Page 2 of Her Reckoning
“You can call me Art, Kat. I don’t bite,” He says with a wink, and I have to physically hold back my gag. I refocus my eyes on the project in front of me to indicate the importance of what I am working on.
“Can you proof this search warrant for me before I submit it to the judge? This is the first time I’ve done one of these without supervision, and I know how defense attorneys love typos.” He says to me, sounding unsure of himself for the first time. I smile at his discomfort before nodding.
“When do you need it back by?” I ask, so I know where it belongs in my queue of current work. While I have nothing time-sensitive on my desk at the moment, that could change, and I need to know what I can delay and what needs to be immediately done.
“Can I get it back in time to get it to the judge today?” He requests while attempting to be flirty.
“Send me the document and I will work on it right now,” I say, looking back to my screen to find a safe stopping place.He finally moves to retreat toward his own space when I don’t continue the conversation. Moments later, the email notification comes through with the document. Breathing deeply, I jump into reviewing the document, since I only have an hour to get it back to him so the court gets it in a timely fashion. Once I finish the review, I move back to the appendix and get lost in the process of organization.
When I finally look at the time, I see that I have stayed well past the standard end of the day. I sign off my computer and go home. The drive home is quiet and I miss my bike, but it is important to maintain a degree of separation from the killer I am when I work.
The sun is setting as I walk through my front door only to be greeted by Potato wrapping himself between my feet. He sounds like he is annoyed, so I set down my bag on the couch and walk to his food and water bowls. Both dishes are full, furthering my confusion as to the annoyance from my furbaby. I find my way to his litterbox to see if it is too dirty for my spoiled cat, but find it mysteriously empty. The hair on the back of my neck stands straight up as I reach for the scissors. I haven’t emptied the litter box in a few days, and I knew when I left for work this morning that I would need to empty it when I came home.
Using all of my training, I keep my back to the wall and make my way deeper into the apartment, checking every corner. I spare only a glance towards the rose and paper left on my bed before clearing the bathroom. With each step I take, I listen for any movement outside of Potato or myself, but all I hear is my own breathing. I double-check the locks on the front door before I rush back to my bed and pick up the note.
USE YOUR ENCRYPTED DEVICE, KITTEN
The note is written in bold script and has a QR code underneathfor me to scan. He called me Kitten when we first met on the porch at my victim’s house. This note is from Enzo and I need to grab my extra encrypted device to see where the QR code leads. I know that the link could be a trap but my tablet is fully encrypted and would alert me and close the link if it is being traced.
I work my way through the house quickly to grab the tablet out of my kill bag and open the camera. While I cannot trust anyone, every fiber of my being is telling me to open the gift. By leaving the rose and letter, he has done more than my last three dates combined, even if he broke into my apartment to accomplish it. Scanning the code, I curl up on the couch with Potato, and a video feed loads.
“There she is. I was waiting for you, Kitten.” He smiles at the camera and my stomach flutters in response. The camera zooms out, showing me a dark room and a man in a chair. A familiar man. Arthur. Why is Arthur tied to a chair?
“Where am I?” He looks up at Enzo and visibly shakes. The lighting in the room isn’t great, but I can see the fear etching itself on his face. Enzo walks to him, pulls out a beautiful knife from inside his belt, and runs the point down Arthur’s face. The pressure is not enough to draw blood, but to verify the realness of the situation.
“‘Tsk, tsk. You are the captive, I ask the questions. Why did I find you outside of your coworker’s apartment this evening?” He asks Arthur, and I feel every muscle freeze at the aspect of him being near my place.
“She should be grateful that I want to pay attention to someone of her background and stature.” He spits in emphasis of his view, of who I can assume is me. I clench my jaw hard. This waste of space idiot really thinks so lowly of me but can come to me when he wants help? None of this addresses why he was at my house though, today was not different from our normal interactions.
“No, little boy. You are the scum beneath her feet. Why would she be grateful to you?” Enzo snarls at him, sliding the knife across his shoulder and drawing blood. The audible hiss that Arthur lets out is music to my ears. Good, the arrogant ass deserves to suffer.
“I was going to teach her a lesson about shutting me down. She clearly has no manners,” He says through gritted teeth and I continue to watch for Enzo’s reaction. The tightness in his muscles in reaction to what was said about me puts me on the edge of my seat. Enzo takes the knife and slams it into his thigh while letting out a chuckle.
“You were going to attempt to force yourself on her, just like the other girls, right? I saw your history and how much Daddy has had to pay for you to stay out of jail and employed. But you picked the wrong woman to mess with,” Enzo says with a smile. He looks at the camera and winks before pulling out his phone.
FROM: Pussy Tamer
Do you know the abandoned Andrea Family Farm outside of town?
FROM: Kat
Yes
FROM: Pussy Tamer
Come to the warehouse for your prize. I’ll try to save some for you
3
Chapter 3
Enzo
“From the embers, vengeance will rise.”
I keep my eye on the cameras and the tracker to watch her come my way. I placed the tracker on her bike before I officially met her. The work that she has been doing in the city has been noted by the family for taking out our enemies. Her first kill had me following mere steps behind to watch her end that predator. Since then, I have been diligently following each of her kills. Each new kill has told me more about her than the thorough background check I requested.
The sound of her engine revving through the quiet farm night revives my smile. I watch her dismount her bike on my phone and feel the thrum of excitement jolt through me. She is here and ready to bring the pain. Originally, I was just going to leave her a rose and take out her next target on camera as a gift, but then I found him outside of her apartment. Like a gentleman, Iopen the barn door for her, and she finds my neck with her knife. She slides the knife into place against my jugular vein and I feel my pulse increase.
