Page 116 of Dreadful

Sev grins, but the judge looks like he’s going to pass out anyway. “Please, I beg you, Chiara—”

“Don’tcallme that!”

“Chiara, you were always such a devout little girl! You confessed with your godfather every Saturday. I-I’ve found God, too! Grant me mercy!”

The reminder makes me sick, and my stomach churns. Sever stands and places his hand on my back, giving me silent comfort and permission. I lean into all of it.

My eyes narrow at the judge’s reflection, and I shake my head. “Forgiveness is for the worthy. You’ve never been worth anything more than my revenge.”

I put all my force and strength behind the blade and slice across the judge’s throat. It’s so quick that blood doesn’t even have time to spurt out. Instead, it waterfalls down the white bib around his neck. The shock and fear in his face slackens, and he goes flaccid in the barber’s chair. Peace washes over me as the light leaves the bastard’s eyes. He was the last man that hurt Chiara. She can finally rest knowing that her nightmare is dead.

“It’s done,” I whisper.

Almost.

Chiara can rest…but Tallie still has one more to go.

Butler.Maids.Gardener.Driver.Capo.Priest.Judge.Godmother…Godfather.

I’ve been alone every other time I finished marking off a name on my list. This time, I lift my eyes from the corpse, and Sever’s pride gleams back at me.

“You did well,vipera. He can never hurt you again.”

I return my gaze to my dead prey. Satisfaction, relief, and gratitude fill my chest as I nod. “He can never hurtanyoneagain.”

Scene 32

YOU ARE FORMIDABLE

Talia

After several more minutes of savoring the sight of the judge’s life bleeding out of him, soaking onto the chair, and dripping to the floor, Sever’s hand encircles my wrist. He takes my knife and slowly pulls me into his chest in a warm embrace. When he kisses the top of my head, my lower belly flips, and I squeeze him back, letting all my emotion and gratitude flow out of me and into him.

“Thank you, Sev. Best present ever. Aside from the knife mynonnigave me, of course.”

“Of course,” he chuckles. “I had to make sure you had that, too. You wouldn’t have been able to fully enjoy your gift without it.”

“You know me so well.”

He smiles down at me. “I think I know mydolcezza.”

“You do, don’t you?” I agree and stand on my tiptoes to kiss him.

Every time our lips touch, something takes over me. My heart beats rapidly, and my body flushes with need almost instantly. It happens again, now, but knowing there’s a body right in front of us drains any desire from my system. I clear my throat as I pull away.

“So, um, I…what should we do with this? It’s a mess.”

“Not as messy as you think. With the bib catching most of the blood, the scene isn’t nearly the worst I’ve dealt with.”

Sever grabs the white hand towel and wraps it around the gaping gash in the judge’s neck. It’s immediately soaked in crimson, but it seems to catch any further rivulets as Sever unsnaps the white apron from around the man’s neck. He lifts it away, and for the first time, I notice that while it looks like a simple cloth, there’s a layer of latex on the other side. The design allows liquid to soak the fabric layer and keeps it from spilling down, while the rubbery material prevents the blood from staining everything underneath.

“Do this here often?”

“The apron actually is dual purpose. It helps barbershop clients stay nice and dry just as well as the bodies we ‘tend to’ here.”

He carefully rolls the apron like a scroll before wheeling away behind the curtain partition in the back of the room. A sink faucet squeaks on, and part of me wants to go back there and help him. But the other part is transfixed by the scene in front of me.

Blood leaks out from underneath the washcloth and down the judge’s black business suit. I peel the cloth away and inspect the neat line I gave him. It’s gruesome, but it gives me a sense of peace to know I’ve finally done it. My mind is quiet, and it feels permanent this time. I’m almost done with my list.