Page 1 of A Midnight Romance

River

A s 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 time and how 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 for more control.”

“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.”

“And do you know what time it is now?” she presses. “You don’t want to be late again.”

“I do, and like I said, I will be there.”

“You better be. I’ll see you both later this evening.”

I quickly hang up after saying our goodbyes and turn to Sebastian, who’s staring at me.

“I’ve got to go. I forgot about the bimonthly board meeting,” I tell him.

Sebastian folds his arm across his chest. Although he may have stepped away from his role at the company to run the night crew—a group of guys who help with our nighttime activities—we both retain equal ownership. “I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“Yeah, you just like to collect the money,” I spit playfully.

“What can I say? You make better decisions than I could ever have. Besides, this”—he gestures at the body in front of him—“has kept me more than busy.”

“Fair enough.”

“Need anything else before I go?” I ask, slinging my bag over my shoulder as I walk to the door of the motel room we rented for this kill .

“Do I ever?”

Sebastian has been running an efficient and effective night crew since stepping away last year. Which means, I’m left with handling the logistics and overseeing the entire operation. It works well, I must say. And with help of our FBI contact and his hacking skills, we have one hell of a team.

I shake my head at him and let out a laugh. “I’ll see you back at the manor.”

“Have fun with the suits,” he comments.

After a quick once-over of the room, I step out in the crisp morning air. It’s been raining in Seattle over the last few days so there’s a mist in the air from a typical summer night storm.

I make a beeline for my car parked directly under a tree in the back of the lot. Once inside, I quickly remove my black hoodie and shirt, then reach into the back seat to grab my bag. I always carry a backup set of clothes just in case I need to look presentable.

I pull out a white button-up shirt, and after slipping it on I glance down at my black slacks.

They still look good and there’re no blood stains on them.

After changing into a pair of black shoes, I turn on the engine and head down the windy highway into downtown.

It takes a little under an hour to arrive at the Thompson Innovations headquarters, where I pull into my parking spot a few minutes before 7 a.m.

“Good morning, Mr. Thompson,” Tiffany, the blonde receptionist, greets me with a smile when the elevator doors to the second floor open.

I flash her a broad grin and walk around the high counter, stopping only a few inches from her. “What are you doing here this early?”

She bats her eyelashes a few times. “Felix told me you guys had a board meeting this morning, and I didn’t want to give up the chance to see you.”

Tiffany has been with the company for less than a year and has made it her mission to capture my attention each time she sees me .

“I’m flattered,” I say, with a warm smile. I may not be interested in her, but I can’t be disrespectful. “But go get yourself some coffee or breakfast and come back when you have to be here.”

“You’re the best.” Tiffany bends to grab her purse from under the desk. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’m okay, but if you could return with donuts for everyone that would be great,” I say, handing her the company card. “Just slide it under my office door when you get back.”

“You got it. Thanks, Mr. Thompson.” She blushes as the elevator door closes.

“She’s got it bad for you,” Felix comments as he walks briskly down the hall toward the lobby.

“Not interested.”

Women vying for my attention is nothing new. Sure, I might be considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Seattle, but I’m not interested in anything romantic.

“Oh, the woes of being River Thompson.” He smirks. “But I’m happily married so I’ll never know what that feels like.”

Before I can say anything back, the sound of his three-year-old daughter yelling my name interrupts our conversation.

“Wivver!” Sophie says as she bolts down the hall, behind him.

I crouch down to catch her, scooping her up into my arms. “Hey, Sophie, what are you doing here?”

“You were the one who wanted it to be today. I was supposed to be off,” her father answers for her. “And my wife is away for the weekend on a girls’ trip.”

“We’ll make this quick so Daddy can go home,” I joke, turning my attention back to Sophie .

I don’t want to be here as much as Felix.

But if I want to keep my nightly operation running, I have to maintain my regular daily life, which means ensuring I still have a hand in the successful technology company Sebastian and my parents built.

That’s why I still hold my position as CEO while Felix, our COO, runs the day-to-day operations.

Felix shakes his head. “The rest of the board is waiting for you,” he tells me, taking Sophie from my arms, then lowers her to the ground and takes her hand.

I follow behind them as we walk past the rows of employee offices, each with a view of the downtown. I chose this exact building because I wanted my staff to have the best workspace so they wouldn’t notice my constant absence.

“Did she get the gift I sent her?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood, even though I’m the one who hasn’t slept all night.

He shoots me a glare from over his shoulder. “You mean the obnoxiously loud drum set?”

I knew he’d love that. “That’s the one.”

“Yes, we did. I love waking up to the sound of banging drums at five a.m. on a Saturday morning,” he deadpans.

“It’s my absolute pleasure.” I give him a friendly slap on his back. “Her birthday’s coming up soon, right? I’ll make sure to send another thoughtful gift her way.”

“How kind of you,” he retorts, opening the glass doors to the conference room.

Six out of the seven suits who make up the Thompson Innovation’s Executive Board are all waiting. Felix places Sophia in a rolling chair next to him.

“Good morning,” I greet them. Each member appears more than a little tired and disheveled, but they all return my jovial grin with weak smiles.

So I decide to tease them a little and reinforce the persona I’m putting on.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be at work at eight a.m.? This isn’t that much earlier.”

“That’s subjective,” Felix comments playfully.

“Then we’ll make this quick.”

A collective sigh of relief floats through the room as I slide in my usual chair at the head of the table near the presentation screen. I then give a nod in Felix’s direction, indicating for him to begin.

“Thompson Innovations has been working closely with the Department of Defense for years, but we haven’t provided them with any new prototype in some time,” he begins, handing me the briefing before taking his place at the front.

I’m scanning over the front page, absorbing this month’s objectives while Felix goes through his entire presentation.

Even though this meeting was scheduled last minute, Felix’s presentation is extremely thorough—which isn’t surprising.

He’s been loyal to our company for years and never comes unprepared.

“Go on.”

Felix clears his throat. “I would like to allocate more money to Research and Development for the upcoming quarter.”

“I think that sounds great. Did you already have a project in mind?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Felix says, his voice filled with excitement. “Check this out.” He beams, then removes a small cylinder no bigger than the length of the tip of my finger to my wrist from a bag on the floor.

He presents it to me, like I should know what it is. “What is this?”

“A lip gloss Taser.” He hands it to me. “It’s only a prototype, but I wanted to show it to you before we sent it off to the FBI for field testing.”

“What does it do?” I ask, examining the product .

“It’s a Taser,” he tells me.

“I got that part,” I say with a light chuckle. “But does it work?”

He laughs. “Fortunately— and unfortunately—all of our developers can attest to its efficacy.”

I grimace. “Ouch.”

“With your approval, we’d like to send it within the next week.”

“How many of these have we manufactured so far?”

“Twenty,” he tells me.

I examine the clear tube more closely. “Make that nineteen. I’m keeping this one.”

“You always like to use the gadgets first, don’t you,” he quips.

I put the gadget into my pocket. “Perks of being the boss.” I smile, which earns me a chuckle from the other board members.

As the meeting presses on, my eyes grow heavy from the events of the night. I need to head back to Thompson Manor for some sleep.

“If there’s nothing else I have to leave, but you have my approval to move forward.” Before I leave the room, I give the executive board one more friendly smile before turning to our CFO, Becky Hooper. “Will you send me the cost breakdown and the source of the expenses once this is all sorted?”

“Will do,” she replies, taking notes down on one of our branded notepad.

“And keep me updated on the field testing,” I direct toward Felix.

“Goodbye, Mr. Thompson,” says a chorus behind me as I step into the hallway.

Once I’m alone and headed for the elevators, I breathe in a deep inhale—as relief washes over me.

I plan to head back to Thompson Manor, catch up on a few hours of sleep, and then continue working on my next target.

The hunger never dulls and it’s only a matter of time before I’ll need to kill again.