Page 30 of Darkest Before Dawn (His Perfect Darkness #2)

N ew Rome: Midnight. The bright lights of the city blot out the stars and the moon. The suburbs are quiet and sleepy, but in midtown, it’s as bustling as it is during the day.

A lone figure jogs away from a busy street and darts through a dark alleyway, running away from home to the soundtrack of sirens. He doesn’t know where to go, but he can’t go to his apartment. A man was waiting there for him. He’s lucky he got away.

And now he’s taking a shortcut to his favorite dive bar. He can hide out there. If he makes it.

There’s something sinister about the shadows. Or maybe it’s his own thoughts that color his surroundings. He’s been on edge ever since the messages for the detective started coming to him.

He didn’t mean to scare her earlier. He only wanted to give her the letter, as instructed. He knows why he was chosen—he has access as a member of the press. He doesn’t know what will happen to him if he doesn’t comply with the killer’s requests, but he doesn’t dare find out.

And now he can’t go home. He’s jumping at shadows, literally. He can’t shake the feeling of being watched.

The pressure builds until he can’t ignore it anymore. There’s someone behind him—he can sense it.

He whirls around. “Who’s there?”

But there’s no one following him. And if there was, what would he do?

Better to keep moving, so that’s what he does.

This is a mistake. If he looked up, he’d see a large shape rise from the roof and follow, stalking him from above.

The sound of motorcycles splits the night, and he freezes. A trio of bikes turn down the alleyway, blocking his exit. A street light illuminates two blond heads and one dark one. All three are wearing skull masks that cover the lower half of their faces.

“Ted Raider?” the closest one calls. The light glints on the silver skull ring he’s wearing as he raises his hands to show he’s unarmed. “We need to talk.”

Ted doesn’t wait to hear what they have to say. He turns and runs the other way. It’s stupid to try to outrun bikers, but they don’t follow, and he feels a little hope that he might escape his fate.

He’s almost to the middle of the alleyway when something explodes in front of him. There’s a flashbang of smoke, and he throws up his hands to ward off an attack, crying out.

Ears ringing, he staggers sideways. A large figure drops to the pavement in front of him.

It’s like something out of a video game—over six feet tall, bulky with black body armor and a helmet to hide their face.

Ted doesn’t need to see the dark figure’s expression to know it’s over for him.

He’s been caught. There’s horror but also relief. No more dreading what’s to come.

As the hunter reaches out a gloved hand, Ted gives up his shaky grasp on consciousness and slumps to the ground at the hunter’s feet.

Inara

On-screen, Rex stalks toward Ted. In his body armor, he’s both a futuristic soldier and a figure from a myth. An ancient warrior emerging from the mist.

“Wow,” Mina says. “Men will literally dress up in a bulletproof suit and run around being a vigilante instead of going to therapy.”

Ah, Mina, I missed you.

I’m back at Roy Manor, standing in front of the large array of screens in Rex’s lair. After the ball, Rex asked me to return to the safety of the manor, and I was so shaken that I agreed.

I watch the action unfold from the screens, my heart racing like I’m standing in the alley with him.

I smell the sharp, acrid funk of the gas.

I’ve been Ted in this moment. I should be afraid for him, but for some reason, I’m not.

I made Rex promise not to hurt him, and I guess I trust that he won’t.

I should be appalled that Rex is out there, exercising his own form of vigilante justice to hunt down the mysterious Ted.

But I’m not. And what does that say about me?

I’ve lived my life by the law. Ted is a witness, and there are protocols.

But here I am, rooting for Rex to trap Ted in any way he can.

“Can I get one of those suits?” Mina’s disembodied voice echoes through the cave.

I don’t know what possessed me to ask Rex if I could loop her in on this mission, but he agreed.

He probably hated seeing me so frightened and would’ve promised me the moon if he thought it would help. I needed someone familiar. I guess Mina is more of a friend than I thought.

Mina doesn’t know I’m standing in a hi-tech lab in a cave attached to the Roy family mansion, but she can see the feed. “Are those gauntlets?” She sounds fascinated.

Reflected in multiple angles, Rex looms larger than life while Ted lies prone on the asphalt. Rex has gassed me before, so I know it won’t hurt Ted. But my stomach twists at crossing this line.

I wanted to approach Ted and interview him the traditional way.

But I was in no state to do that, no matter how much I wanted to, and Rex didn’t offer me a choice.

He was going to bring him in tonight. He sent Ivan to approach Ted at his apartment with money to bribe him.

But when Ted ran, Rex chose to do things his way.

I wanted him to loop me in, but now I’m torn. I’m afraid for Rex, for what comes next. I’m afraid I’ve allowed things to go too far.

“Mission accomplished. Ending transmission.” As one, all the screens go dark.

“No, wait,” I say. “Mina, what’s happening?”

“We lost the feed,” Mina says.

“Mr. Roy ended the transmission,” Hamish says quietly. I jump, not realizing he was standing so close.

“Can you get it back?”

He hesitates, and I get the sense he’s wondering whether to lie to me. “I think it’s better if we allow Rex to go dark.”

“He doesn’t want me to see what’s next.” I clench my fists hard enough to drive my nails into my palms. “He can’t hurt him. He gave me his word.”

“He won’t injure him. Those weren’t real grenades. Merely smoke bombs. Shock and awe go a long way to breaking a person.”

Oh gods. Am I really allowing this?

“This is the best way,” Hamish says. “He’ll be ready to talk. We have less red tape than the police. They wouldn’t have a reason to hold him.”

“Hold him?”

“He’ll be questioned,” Hamish says. “We’ll get to the bottom of why the Bondage Killer is using him as a delivery boy.”

My stomach lurches with that sick feeling that overcame me when Ted first approached me.

“He’s right, Inara, this is the best way to go,” Mina says. “I’ve already looked into this guy. He’s a sleazeball. Been in trouble before for trying to pick up underage girls.”

“He still deserves due process.” I press my fist to my mouth, biting the knuckle.

Mina snorts, but Hamish assures me, “Rex will handle him with care. He’s our best lead in the case.”

“And the sooner we get answers, the sooner we can catch BK,” Mina says.

I hope she’s right. This will get us closer to our goal.

But I’m not okay with crossing this line.

I wanted Rex’s help, and I’m grateful for it, but that means doing things his way.

I know how far he’s willing to go. I don’t want him to kill anymore, but in the heat of the moment, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop him.

“I’ll message Rex for an update,” Hamish says and heads off to his own computer console, leaving me alone with Mina on the line.

“How was the party?” she asks. “Other than the whole getting-another-letter-from-a-serial-killer thing.”

“Fine. I’m glad it’s over.” She’s trying to distract me, but I need to focus on the case. “What have you found out about Ted?”

“He’s not a reporter. He freelances as a photographer for the New Rome Post . You know, the sort of paper that publishes stories about alligators in the sewers.”

I close my eyes. “Great.”

“ The Post is a sensational rag that barely rates being called a newspaper, and Ted isn’t exactly a model employee, but it was enough to get him a press badge tonight.”

Exhaustion hits me, and I sink into a swivel chair.

I’m still in my gold dress but wrapped in Rex’s suit jacket.

I didn’t take the time to change, claiming I wanted to get down to HQ right away.

In truth, I wanted to keep wearing Rex’s jacket.

His scent surrounds me and might be the only thing holding me together.

I couldn’t think of a better excuse to keep wearing it and couldn’t bear to give it up.

So much for me being a brilliant detective. I’m unraveling, barely able to do my job. I let my serial killer husband hunt down a prime witness while I clutch his suit jacket like a safety blanket.

Mina’s still talking, giving me the rundown on Ted. “—a ton of debt. It’d be easy to bribe this guy or threaten him. He might not know anything. But then again, he might.”

“Guess we’ll find out.” I can’t stifle a yawn.

Mina hears it. “You should sleep. It’s late.”

“I’m good.” I don’t know if I can fall asleep. I miss Rex like a phantom limb. He’s the only one who can comfort me. Not sure when that happened, but it has and it frightens me. It’s not safe for me to need anyone. How did I get in so deep?

“I’ll keep you company,” Mina says. “You still haven’t told me the whole story about why you got married.”

I rub my eyes. “It was a spur-of-a-moment thing. He thought it would keep me safe.”

“Huh. Ted still got close to you.”

“Yeah, but it probably was a lot harder than it would have been a week ago.” I hate having my movements constricted, but Rex has gone all out to make me safe. And I do feel safer. For the first time in my life, I’m able to fall asleep without checking the locks and security system twice.

“True. And now you have more resources to follow up on leads.”

“A little-known perk of being a billionaire’s wife.”

“Speaking of perks, I have to thank you for my new digs.”

I search my tired brain and then remember the gift I was going to use to lure Mina out of hiding before Rex beat me to it.

“How did you find it?” she asks. “It’s seriously perfect.”

“Hamish helped.”

“Sexy moustache man?”