Page 90 of Push My Buttons

"And you believe him?" There's a sharpness to her question that makes me uneasy.

"I remember what he told me,"I sign carefully."That they started killing together—vigilante justice. Then Levi began targeting women who looked like me."

Agent Voss's expression doesn't change, but I sense a shift in her energy. "That's a convenient narrative, isn't it? Splitting the crimes between them, making Lucien seem less... monstrous."

I frown, confused by her tone."I'm just telling you what I remember. Until recently I had thought it was him who tried to kill me, I hadn’t been able to remember Levi or the attack."

"Memory is a tricky thing," she says, her voice softer now. "Especially traumatic memory. It can be influenced, manipulated, even fabricated entirely. The mind protects itself in strange ways."

My fingers tense, ready to defend my recollection, but she continues before I can respond.

"Tell me, did you ever suspect your brother? Before his arrest, did you ever see signs of what he was capable of?"

The question catches me off guard. I think back, trying to separate what I actually remember from what I've been told about Lucien since his capture.

"No,"I sign honestly."He was always protective of me. Sometimes controlling, but I never thought..."

"He's very good at hiding his true nature," Agent Voss interrupts. "Even from those closest to him."

A chill runs down my spine..

"You've spoken to him?"I sign, watching her carefully.

"Many times," she confirms, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "He's fascinating. Brilliant, really. Most people don't appreciate the complexity of his mind."

Alarm bells ring in my head. This doesn't exactly sound like an FBI agent discussing a serial killer.

"What exactly do you want from me, Agent Voss?"I sign, my movements deliberately slow and precise.

She studies me for a long moment, her dark eyes assessing. "Just the truth, Lilliana. About your brother."

"I'm not here to discuss my brother,"I sign firmly."I'm here to help you find Levi before he hurts me or someone else."

Agent Voss leans back slightly, her professional demeanor returning. "Of course. And we appreciate your cooperation." She pulls out a small notebook. "Based on what you've told us about Levi, we have some additional questions that might help our investigation."

I nod, relieved at the shift in focus.

"It appears Levi and Lucien may have gone separate ways around the same time as your attack," she says, her tone more measured now. "I think that Levi truly believed he had killed you."

The thought sends ice through my veins."You mean he left me for dead,"I sign.

"Yes. And I believe he went on the run separately from Lucien after that day." Agent Voss flips through her notes. "Lucien continued his... activities. Developed his own signature that was distinct from the earlier killings."

"You've seen his victims?"I sign, morbid curiosity getting the better of me.

Her expression tightens almost imperceptibly. "Some of them, yes. In person." Something haunted flickers behind her professional facade. "Your brother is methodical. The crime scenes are... organized in a way that speaks to his psychological profile."

I swallow hard, trying not to imagine what she's seen.

"We're not entirely sure if Lucien even knows you were attacked," she continues. "That's something I intend to ask him in our next interview."

"Next interview?"I sign, confused."You still speak with him regularly?"

Agent Voss nods. "What you may not know is that Lucien wasn't captured, exactly. He surrendered himself to the FBI."

My hands freeze momentarily mid-air."Surrendered?"

She catches my surprise. "You didn't know." It's not a question. "Yes, Lucien called in his own crime scene. When we arrived, he was waiting for us. Sitting calmly in a chair, hands folded in his lap."