Page 18 of Ruin My Life
He hasnoidea.
I toss back the thin hotel bedding and guide him onto the mattress, watching him sink into the sheets like a willing sacrifice.
“Scoot back,” I instruct, voice syrupy sweet. “Headboard.”
He obeys, eyes gleaming.
I climb onto the bed, straddling his hips. With slow, practiced movements, I gather the top sheet, twisting the corners into makeshift restraints. I tie his wrists to the headboard—tight enough to hold him.
He grins like a man who thinks he’s getting lucky.
Poor, ignorant bastard.
I trail my nails down his chest and stomach, then rip open his shirt in one swift motion, exposing his abs and tattoos.
“You know,” I murmur, dragging my fingers over his skin, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you all night.”
His eyes darken, still drunk on lust. “Oh yeah? What’s that, baby?”
His gaze rakes over me—from my red lips to the silky black dress pooled around my thighs.
I shift slightly, hiking the skirt higher, inch by inch.
Then his face changes.
The lust drains from his eyes.
His breath catches.
The moment he sees the pistol strapped to my thigh, his expression curdles—from desire to dread.
Good.
I smile. Slow. Dangerous.
The kind of grin a spider wears as it descends on something trapped in its web.
With one hand, I draw the pistol and rest it against his chest, tracing the same path my fingers just made.
His pulse stutters.
“Tell me, Eddie…”
My voice is soft. Almost loving.
“Why did the Songbirds kill my family?”
The flirtation drains from Eddie’s voice in an instant. He sinks into the mattress, eyes locked on the gun. “It wasn’t me! I don’t know anything about that, I swear!”
“Oh, Iknowit wasn’t you,” I reply, my smile still intact. “But surely you have some idea…hm?”
I rise to my feet, watching him writhe against the makeshift restraints as I pull my phone from the pocket of my coat.
A few swipes, and I find the image. I lean over him and shove it into his face—a grainy security still from my parents’ house.
The devils in red masks.
“You recognize either of them?”
