Page 22 of Lights Out

This couldn’t be traced to anything she’d written, and if we ever ended up in court, it would be her word against mine that my response was to something she said. I really hoped it didn’t come to that. I was having way too much fun with her.

“What the fuck?” she said. “Are you listening to me somehow? How the hell do I disable the microphone on a laptop?”

Well, I’m certainly not telling you,I sent back.

“I hope you’re enjoying yourself, you son of a bitch,” she snarled.

Immensely,I responded, adding a smiley face emoji for good measure.

“I am going to find you, and I am going to make you regret this.”

Sounds kinky.

A strangled laugh came through my speakers, and the grin that split my face in response felt evil. Got her. She was enjoying this on some level, too. Now, I just needed to keep pulling her strings until I found the one that unraveled her enough that she stopped fighting against her nature and joined me on my descent into darkness.

“Do not misconstrue the sound that just came out of my mouth,” she said. “It was hysterical laughter only. Brought on by stress and a murderous rage.”

Hot,I replied.

She choked on another laugh. “Goddamn it. That’s it. I’m turning off my computer.”

I sent a crying face emoji.

“You’re not funny,” she said.

Then why do you keep laughing?

“I amnotlaughing. Not really.”

I pulled up my photo app, double-checked that the background of the video I needed was blurry enough that her room wasn't identifiable, and then sent her an outtake from last night, just to keep her talking.

She went quiet as she watched a shirtless me trying to film myself in her mirror, only for Fred to suddenly leap onto the bed and start meowing at me at the top of his lungs, rubbing against my hand when I wasn’t fast enough to pet him.

This was a huge risk. The room might be blurry, but me pictured alongside a black and white cat could prove harder to defend. I was operating on instinct alone at this point. Aly hadn't reported me yet, and if my gut was right, there was a good chance she never would.

“No,” Aly said. “There is absolutely no way. What did you do? Cover yourself in catnip? He hates men.”

Now, why did that little piece of information suddenly make me feel so special?

He just has exacting taste,I said.

I sent her another outtake, this one of Fred stalking up behind me before pouncing at my dangling fingers, slapping at them without using his claws, and then bounding offscreen, where he yowled like he wanted me to play chase with him.

Aly chuckled, but it turned muffled after a clapping sound, like she’d clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it.

“This means nothing,” she said. “Cats are sociopaths by nature. Fred simply recognized a similar creature.”

If I’m the cat, what does that make you?I asked.The mouse?

“I’m a mother fucking wolf,” Aly said, and then her computer cut off as she killed the power.

Damn it. Well, at least I still had her bedroom camera for a few more minutes. I locked the tablet and switched my phone to Bluetooth to hear her better over the speakers.

“What the hell is this thing?”

My phone started rapid-fire chiming.

A CAMERA FINDER???

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