to my advantage.

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