Page 31 of Bound to a Killer

I take another bite of my own. “It isn’t fancy, but it’s better than staying hungry.”

Her eyes track up to mine, and I can almost hear her breathing thinly through her nose before she glances away, reaching for her spoon.

Good. She’s learning.

Her brows pinch as she works her jaw slowly through the first bite. It’s blander than what she’s probably used to, but like most people in the world, starvation ultimately pushes even the most reluctant individuals into eating whatever’s offered. It’s a far cry from life at the Shaw house.

Her eyes stay glued to the bowl as she clears it, one forceful bite after another.

Things are about to get a hell of a lot different now.

Last night, I scoured the internet for detailed reports on her, but there wasn’t much beyond a name and basic profile. Her disappearance has challenged Evalyn’s death narrative, but nothing conclusive was found.

I’ve been meticulous with every part of the plan, rehearsed dozens of times with our other targets, but Aria’s sudden disappearance without a word sticks out as odd.

Who is she to them, anyway?

“Can I ask…” Her voice wavers as our eyes reconnect again. “Were you following me that whole time you were planning this?”

I lean further in my seat, exhaling. “I didn’t know you’d be there, no. That had nothing to do with you.”

She chews on the inside of her cheek. “So it was all a coincidence? You knew nothing about me prior to breaking into the house?”

“Exactly.” I nod. Her frown deepens. “But what I want to know is exactly how are you related to the Shaws?”

She pulls in her pink, plump lip between her teeth, then drops her spoon as she retracts her hands to her lap, trembling fingers threading together.

“I don’t really know them that well.”

“So you stayed overnight with a family you hardly know?”

She shrugs, eyes locked on her hands.

“I find it hard to believe your parents would just allow that. What kind of parents would let their kid stay with people they hardly know?”

“Mine, I guess,” she says bitterly, shifting in her seat.

Come to think of it, I didn’t recall seeing anything about her parents being mentioned online. They must be worried about her. I know I’d be if it were Frankie who’d gone missing. She reminds me a lot of her…my sister. It only worsens the guilt I feel for my involvement in her abduction.

I’ve never been in a position where I was part of a minor’s kidnapping case, but I figure that’s due to privacy laws that could interfere with an open investigation. If there is one—and in her case, there likely is.

Another reason we need to leave this place.

“Well, they’re gonna have to live with regret knowing they lost their precious little princess to their own negligence.”

“They won’t care,” she says, a tinge of sadness slipping through. “Everyone’s probably relieved I’m gone. Even them.”

“Then why fight so hard to go back?”

“As if you’d understand.”

A cruel smile tugs at my lips as I scrutinize her, debating whether to end the talk here or press on, but the urge to dismantle her defense is too strong to resist.

“I don’t claim to understand, but let me give you a small piece of advice, since I’m feeling generous.”

Her eyes narrow at my curved lips. My words bite, venomous, just as they’re meant to.

“You’re dead to everybody from your past life. You said it yourself, none of them care. So let them all go. Let your old life go.”