Page 96 of Dead Love

“All I wanted—” I hated myself for these words, but I had to say them. Had to push her away. “All I wanted was to show you how easy it was for me to lick your pussy.” I sneered in disgust. “I wanted to get you off. Virgins always turn into sluts for their first. You’re just an easy fuck.”

The tears hung in her eyes. Then she burst through the front doors, disappearing into the sunlight.

CHAPTER31

Vincent

The next day,I drove to remove another Echo victim: a twenty-two-year-old, this time with long black hair, and green eyes, like Kora’s, already flattening to discs. Her face was sprinkled with glass.

Andrew crossed his arms. “Where were you last night between eight and midnight?”

“At Quiet Meadows,” I said.

“Can anyone vouch for you?”

Luckily, Lee had come in late to finish processing some invoices. “My bookkeeper.”

“I’ll have one of my team contact her.” He lifted his chin in the air. “I hope it’s airtight. Because I need one good reason. That’s all it takes, and you’re back in jail.”

“Good luck with that.” I pressed the trolley against the back of the truck until the retractable wheels collapsed underneath it.

Once the night hit, I went straight to 52 Peaks. Every emotion stirred inside of me, and I needed to do something, since sitting around always led my thoughts back to her, and I couldn’t let myself do that anymore. Or maybe it was because I needed to knowwhowas doing this so that I could make sure that Kora was never targeted.

The club was nearly empty. A few people danced in the middle of the floor and each of the small, circular bars had a bartender, but none of them had any customers waiting for drinks. I took a seat at the first bar. The bartender put his cleaning rag underneath the countertop.

“What can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for someone,” I said. “Mid-twenties. Wears a flat cap? He gave me something a while back.”

“You mean Deacon?” he asked. That sounded right. I nodded. “Sorry, man. Echo Killer got him.”

My jaw clenched. “Where is everyone getting the Echo then?” I muttered.

“Shut up, man,” he said, his eyes widening. “You can’t ask that out in the open.”

“Who is giving it to them?” I asked again. “You?”

He scowled at me. “I wouldn’t kill my own income.”

It was the same sentiment that Deacon had used months ago, but now he was dead too. How long would Shea be able to keep Kora safe? I had to do something.

The fact that I had once considered teaming up with the Echo Killer made me see red. And for once, I was glad that Kora’s mother was overprotective. As long as Shea could help it, Kora would never be one of those victims.

And I could take care of the Echo Killer myself.

A few cars were in the parking lot. I wasn’t a detective, but I knew when something wasn’t right, and at that moment, everything seemed calm. As if the Echo Killer was asleep.

In my car, I pulled onto the road, heading down the two-lane highway to Punica. The evergreen trees shadowed the asphalt. I blazed down, going seventy, when a raised truck with a camper top hit the gas, coming directly from a side road, pulling out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, punching the horn. The truck’s windows were tinted, country music blaring from the metal can, rattling the body.

I raised my fist at the driver. “Asshole,” I muttered.

Once the truck had passed, I started driving again. I drove slower, letting the adrenaline course through me until I returned to normal. My thoughts drifted over Kora and that contest. What purpose did it serve her to enter my work? Especially since she knew I didn’t care about that kind of stuff. But she had even come to tell me about it. To tell me she missed me, even if she didn’t know what that meant. Kora trusted me more than I deserved, and that infuriated me. That shebelievedin me. More than I believed in myself. She was either stupid or a fucking blessing.

I shifted my hands on the steering wheel. Her voice rang in my head:You have to start treating me like I treat you.And she was right. I needed to do better. I needed to get my shit together. To stop throwing myself a pity party because the woman I loved deserved better than me.

Loved.

I loved her, didn’t I?