Page 118 of Dreadful

He smirks. “I bet you do. How could I forget that chicks watch murder shows as a hobby?”

“Andshe’s a bloodthirsty killer, but yeah, let’s blame murder shows,” Sever jokes.

Raze barks a laugh, making me jolt. “Who knew the bakers’ granddaughter had such a violent side?”

“I should have,” Sever replies as he rests his hand on my shoulder, giving me reassurance.

“Fair enough. Well, not a goddamnthing in this place would pass that test if we didn’t have our own methods.” He goes to the door and changes the time on the “Closed. Be Back In:” sign to noon before sliding blackout curtains over the glass. “Don’t worry about the body. Your woman may be a stone-cold killer, but she got a little green when you mentioned clean-up. I’ve got this. You guys go shower up. I’ll have a skull for you by next week.”

Relief flutters through me.

“You sure? She can go up and I can help,” Sever asks him, and I panic that Raze will change his mind, but thankfully, he nods.

“I’m sure. We’ll call it even though, right?”

“Definitely,” Sev and I say at the same time, and we both flash grins at each other.

He leaves my side to switch out his knee walker with his cane. When he returns, he places my hand on his bicep and leads me into the elevator closet.

Once we’re inside and the door to the barbershop is closed, my hand refuses to leave the knob. I hold onto it and watch through the one-way mirror as Raze works.

He peeks out the black curtains and jiggles the door handle. Apparently deeming everything secure, he pops in some headphones and snaps on gloves. Then he bounces to the beat as he rolls out a mop and a large metal vat of bubbling solution.

“It’s our special concoction. It cleans up the blood so thoroughly not even CSI will be able to identify it. Don’t worry about Raze, Tallie. Before you, he was—” Sev catches himself and clears his throat as he wraps his hand around mine on the doorknob. “He was the only person I could trust.”

I let go to squeeze his hand. A light, airy sensation fills my chest. The weight I’ve carried since childhood has lifted. The girl I once was has been avenged, and all I have to do now is kill the mastermind. Sever made this happen, and that same question I wondered earlier gets answered with an audibleclickas he closes the elevator’s metal gate.

“What happens next?”

He presses the button for the top floor with his knuckle, and the elevator shifts to life. “Raze will take the body to the aging room downstairs, cut off the head, and process the skull for my—our—collection. Then I’ll join him to go bury the corpse. You could come if you’d like. It’s one of my favorite parts.”

I nod and hold my breath as I watch the judge’s body disappear from view. The last thing I see is Raze plopping it onto a sheet, and then they’re gone.

“Talia…” Sever turns me around and cups my cheeks. “You had no forgiveness for thatbastardo, but you did for me. How was I worthy?”

My chest tightens at the pain and hope filling his expression. “You were just a boy, Sev. A boy who gave me courage. I don’t think I ever would’ve tried to escape without you. Now you’re promising me a life after revenge.” I brush my hand lightly over his cheek, loving the feel of his soft, short beard underneath my fingertips. “How could you not be worthy?”

Emotion brims in his eyes, and he kisses me, slowly and sweetly. After slaying one of my last monsters, the innocent, protective,lovinggesture is perfect, and just what I need. Like everything Sever does for me.

He breaks away and presses his forehead to mine. His sandalwood and aftershave scent fills my nostrils, settling me.

“As for what happens next with us. We have some planning to do.”

“Planning?”

He nods. “First, you’re going to spend time with yournonnoGio. Then we’re going to tackle the last name on your list.”

“Together.”

“Together,” he agrees and smiles. “It should be fun. I’ve always enjoyed a little drama at our family dinners.”

Scene 33

THE REVELATION DINNER

Sever

We’re having steak for Sunday dinner again. Claudio loves it with his red wine and basically ignores my mother as she makes small talk between the three of us. I play with my food, pushing it around my plate while trying not to think about Tallie. It’s a mirror image of the dinner I attended only a week ago, except there’s no special guest of honor, and alothas happened since then.