Page 17 of Nemesync
I don’t fully understand why, but losing track of my obsession nearly destroyed me.
I think she doesn’t remember anything from that rescue mission. She just collapsed into my arms, her eyes desperately seeking mine through the cagoule I wore, though she couldn’t make out my face.
My beautiful chaos found refuge in the arms of the man who is obsessively consumed by her.
I need to dig deeper into what happened to her, because her gaze was vacant and hollow, as if her soul had retreated behind a shield to protect her from memories so horrific they could have been fatal for her.
We chased them after that, and that’s when we uncovered everything they did to me.
This organization has birthed something malevolent, something evil. I know this because I’ve paid the price for many years. The latest ‘gift’ arrived just two days ago: a necklace with a star pendant.
Receiving annual gifts related to my dead mother’s possessions is a fucked-up tradition. It began when I was 14, each year bringing something she had on her the week she disappeared and died. Only recently did I confirm that it was the same organization that harmed my obsession, my little Zanae.
Initially, I blamed her father for this too, but two years after the incident, I began shadowing the Lebanese, hoping to find more about those gifts and see how I could get my revenge on Elias.
Then I saw her eyes again. And I never left her shadow.
After all, she is myLittle Nightmare.
We received confirmation that the organization was behind this, thanks to someone who may or may not be in our basement dying right now. Now I know who to hunt, and it’s the perfect timing to bring my beautiful Zanae closer to me. She might be the most interesting ally for this. And the most dangerous one too.
Leaning against the car, arms crossed, I watched Nikolai approach, cigarette between my lips, waves of smoke curling into the air around me.
“Zanae is holding up well,” he remarked casually.
“It was weird talking to her. It’s been way too long, I even forgot how fierce she was.”
He chuckled, taking a drag from my cigarette. “She is, she had a knife in hand when I met her in the cemetery the other night.”
A small, proud laugh escaped me. “Oh, it’s going to be hard.”
“Too late to back off now. We need her in this. Ben worked his ass off with Lévi to find a link to the organization, we can’t stop now. Plus, she’s thirsty for revenge too.”
I glanced out into the light, getting lost in its strange warm glow. “I intend to give it to her.”
Nikolai nodded thoughtfully. “You missed our sessions with Benny this week. What’s on your mind, Eli?”
“Her,” I replied way too easily.
She’s been haunting my mind for far too long. I barely even had a glimpse of her, but her image is etched into every part of my head. My men always kept her safe, but now I have her all to me, and it’s exhilarating. “She’s got a fire that could burn down this whole place. I just want to add a bit of fuel. You know me, I’ve got a little pyromaniac streak.”
“That girl will be the end of you, Elijah. She’ll bring a lot of problems,” Niko replied, laughin, almost happy that my biggest weakness was now our ally.
Ever since I laid eyes on her again in that cemetery weeks ago, she’s been living rent-free in my head. That’s the only problem about this non—stalkerish activity involving her.
“Masochist me will love it,” I said, smirking as if I’m already anticipating the suffering she’ll bring into my life and knowing I’ll love every moment of it.
“We need a solid plan. The organization is like a hydra—you cut off one head, and two more sprout up. And who knows who’s hiding in their ranks? It’s insane to think they’ve been operatingfor years without anyone trying to bring them down. Fucking bastards.”
I leaned back against the car, remembering clearly her hollow eyes the day I found her almost dead. “She’ll have her revenge.”
“You’ll have it too. And you didn’t answer. Why didn’t you go to the boxing base this week? Lévi waited for you, and Ben told me he had to rearrange his Saturday night just for you to punch him to death.”
“I had things to do,” I replied curtly, my mind still trailing Zanae. All week, I’d followed her. Everywhere. She seemed oblivious, lost in her own world with that girl Miranda and the child most of the time.
Not that it’s the first time I’ve shadowed her every move. It’s been some years now. Sometimes, she’d just turn around, as if she could sense my presence. And I’d smile.
My obsession was so aware of me.
