Page 137 of Kiss of Deceit

Pushing off the wall, I crossed the living room and tore the black cloth off his head. He blinked a couple times while his eyes adjusted, his fear morphing to shock when he recognized me.

“What the fuck?” Monty hissed in disbelief. His arms were tied tightly behind his back, and he struggled against the rope. After I woke him from a dead sleep and forced him downstairs and onto the couch, I tied his ankles too. It wasn’t as difficult as I was expecting. When he first woke up, he thought I was the townkiller and was too terrified to fight back once I had the cloth over his head.

His condo had the same layout as mine and Kole’s and was sparsely furnished. I wondered if all the homes in this town had the same furniture. It made sense since the locals couldn’t exactly leave town to shop. I knew he used to live here with Tristin, making it easy to sneak in since he was now living alone. No homes here had security alarms, and unlike the front door with the keypad lock, the back doors had a simple lock.

My eyes drifted over the piles of laundry on the couch beside him, to the empty beer cans and food wrappers scattered over the coffee table. Kole would fucking hate being in here.

Monty was wearing a pair of sweatpants along with a baggy t-shirt, and his hair was a mess from having the bag over his head. His eyes spat hatred at me when I met his gaze again. The excitement strumming through my veins wouldn’t fade, making my stomach knot.

I’d revealed my secret to Kole at his bar earlier and he hadn’t even realized it. He believed I was only talking about Tristin and Leon.I was a killer, and no matter how many lives I took, there was no guilt. I had a feeling it would never change. But I didn’t have the courage to tell Kole the real truth. I couldn’t face the look of hate on his face if he found out who I really was. Because unlike me, he was a good fucking person.

“What the hell is this?” Monty sneered, his confidence returning. “You fucking bitch?—”

I clicked my tongue, giving him a mocking look. “Now, now. That’s not how you treat someone who would slice your throat without a thought.”

He froze, fear creeping back into his gaze. “You’re the killer?”

“I’m notthatkiller.” I laughed, enjoying his panic far too much. “But I am a murderer. I don’t understand your surprise.”I tilted my head. “You’re the one screaming about how I killed your friends.”

“I knew it.” His voice held none of the previous vigor, almost as if he was finally realizing he was in a precarious situation. “I bet you killed Lucas too.”

“He forced me out into the woods to murder me.” I paused dramatically. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed thickly, his face paling. Even if he stayed silent, it was easy to see the truth.

“I want to talk about your second-degree murder charge. From your history, it seems like luck saved you from other charges.” My words had shock blanketing his features. “Being part of a gang will do that. The details prove you had a good lawyer since you didn’t get first degree murder.”

“How do you know all that?” he sputtered, confusion in his voice. “What is this?”

I grabbed the long kitchen knife off the counter that I’d taken from his butcher block earlier. He went utterly still when I got closer, letting the blade catch in the light.

“You had this amazing chance to come to Winterlake,” I murmured, catching his eye. “To start fresh. Yet, you decided to make friends with people who came from the same kind of criminal life as you. Tristin…Lucas. They were both caught up in the same shit you were.”

“Kole had no fucking right to tell you about this town,” he bit out, shifting his body as he tried escaping the rope. “Interns aren’t supposed to know?—”

“I know everything,” I cut him off, not wanting to waste time on a pointless conversation. “But I do have a few questions for you.”

“Fuck you.” He tipped his chin, defiance lighting his eyes. “Crazy bitch.”

His bravado lasted a few more seconds until I slowly advanced closer, letting his fear build before stopping in front of him. Like I expected, he lashed his tied legs at me, and I swung my blade, slicing him in the thigh. I rolled my eyes at his scream. He was acting like I hit his artery instead of the tiny surface wound I gave him.

“Try to kick me again, and I’ll cut through both your Achilles,” I threatened, my voice stone-cold. “Scream and I’ll gag you. Meaning you won’t be able to answer me, and then I’ll have no more use for you.”

His jaw clenched, and he stayed silent as I crouched in front of him, resting the blade on his inner thigh. He made a choking sound, his eyes bulging at the sight of a weapon so close to his dick.

“If we were in the real world, your crimes wouldn’t have put you on my list. The monsters I went after were far worse,” I admitted as he stared at me with confusion swimming in his eyes. “But you and your little friends took an interest in me when you shouldn’t have.”

“You started it when you got between Lucas and Hallie,” he argued back in a hoarse voice. “We knew you killed him. He wouldn’t just fall off a cliff.”

“Now, if you believed I killed your friends, why keep coming after me?” I questioned in a taunting voice. “You underestimated me that much? Why? Because I’m a woman?”

He didn’t say a word, his glare darting between my face and the knife that was inches from his groin.

I shook my head. “If you’d left me alone, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“What do you want?” he snapped.

He breathed out a curse when I nicked him with the blade. “Don’t fucking talk unless I ask you a question.”