I looked at Brandon in surprise as it dawned on me what I was feeling. Thankfully, he was driving and was focused on the road. It would have been awkward if he’d caught me gazing at him like a love-struck teenager.
“What kind of movie would you like to see tonight?” he asked. “I can get our tickets early, but I don’t know what you like yet.”
“Well, like I said – I have no idea what a theater is like, but I think I like scary movies,” I replied.
“Really?” Brandon said with a smile. “I love horror. The new Possession just opened. That’ll be perfect. You sure you can handle it though? I’ve heard it’s pretty scary.”
“Can YOU handle it?” I challenged him in return.
He laughed and gave me one last look that left an image in my mind for some time. It was just a silly smile, but it was so easy and warm; I wanted to stay with him, but we were pulling up to the curb in front of Kate’s house.
He leaned over and gave me an unexpected kiss on the cheek after the car stopped. “I guess we’ll see which one of us is braver after dinner tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied, wondering if he could tell I was blushing. I could feel it, but it was just another unfamiliar sensation to add to the list for the day.
I closed the car door and waved as he drove away. Kate must have come outside while I was facing the street and surprised me when I turned toward the front door.
“I can’t believe you did that!” she exclaimed. “You can’t just go and beat someone up!”
“Brandon said you weren’t mad,” I said, worried that he’d been incorrect and that there was going to be an issue after all.
“I’m not mad,” she said more calmly. “I’m not saying you were wrong to do it… but you got arrested! I was worried about you all day. Are you okay?”
“Yes – I’m fine. I’m so sorry for Norah having to see that. I just got so angry. People can’t treat her like that and get away with it. I’ll pay the price for my actions, but I’d do it again.”
“You don’t need to be sorry, but please talk to me before you do anything like that again. I appreciate how much you care, but you have to be more careful.”
I agreed and Kate gave me a big hug. It was the second meaningful embrace I’d received that afternoon, and I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I thought back to my past life where I’d been above everyone in my station as Queen; I’d been untouchable, and I had convinced myself that I needed no one. To have gone from that to this… it was nearly unbelievable. Since childhood, I had thought that dependence on other people was a weakness, but I was beginning to see that it was what made life worth living.
“You’d better get some rest,” Kate said, releasing me and cutting my thoughts short. “As I understand it, you’ve still got a date, and now that he knows you’re a literal knockout, you have to dress like one for sure!”
We went inside and Norah was coloring at the table. When she saw me walk in behind her mom, she jumped up and ran over to give me a hug of her own. It was too much, and as silly as I felt, I let a tear fall from one eye and run down my cheek. Seeing that I was emotional, Kate started to cry too, and soon we were both crying while Norah stepped back, looking baffled and worried at the same time.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing sweetie,” Kate assured her. “Aunt Emily and Mommy are just so happy that we found each other. Aren’t you happy too?”
“Of course I am,” Norah chirped still looking at us like we were crazy to be crying.
“Are you still going out tonight?” the little girl asked me.
Wiping the tears away and laughing at her innocence and the simplicity of her thoughts I nodded. “I sure am!” Then I gave her a funny grin through my remnant tears, imagining how I must look with a blotchy face and frazzled hair. “Do I look ready?”
“No!” she shouted. “You need a bath!”
I giggled. You could always trust a child to tell you the truth.
She smiled, pleased that she had made me laugh. “Are you going to wear your new dress?” she asked.
“No, not tonight,” I said, a little sadly. “That dress is much too fancy for the movies.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she agreed, nodding her sweet little head sagely. “But you still need a bath!”
“Yes,” Kate agreed. “Upstairs with you!”
There was just enough time for me to relax in the bath and let some of the tension from the day wash away before I had to get dressed and ready to meet Brandon again. The water was steaming as I climbed in, and I lowered myself slowly, adjusting to the heat inch by inch. My skin turned a pale shade of pink beneath the surface. It was perfect.
This morning’s activities gave me plenty to reflect on, and I grinned to myself as I replayed the moment when the lamp had hit David in the head. The whole situation reminded me of a similar one that had taken place long ago.
I’d still been new to my craft, having only killed about a half-dozen men at that point, but as I was walking in town, I saw a man slap his daughter. My anger had been stirred right away, not as strongly as it had when Norah was concerned, but enough that I set my sights on him. I was young and over-confidant, and did not concern myself with many preparations. I followed him into an alley and confronted him, but he was faster than I’d expected, and my kick was off target. It landed on the inside of his leg, glancing off and not even knocking him down. He was a big man, and I should have been far surer of my course before I dove in.
I could see the confusion on his face, but it did nothing to slow his reaction. He lashed out hard, the back of his hand stinging as it connected with the soft flesh of my cheek. I was lucky he hadn’t struck my cheekbone or jaw, but even still, it threw me to the ground and I was momentarily stunned. I had to scramble to get back up. By the time I did so, he was staring at me with a new expression. No longer confused, he was looking at me like he was ready to play a game – the kind of game a cat plays with a mouse before it’s ready to eat.
“Queen Emlyn?” he asked. “What are you doing in a dark alley all alone at this time of night? Don’t you know there are dangerous folk about?”
“Like you?” I asked coldly.
“Exactly,” he said as he lunged forward. It was his turn to underestimate me.
I stepped forward and to the side, bringing my back knee into his ribs as I pulled him into the strike as hard as I could. He was easily twice my size, and I needed every bit of leverage I could get. I’d winded him, and the wheezing gasp he made was satisfying, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough to slow him, let alone stop him. I drove my knee back into him again. As I drew back for a third strike, he managed to get his arm in the way and effectively blocked the blow. He gave me a hard shove and I stumbled, nearly landing on my back once again. Thankfully, I kept my footing this time.
He charged forward, perhaps thinking that my last move had just been luck. It had not. I met his charge this time with a thrusting kick to the front of his knee. The sound a knee makes when it’s kicked in is nothing short of horrendous. As much as I loved distributing justice, that was one thing I never enjoyed, but it could be a life-saver. His leg buckled and he tumbled forward with a scream of devastating pain.
I knew I had him at that point. My overconfidence struck again. I stepped to the side and threw a kick toward his head, hoping to knock him out, or come close to it.
Despite his pain, the man somehow caught my foot with his hand and pulled me down. He could not stand, but his strong hands worked just as well as ever. He managed to get them around my throat, and he wasted no time cutting off my air supply. I could feel the world fading far quicker than I could believe. I fought back wildly, knowing I only had seconds left. I drove a foot into his groin. His grip lessened slightly from the blow, and I stole a few precious gasps of air, but I could not wriggle away. Angered by the kick, he squeezed harder.
I nearly passed out. In in my panic, I flailed my arms, blindly groping for something, anything I
could use as a weapon. There was a drainage ditch behind the shop which sat next to this alley. Apparently, it was lined with stones to keep the dirt from washing away. I picked up the first stone I could grab and smashed it into his head. He released me instantly and let out another scream. I tried to hit him again, but he’d shuffled his body out of my reach.
Not wanting to risk getting close again after nearly handing him my life a moment ago, I hurled the stone at his head. It bounced off one of his hands. He reflexively dropped the injured arm, and I snatched another rock to throw at him before he could think clearly enough to remember to protect his head. It hit him right above the eye, splitting his skin. I heard the dull thud of the rock hitting his head, then the lighter clatter of it skidding down the street. He was shrieking. The confident smile returned to my lips as I realized that I was the cat once more.
I chucked stone after stone at his head, each one seeming to be bigger than the last. Some missed, some hit his hands, others his body, but most were on target. Eventually I was standing and throwing them down at him as he lay sprawled and helpless in the dirt. He had stopped screaming at some point. When I was finally convinced that he was no longer a threat, I grabbed one of his legs and started dragging him across the alley. If someone came by on the street, they’d see us. I needed more privacy than that.
I checked the doors and found one with a loose board where the latch sat. I kicked hard several times and it finally gave way. It was the theater. Dragging a man was no easy task, but I pulled him inside and lit some of the lamps to see by. There were no windows here, so we would not be seen. It was the queue area behind the lobby.
The pig was regaining consciousness, and he started to whimper and whine as I dragged him the last few feet. Panting, I hurried back out to get my bag and saw a shovel leaning by the ditch. I grabbed both my bag and the shovel and went back inside. Having come to, the man had backed himself against a wall and was sitting up.
“What do you want?” he shouted.
“For men to stop thinking they can treat women however they want to without any consequence. I saw you hit that girl. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“No you’re not!” I shouted in my most scathing tone. “If I’d not managed to get away, you would have gloated about it before you killed me. Anyone who hits a woman is nothing more than an animal and a danger to society. I’m here to put you down.”
“NO!”
He tried to scream the word, but it caused his beaten body to cough and came out garbled.
Not ready to be done with him, I drove the spaded end of the shovel into his thighs, making him absolutely howl. The pain was enough that he struggled for a moment to draw breath, but as soon as he could, he was back to begging.
I delivered the next blow, a sideways swing into his ribs which he shielded with an arm. It was a powerful strike, enough to probably break his arm. More pain. More screaming. An even bigger smile on my face. I could feel my lips curling upward in the bath as I luxuriated in the memory.
When he was out of feigned apologies and empty promises, and I was out of new places to hit him, I’d looked down at his broken body and offered him mercy in the form of a deathblow to the head.
Most of my kills hadn’t been that difficult, but there were a few men after him who’d had proven more challenging targets than I’d expected. Those kills always ended up being my favorites. I loved to beat the odds.
The morning with David had hardly been physically taxing, but it had stirred the memories of stoning that abuser back when I could get away with more. The lingering satisfaction was as refreshing as the bath, and I was soon pulling the drain and drying off, now with just enough time to get ready before Brandon picked me up. I had not held out much optimism for the first date, but this time, anxiety was squirming in my chest.
“How’re you feeling?” Kate asked when I finally came down, wearing an outfit I’d selected myself that was fairly comfortable, but hopefully still alluring.
“I’m a little nervous. How do I look?” I asked, giving a little twirl. I wore tight jeans and a tank top that had a plain black front but was embellished with silver detailing around straps that gathered behind my neck and ran in a line between my shoulder blades.
“Gorgeous – as always!” she said. As excited as I was, somehow, she still seemed even more-so.
There’s not much time. Sit down and let me do your hair,” she said.
“My hair is fine,” I insisted.
“It looks great, but you’ll look even better when I’m done. Stop arguing and sit!”
I could tell she would not be dissuaded, so I sat at the table and she went to work on my long brown hair.
“So what movie are you seeing after dinner?” she asked.
“Something scary,” I replied.
“Ohhhhhh – nice!” she exclaimed. “You can snuggle up to him if you get scared.”
“I don’t get scared from movies,” I laughed.
“Well you can pretend. That way you have an excuse to get close.”
Kate couldn’t see me roll my eyes, but Norah was across the table from me finishing her dinner and nearly spit it out.
“What’s so funny, missy?” Kate asked.
“Nothing,” Norah snickered.
‘Good girl!’ I thought to myself as I gave her a wink.
Kate seemed to have finished fussing with my hair and was turning my head from side to side so she could see every angle.
“Is it done?” I asked.
“I think so…” Kate said, “what do you think?”
I stood up and walked into the downstairs bathroom to see myself in the mirror. Kate was a wizard. She had my hair pinned up beautifully in a big, fancy bun with a swirling pattern. It was fancy enough to feel special, but not too much for a simple dinner and movie.
“It’s perfect, Kate! I don’t know how you do it!”
“Lot’s of practice!” she grinned, tousling Norah’s hair. Then she pursed her lips, looking slightly worried.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, patting my hair to see if any strands had fallen loose.
“It’s just – do you think you’ll be cold? You don’t remember, but movie theaters get cold. Hold on, I have the perfect cardigan!”
Ever the mother, she darted away, returning with a silky black cardigan just as the doorbell rang.
Brandon looked as handsome as ever as he greeted the three of us.
“You know,” he said. “I met a really pretty woman earlier today, but I don’t think she quite lives up to you, and she was in jail, so…”
I punched him in the shoulder while blushing furiously.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Absolutely!” I said.
“We won’t wait up!” Norah cooed as we left.
Chapter 10
I’d been hoping that we’d get to discuss Brandon’s work more on our date, so when I asked him about his day and a dark look crossed his face, I felt a thrill. While I didn’t relish the fact that he was obviously upset, I hoped that I may be able to coax more information out of him by playing the concerned girlfriend. I felt a twinge of guilt for having that thought, but I reminded myself that I wasn’t really pretending; I was concerned. And uniquely able to help.
“Oh no,” I murmured, “that doesn’t look good.” I let my hand trail lightly across his forearm.
He gave me a look and nodded his head, confirming that he’d had a difficult day, but he did not volunteer any information. I had to switch tactics.
“Oh.” I withdrew my hand and bit my lip, doing my best to look remorseful. “Was it me? Did I get you in trouble or something for bailing me out? I’m so sorry! I never meant for my actions to reflect on you!” I knew that wasn’t the issue, but I hoped that in order to convince me, he would tell me what was really going on. He took the bait and I felt another pang for manipulating him, but it was soon forgotten when he began talking.
“No, Emily �
�� please don’t think that. It has nothing to do with you. It’s just that in my line of work, the bad days are really bad.”
It was his turn to reach out and take my hand.
I looked back at him skeptically.
“I’ve been working on this one case for a few weeks, and it’s really getting to me,” he admitted.
“What is it?” I asked carefully.
He glanced side to side, assuring himself that no one was paying attention to our conversation. “It’s a serial rapist. Rapist and murderer. Cafferty and I have been working with another team. Seven known victims – and we’re getting nowhere! It’s so frustrating! Every day I’m just waiting for the next victim.” He shook his head dejectedly.
“That’s terrible,” I said, but inside I felt like a tightly wound spring. I could feel tense excitement coiling in my stomach. This was perfect. Surely, there would be news articles about something like this. I would go home and research this killer, then I would elicit extra information from Brandon. It would be difficult, maybe my most difficult hunt. If the police had no idea who he was, I knew I wouldn’t just stumble across him, but deep in my bones I knew I would find him. Once again, Fate had selected him for me. It was my destiny to track him down. If anyone deserved my attention, it was a man who raped women before killing them for the pure pleasure of it. My head was spinning and I had half a mind to run to the bathroom for a moment to look up this killer on my phone. I had to stay calm.
“Did you find another victim today?” I asked under the guise of understanding what was upsetting him. I was almost hoping they had. A new victim would mean fresh information that hadn’t been explored yet.
I waited breathlessly for his response, practically sitting on the edge of my seat. What he said next sent a shiver down my spine and my blood ran cold.
“No, well yes,” Brandon said. “We found a body, just not from the rapist. I ended up having to follow up on that case I was telling you about the other day. I’d only ever taken it as a favor in the first place, I don’t normally work domestics, but now it’s my case – remember the lady I told you about who kept going on about being attacked at a grocery store? But I was sure it was the husband?”
Evil Unbound- Death's Mistress Returns Page 16
