Page 1 of A Midnight Romance
Chapter 1
River
As I stare at my recent target’s brain matter splattered on the wall behind him, I only have two things on my mind:what can I do better next timeandhow quickly we can get to the next predator?
“He sure was a talker,” Sebastian comments as he unlocks the handcuffs.
“I mean, I love the commentary and all, but…” I reply as I unscrew the silencer and slide the handgun into the back of my pants. “Like, telling these guys why we’re here doesn’t mean we need their whole life story.” And not to mention the more obvious reason—my compulsive need to kill.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“What if on the next one we brought photos?”
“Of their victims?” he asks, bending to grab the empty shell casing from the thin, lime green carpet then slips it into his kill bag.
“Yeah. We need to remind them of the people they’ve hurt.”
The victims aren’t here to speak for themselves and we created this entire operation for them, but I fear the simple reminder doesn’t prove much of an impact.
“That’s not a bad idea.” He arches a brow in agreement. “It would make what we’re doing more poetic that way.”
“And you know how I feel about poetry,” I say, packing up a few more items.
The works of Edgar Allan Poe helped me grieve the death of my parents, and even though most of his words were beyond my understanding at the time, as I grew older I related to the obscurity of mind.
“And your need formorecontrol.”
“That’s the only way everything runs smoothly.”
Sebastian turns on the sink in the corner of the motel room to wash any trace from the kill off his gloved hands. “I’m well aware. You’ve been that way since we were kids.”
Our fathers were brothers and often held multiple contracts with the government until one went terribly wrong. Sebastian and I were only five and three when we witnessed our parents’ murders while we were traveling with them. Neither of us has been the same since then, and it’s probably the reason why we do this now.
“But that’s what makes us a great team.” I walk over to the sink to wash up after him, but not before laying a playful slap on his shoulder.
Suddenly my phone vibrates in the front pocket of my pants. I dry my gloved hands, then pull it out.
“Hi, Aunt Mae.”
“Good morning, River.” Her warm voice greets me. “Are you and Sebastian still out?”
I glance over at my cousin, who’s standing next to the body of Gill Pembroke—a college fraternity brother who tried to rape a girl he went to school with but ended up killing her instead—already on the phone with the night crew organizing the cleanup.
“We are. Is everything okay?”
Aunt Mae clears her throat. “Everything’s fine, but I wanted to remind you of the board meeting you have at TI’s office.”
Thompson Innovations—the company of our fathers that we took over when we were of age.
I am one man by day and another by night.
I rub my forehead, suddenly remembering that we have our bimonthly board meeting this morning. “I’ll be there.”
“Do you know what time the meeting is scheduled for?” she asks to confirm I’m not lying.
“Seven thirty.”
