Page 60 of Tempt Me

“You know, you’re a joke, right? You claim to be this big bad monster, but you haven’t done all the things that the dumbass news channels think you have. What do you actually think you can do when or if you find the killer? He is more of a badass than you, boy.”

I looked down into the bag, his words hitting as sure as a dagger to my heart.

“You are a pathetic man jerking off to a woman way younger than you who had to save you from something as harmless as water.”

His blows felt physical, and I felt myself start to lose my grip on my snack. He laughed at me as if my back were against the wall.

I caught my reflection in the window. The red curtains pulled to the side, giving me the full view of my powdered cheese-covered face, stained hoodie, and baggy sweatpants.

I was pathetic.

I gritted my teeth with the realization that the crazy fuck was right…what could I really do for Xenia when I found the monster that took her from me?

“There is a solution, Roe Roe,” he taunted, leaning on the far wall and pointing to the dark closet in the back that I hadn’t touched for a year since I stuck the shit in it.

He waved his hands over his face, and a version of my mask appeared on him. I stared at the intricate red details I hadn’t seen in so long—the devil staring back at me, endless black eyes, and a silenced mouth.

“You can do right by your girls, Pharaoh. Give in to that other side of you and show them the vengeful man you can be.”

I put my hand on my face, tracing my features in the glass’s reflection.

Taking a deep breath, I walked back to the closet, my footfalls feeling heavy, and each creak of my shit floors was loud as hell in the silence.

I shoved the clothes out of the way, reaching in and grabbing the box from the bottom.

Dropping it onto the coffee table by the couch, I watched the dust fly off from the top and scatter into the air.

I didn’t know why I hesitated, but reaching into the box felt like I was sealing a fate I couldn’t escape from.

“When you hide behind a mask…you forget who’s truly behind it.”

The words were spoken as a whisper, and the tone sounded so much like Ariah.

I searched for her in the space, but only Joe was grinning back at me, waiting for me to complete the transition.

“I am not hiding anymore. I will avenge you both, and if I turn into a monster in the process, then I will just become what people have called me for years. What is the point of being innocent when you live the life of a criminal regardless?”

Her sigh resonated around me, and Joe laughed as I picked up the red devil mask, symbolizing power and strength. I put themask over my head, my mouth the only thing visible, my eyes and identity concealed behind.

“Yesss!” Joe hissed, looking like a fucking snake, hopping up and down. His gut flopped with his hops.

I smiled, the reflection now showing a man that no one would fuck with, a man that would rip you apart as you begged for mercy, a man who would avenge every life taken.

A Devil.

I turned and snickered at the fact that the horror movie now playing on my TV was on the part where some random bimbo was screaming and running away from the villain. It was as if she was screaming and running from me.

I wanted to chase Fallon again. God, my blood was pumping at the thought of catching her and punishing her supple body over and over again until she begged me to stop…and then do it some more.

Her potent honey taste still clouded my mouth, the faint memory like candy on my tongue.

Judas always ate these honey candies with a hint of orange zest, and I ordered a dozen boxes online for him. It reminded me of her, and maybe sneaking a few of his favorite sweets would make Judie less…aggro.

I stepped on my remote to the TV, and it went onto the thousandth channel, talking more about the murder.

Ugh.

Reaching down, I tried to grab it to shut the shit off, but Joe kicked toward my face, knocking the device away from me.

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