* *
I’d waited months for this moment and as I watched Bryce ascend the stairs into his shitty apartment, I knew I’d finally be able to put the past behind me.
I crossed the desolate street under the cloak of night, griping my pocket knife tightly in my hand. My ribs ached as I jogged, but the rush of adrenaline made it bearable. Nothing was going to stop me from ridding the world of the one last monster that haunted Ella’s dreams.
I’d been watching Bryce for several weeks, letting my body continue to heal. I couldn’t wait any longer. As I reached the front of the run-down building, I slipped inside, my eyes dancing up the stairwell toward the sound of his boots stomping heavily above me.
I grinned as I gripped the banister and followed after him, taking three steps at a time. As I reached the second floor, he was putting the key into the lock of his door. Glancing over his shoulder, his face went pale when our eyes connected. My hand holding the knife went over my rips as I struggled to slow my breathing and alleviate some of the pressure in my chest.
“You’re not an easy man to find,” I walked slowly toward him as he fumbled with the keys, desperate to get inside.
As he pushed the door open, I chuckled. I needed this to happen inside, away from any possible witnesses that may come out of their apartments. At two in the morning, the odds were slim, but I wasn’t going to be reckless. I had too much to live for now.
I slammed my palm against the wooden door, the thud echoing in the empty stairwell as I stopped it from slamming closed.
Bryce ran for what I assumed was a weapon as I stepped inside and glanced around the sad, pathetic excuse for a home.
“I’ll call the fucking cops,” He yelled from another room as I closed the apartment door behind me.
“Not a smart move for a man on the run.” I tapped my finger on the mouse pad of his laptop and the screen lit up. The desktop background picture was of a girl who looked like Ella, but a little bustier and in obvious pain as her naked, bruised body was tied to an unmade bed.
“You’ve been keeping yourself busy. I guess that’s one way to cope with the death of your father,” shaking my head I walked through the living room and toward the sound of things being thrown around.
“What is it you want, man?” Bryce’s voice wavered as he stepped from one of the rooms, holding a bat beside his head, poised to swing. “I have a little money. Not much. But I can give you anything you want.”
“I want you dead.” I squeezed the pocket knife, the blade not extended from the handle. “But luckily for you, I’ve promised Ella I wouldn’t kill anyone else.”
Bryce sighed, his lips quirking up in a smile. He was hopeful and it made my palm itch with the need to cut the smirk from his face. “You’re still going to die, Bryce. You’re just going to do it yourself. You made Katie feel helpless. She felt like she had no other way to escape you. That’s how you’re going to feel.” I stepped closer to him and he readjusted his grip on the bat but I knew he was scared to swing. Bruce liked to pick on helpless girls, not grown men who could knock him down a peg or two. “You destroyed Ella’s ability to trust and fucked up her perception of what a man should be. I mean, look at me, Bryce. She fucking loves me and I can’t fucking wait to watch you bleed out. How fucked up is that? Not that I’m complaining. I’d probably be dead right now if it weren’t for her.”
“You should thank me then,” Bryce took a small step backwards as he spoke. My eyes narrowed as I clenched my jaw, biting back the urge to yell.
“Thank you?” I stepped forward, trying desperately to keep calm.
“So I fucking hurt her. So what? Look at you. You fucking kill people. You killed my dad,” His chin quivered like a fucking child and it almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost.
“You are the reason Katie is dead. Ella was dead inside after what you did to her. I brought her back to life. I’m going to make this right.”
“Listen to yourself. You think I’m a monster but what you do is okay? You and I are the same.” His voice rose as he grew desperate for me to understand. But I was beyond talking, growing tired of playing with my food, so to speak.
I unfolded the blade of the knife from the handle, looking down at my reflection in the metal. “You and I are nothing alike.” I shook my head as I pressed the pad of my index finger against the point. There was a noise from the living room and he looked past me, his eyebrows drawn together.
“That’s my man, Trig. He’s fucking amazing when it comes to technology. Right now he is pulling all of your twisted, fucked up kiddie porn off your hard drive.”