Page 39 of To Love a Monster
I recognize it from the reference images I pulled when I first built my report, one photo of Jake standing behind the counter, arms crossed, smiling like he didn’t have a single worry in the world.But I never went inside.
It’s been shuttered since I arrived, but I didn’t think anything of it, most shops rotate their hours during the quiet season.A handful of locals, the occasional visitor passing through.No need to stay open unless there’s money to be made.I assumed it was just one of those places.Seasonal.Dormant otherwise.
But now ...seeing the store like this, in the background of a murder scene.Sealed off, silent, turned into a tomb, I realize it didn’t simply close for winter.I then find a message attached to an email, short and chilling.
“Access secured.The property is under observation.Awaiting next move.”
No names, no identifiers.I trace the email string and find the recipient’s address.It’s encrypted.Bounced through several dead nodes, scrambled headers.Anonymous and purposefully untraceable to the untrained eye.
I scroll further through the inbox, through older threads, tagged with the same encrypted sender.One stands out from a few weeks ago, same date Matteo received the anonymous threat.
“Meet at the drop.You know the spot.Assignment waiting.I want this handled clean.”Short and cold.No location, no signature.But the implication is there.Carl doesn’t need coordinates.He’s done this before.
I scan deeper through his folders, unearthed images, most scraped from social platforms, some stolen from digital galleries.Then I see it.Photos of Lila.
My blood runs cold.They’re not just pictures.They’re labeled, tracked by date and location.Some are old, portraits from her gallery shows, press photos, images she once smiled for without knowing who might be watching.
But others...Others are recent.Too recent.Lila jogging near the trail behind her cabin.Lila standing at her window, framed by sheer curtains.Angles she didn’t pose for.Moments no one should’ve seen unless they were there.
They mark where she goes.When.What she wears.How often she repeats patterns.He’s been studying her.Hunting her.And he kept her here, buried in the same directories as kill orders and torture files, like she’s the next name on a list.
I click into another folder labeled “VES.”Inside there are emails linked to the Vescari Syndicate.Matteo’s rivals.This confirms ties and direct communication.Carl isn’t acting alone.He’s a plant, a weapon.One they placed close enough to Lila to taste her breath.
Rage blooms under my skin, sharp and violent.And then my phone buzzes.Not the one in my hand.The other one.The one connected tohis.The screen flashes silently, indicating an incoming call.Real-time data feed.
It’s an Unknown Caller ID.I don’t move, I just hold my breath and listen.The line clicks open, quiet as a knife unsheathing.Carl answers, his voice low and neutral.“Yeah?”There’s a pause, then a woman speaks.Calm, controlled.Like she’s giving orders in a place where blood is currency.
“Authorization confirmed.Begin extraction.”
My breath stops in my throat.The phrase is clean, polished.And her voice?Her voice is a ghost I’ve heard in darker places.Elegant, cold and unmistakable.And I know it way too fucking well.
Chapter Fifteen
Nikolai
Istay frozen, everybreath locked behind my ribs as Carl lets out a slow exhale.He shifts, leaning against something solid.I can hear the faint hum of the refrigerator behind him, the silence between each breath tight and measured.
