Page 61 of Tempt Me

“Ah, ah! Boy, listen.”

I growled at him, walking over and finally picking up the remote, but instead of turning it off, I increased the volume. If nothing else, maybe it would shut Joe the fuck up.

“…Investigators have left a warning to all civilians that the murderer of the woman in the woods is still at large. The policehave stated the individual is likely armed and dangerous and could still be in the depths of the forest, or nearby, hiding in wait for an escape.”

I smiled wide behind my mask.

“What’s a better way to become a monster—” Joe started.

“—Than to hunt another one,” I finished for him, pulling my hood up over my mask.

The dark woods were wet, a dampness to the air that clung like a stickiness.

I stopped by another tree. I had been out here a few hours, only finding fucking bugs and skittish wildlife.

I was near the graveyard now, and I kicked at the rocks as I passed by them.

Taking a deep breath, I decided this would be a good spot to hide if I killed someone. There were a ton of freshly dug holes around, and people died every day.

I walked under the hanging plaque of the Grosvenor Cemetery.

My thoughts sobered and I sighed.

I hope Xenia doesn’t pop up, and I don’t want to frighten her.

She’s dead, you fucking idiot.

I ignored my mental chatter and continued forward. I passed by Noah’s grave, saluting the headstone for Fallon’s brother.

I tried to keep my wits about me when I passed Xenia and Ariah’s grave, ripping some flowers out of the ground and laying them over the front by their name.

“Sleep tight, girls,” I said with love and continued further back to the area where there were bulldozers parked near a big morgue that was closed down for the night and a big ass pile of dirt.

The air smelled like freshly cut grass in this area, and I grinned, knowing this was definitely where the fuck would run off to if they were hiding.

Rain started to fall, and I flipped off the sky. Sure enough, it started pouring on my head, and I was drenched within seconds.

Whatever, maybe the weather would make the killer sloppy.

I saw a coffin sitting on a stand, with a sheet-looking thing underneath it and a mechanical tool connected to it with a button.

Uhh...so rich people just leave out coffins randomly? What the fuck?

The intense impulse to press the red button was there, but I told myself, “No.”

Twigs snapping in the distance caught my attention. The cracking and swishing of brush sounded like whatever did that was much larger than any of the animals I had encountered.

My heart rate picked up, my breathing slowing like a panther ready to take down a fucking gazelle.

I opened the casket and slid inside the red plush material, holding the heavy lid up slightly, just enough to see through a small crack.

I held my breath and waited as the sounds got closer. They were running from something and someone.

I had a distant thought about not having a weapon besides a wrench I grabbed from my toolbox. It was all I had on late notice. At least the wrench would be worth a damn because itcertainly hadn’t been in the past when I did a DIY fix for my shitty truck. Something could only sit for so long abandoned before deciding to give up. Unfortunately, that much was true for my truck.

It still was not working like it did six years ago. I guess neither of us came out of the asylum unscathed.

The sound drew closer. I could see a dark shadow beginning to walk toward my location, and I stayed as still as possible. I wasn’t going to hesitate. I didn’t need to waste my time with some stupid speech. I just wanted them to bleed.