Page 9 of Jezebel's Liberation

I grin. “I’m perfect. I’ll figure out a way to make it up to Mark… Shit, I mean Demon. That’s gonna take some getting used to.”

Cece snickers. “Right?!”

“Maybe we can invite him to our next BABC night out,” I suggest.

“BABC?”

“Badass Bitches Club, hooker!” Mel hollers in the background.

“Guess I’m on speaker,” I mutter.

“Sorry, Mel’s being a nosey bitch, and when I told her I was going to call you, she demanded I put you on speaker,” Cece explains.

“A heads-up next time?” I tease.

“No promises, bitch,” Mel says. “You ditch, we wantto know why.”

“Sure, Mom,” I say petulantly.

“Oh, hell no, she didn’t just call meMom,” Mel grits.

“Got to go!” I laugh and disconnect the call just as I pull into the storage unit that I rent for my untraceable vehicles.

After I swap cars, the miles fly by as I go through the plan over and over again in my head. If my calculations are correct, I should arrive in Phoenix around midnight. I’ll park a few houses down and enter the bastard’s home through the back. Once I do a quick sweep of his house to make sure there are no other kids I don’t know about, I’ll disable Ted and then begin my work on ending his existence.

In and out in an hour or less. I don’t have the luxury of torturing the asshole like I’d love to. The clock starts ticking as soon as I enter the house. Kill Ted, and make it look like a burglary.

Plan solidified, I pull onto Ted’s street and park next to the curb five houses away. The homes are spaced out pretty well, butI’ll still gag him. I don’t want to get interrupted or gain unwanted attention from a nosy neighbor because of Ted’s screams.

I pull my hair under a black ball cap that goes with the rest of my all-black ensemble, slide my black leather gloves on, slip my bag over one shoulder, and quietly exit the car. Only a couple of porch lights are on, and there’s only one streetlight between me and my destination. My head swivels around, taking in my surroundings as I approach Ted’s home which is dark as far as I can tell.

I jump over the chain link fence, crouching down when I land. Adrenaline pumps through my body as I inch closer to the back door. Reaching into the side pocket of my pack, I pull out my lock pick set.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to pick a lock, but it’s like riding a bike. Muscle memory takes over, and it’s only seconds before I gain access. I slowly push open the door, praying it doesn’t creak too badly. Silence greets me as I creep inside. I tiptoe through the kitchen and stop when I see a box sitting on the table. Curiosity getting the better of me, I head toward it. Lifting my flashing light so I can see, I peel the lid off. A box of colorful lollipops stares back at me. They look like regular suckers, except the label reads'Versed'.Next to those are vials ofRomaziconand a box of syringes.

My skin prickles. This is probably how he’s drugging his victims.

Sick fuck.

I grab a box of each and stuff them inside my pack to research later. I want to leave some evidence for the police to find that proves that Mr. Dayes isn’t the upstanding citizen he’s led everyone to believe he is.

I place the lid back and slip into the living room. Glancing around, I take in my surroundings before turning toward the bedrooms. A chuckle behind me causes the hair on the backof my neck to stand on end, and before I can protect myself, something hits the side of my head, and I fall to the floor with a thud.

Fuck, that’s gonna leave a mark.

“Are you the bitch that’s been following me and leaving cameras all over my trailer?” Ted sneers.

How the fuck did he find those?

“You’re not the only one with tricks up their sleeve, sweetheart,” he continues. “Since you’re so curious about my little slice of heaven, why don’t we take a ride? We’ll even take your car. Give me the keys.”

“Fuck you!”

“That’s not very nice,” he reprimands. “I wanted to do this the easy way, looks like it’ll be the hard way.”

I hop up to my feet and throw a jab, hitting him right in the throat. I’m a skilled fighter, but he caught me off guard, jumping me from behind and knocking me in the head. What I don’t anticipate is that he’s also skilled. He sweeps my leg out from under me, and I land on my back, gasping for air. Ted jumps on top of me, covering my mouth with a cloth. I’d recognize that sweet smell anywhere…chloroform.I buck my hips to dislodge him, but my eyelids are growing heavier.

“Sleep princess,” he whispers. “We’ll have plenty of time to play when you wake up.”

---