Page 51 of Obsession

“Remember what I said,” Robbie warns darkly as Officer Miller pulls on his arm to get going. “You have a choice, ma’am. I’ll gladly burn the world down for you. And I will, without a second’s hesitation. Now, the question is, do you want to burn it to the ground?”

“Alright, Hammond. Let’s go.” Officer Miller rolls his eyes.

Robbie finally lets him take him back to his cell.

“Jesus fuck,” I breathe, placing my elbows on the desk and raking my fingers through my hair. I don’t doubt that Robbie will stay true to his promise, but how can I get out of my deal with the officer?

21

ROBBIE

Shackles or no shackles, it takes everything in me not to snap Miller’s fucking neck as we walk back to the cell. Savannah’s taste on my tongue is the only thing keeping me grounded.

While it’s no secret that it’s each to themselves in here, guards included, I’m still surprised he would have the balls to accept whatever offer Savannah has put on the table. And considering how she dolled herself up, I have no doubt about the methods she used to get Miller to sign his death sentence with a smile. Now the ball is in her court. Let’s see how she plays it.

A smirk curves my lips as we walk through yet another set of doors. If I know my little Savannah, there’s a slumbering monster inside her that just needs a little poke to wake up for a fucking feast of a lifetime.

See, that’s the thing: darkness recognizes darkness. It transcends time and space to find the other half of its soul, like darkening, ominous clouds that gather over a grassy field. Sooner or later, lightning strikes and burns valleys to the ground.

The evil inside me calls to hers. I’d throw away everything to coax it out of her. The man in front of me, with his cocky walk, swaying shoulders, and stupid side parting, doesn’t know that the true danger isn’t the man walking behind him but the woman waiting back in the interview room.

A muscle clenches in my jaw as I fist my hands. The cuffs rub against my wrists, and the chain between my ankles rattles with my every measured step. I keep my eyes on his skinny neck, imagining the satisfying crack it’ll make if Savannah lets go of my leash.

It’s in her hands now.

While I hate the thought of her touching him—it makes me want to punch the fucking wall—I love the thought of unleashing the dark part of her that’s laid dormant all her life.

Or has it?

“What are you smiling at?” Miller throws an uneasy look over his shoulder as we enter my cell block.

I don’t answer, and his shoulders pull up to his ears. He peers at me again before facing forward, but I don’t miss the slight tremble to his fingers.

Before I kill him, I’m going to sever those fingers. That’s for fucking sure. Does he think he can touch my woman without consequences? Does he think he’s safe inside these four walls, surrounded by cameras, locked cells, and chains? Does he think the baton at his waist can protect him against the biggest predators this country has to offer? Hell, there’s a reason they’re putting us to death. No one in here has anything left to lose, and I have something to win for the first time in my miserable existence. That makes me the most dangerous inmate on death row, but I won’t act unless Savannah gives me the go-ahead. I’m insanely intrigued to see if she will act on the darkness inside her—the curiosity to see if my obsession with her runs deep enough for me to slaughter in cold blood.

I’ve killed for less. She should realize that.

I will bathe in his blood for her.

Miller stops outside my cell, throwing me an uncertain look, and then he unlocks the door and pulls it open.

Scoffing, I walk past him, keeping my back to the door as he hurries to shut it.

“Hey, Miller!” Turning my head a fraction, I let a feral smile reveal my true nature—every flickering shadow and nightmare crawling forward to claim the quivering fear in his eyes. “See you soon.”

22

SAVANNAH

“Sneaking out on me, are you?”

I spin around with a yelp, the closed door at my back. Miller approaches me in a way I recognize so many times from being a young girl. The slow steps, one steel-capped shoe in front of the other, thumbs hooked in his belt hoops, and a predatory glimmer in his eyes.

“I upheld my end of the bargain. You got your hour, and it was a very enjoyable hour, by the sounds of it. I have to say, I expected you to be the whimpering kind. Instead, I have a screamer on my hands.”

My heart jumps to my throat when he stops in front of me and traps me with his hand on the door, just above my head. “It was a mistake to make you that offer,” I reply, wetting my lips. Robbie is a dangerous man, and I was so clouded by my desire to get him to trust me that I didn’t stop to think of the consequences. Now, there’s no doubt in my mind that the man before me is a dead man walking unless I convince him this is a bad idea.

“A mistake,” he hums, watching me closely. Too closely.