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K eeva drilled into me to leave emotion out of it.

As soon as I let my emotions get the best of me, I was going to get caught.

I was pissed when that man knocked my sister on her arse and talked to her like trash, but it was more the principle of the thing.

Rowena was a tough kid. Her pride was hurt more than her body, so I was completely in control when I broke into his house and slit his throat.

The Ghoul was going to make me lose it. He was the worst of my targets and I couldn’t kill him. I’d visited his crime scenes. He’d nearly killed Lucy, and that just wasn’t acceptable. I’d still be livid if I thought she was Lance.

I wanted nothing more than to drop this man in the mud and kick his face in with my boot. The most I could do was thump him again if he woke up, but I hit him pretty hard last time. I just really wanted to hit him again.

He had to pick the whiniest house to hit, too.

I could really understand why they hadn’t been invited to this party we were trying to get the Ghoul to.

Lucy nearly died saving Goran’s life. I was pissed she got hurt, but if she hadn’t gone into the alley, the Ghoul might have gotten inside the house before Basselt and I got there.

If the Ghoul had open pustules, they were under his clothes. The Madame said it could spread through sweat and saliva, but it was also pelting rain and we were holding him up around his clothes.

Goran still wouldn’t stop bitching about being exposed to Black Paranoia, how heavy he was, the rain, and the distance to the party. He hadn’t even thanked Lucy.

Maybe I would come back and kill him later.

Lucy was quiet as she walked in front of us. I would have felt better if Basselt was with us, but I needed him in the Merchant District. I just wanted to get this over with. Yeah, I got distracted by her tits and then her scars, but the knife wound on her chest was going to need to be stitched up.

I just knew she didn’t tell Caitrin she was off doing this and her momma was going to have my arse she got hurt. I’d take it. Logically, I knew I couldn’t be in two places at once and I’d gotten there as soon as I’d known, but I still blamed myself.

We were so close. I could hear the party over the thunder and lightning.

They’d moved it to the barn rather than call it off.

I got it. Planning name days and weddings when you were poor was complicated.

You had to pay for the food and booze and everyone had to arrange their work schedules because we didn’t sit on our arses all day while someone else did the work like the Barons.

If the weather turned to shit, you always wanted a friend with a barn.

Ollie, Ronan, and Beck came running up looking like drowned rats.

I didn’t know why they were here, but thankfully, they didn’t come pissed this time.

I was glad, though. Lucy had been through a lot tonight and she was wounded.

Even if I wasn’t hauling a serial killer across Lower Cutwart, we weren’t exactly in a place where she’d want anything from me.

I’d never be outgoing like Ollie. I couldn’t make pretty things like Ronan. I couldn’t use words to make anyone feel better like Beck.

But if we got through this, I was going to tell her why I did all this and if she forgave me, I’d tell her I was the one who would kill for her.