“There!”
I throw open the door and rush through the hallway just as they’re about to come at me. I chuck a knife in their direction and jump into the kitchen, narrowly avoiding the first guy from grasping ahold of my leg as he throws himself at me.
The third guy jumps over the counter, but I sidestep and throw my bag into his knee, causing him to buck.
“Fuck! Come here, you little—!”
I bolt off toward the front door, but halfway through, my hair is grabbed, and I’m tugged back.
“Fuck off!” I yell.
The ribbon is ripped out of my hair, and I kick the guy behind me in the nuts.
He stumbles and grasps for his crotch with my ribbon still clutched firmly in his hand.
Fuck. The ribbon.
No time to get it back.
I sprint toward the exit as fast as I can.
But my legs force me to run out the door and into the breathable air.
“Motherfucker, she’s getting away!” one of them yells behind me.
I rush to my motorcycle and jump on without putting on my helmet. The three guys run out the door and chase after me.
But right before they catch me, I hit the gas as hard as I can.
I peer over my shoulder as one of them kicks a trash can, and all the contents spill out.
But I made it out.
I fucking made it out alive.
But not without a scratch and more questions than I dare to ask.
Nathan
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I say, staring at the body gutted on several sides. I kick him so that he rolls over. There were crumbs all over him, and he didn’t have time to get properly dressed, which meant it was a surprise attack. Yet there’s not a single trace of a fight taking place. No scratches, no bruising, no broken bones.
My eyes narrow. It’s almost as if he let this happen.
“Can’t believe someone actually lived like this,” Kai says, picking up a ragged shirt covered in gunk. “It smells like shit and death combined.”
Milo’s whole body shivers, and he makes a gagging noise. “Fuck, please put that down. I’m gonna puke.”
“What? From this?” Kai dangles the shirt in front of him, and he almost flips over.
“God, fuck!” Milo retches.
Kai throws it away and laughs. “A butchered body? Fine. But some dirty laundry? That’s where you draw the line?”
Milo closes his eyes and pinches his nose. “It’s the idea.”
I fish inside the guy’s pocket and take out his phone, then push his floppy finger against it to unlock it. “Let’s have a look at what you’re hiding.”
Milo sighs out loud. “When are we finished? There’s no fun if the job’s already been done.”
“I have to say, I was quite looking forward to slaughtering this one,” Kai says, throwing his knife into the air and catching it again. “Too bad someone beat us to it.”
I scroll through the DMs on his phone, looking for clues, but all I find are girls… so many fucking girls and all so fucking young. Disgusting.
Worst of all, he was about to meet one of those girls right before he got killed. I hope she got away and wasn’t here to see him die.
And in the most brutal way too …
I check out the wounds on his hand, the blood staining his nose and lip, and the obvious hole in his neck. But what surprises me the most is the knife still stuck in his abdomen.
One would think a killer would cover their tracks, instead of leaving behind souvenirs. How reckless.
I tear out the blade and inspect the handle, but there are no prints.
“What did you find?” Kai asks me.
“We found our guy, that’s for sure,” I reply, looking at the dead body. “He’s been chatting with girls nonstop for months. But that last one may have become fatal.”
Milo’s eyes widen. “Wait … you think the killer was one of the women?”
Kai fishes something from his pocket. “I snatched this off her hair when I chased her out the door. Nearly caught her, but she slipped out of my grip because of this.”
He holds up a single red ribbon, which curls around in the air like it’s performing a rhythmic dance.
I glare at it and step closer, but the second I try to snatch it from his hand, he pulls back.
“Ah-ah. Finders keepers,” he says, smirking.
My nose twitches. “It could be our only clue, and your only thought is playing games with me?”
“I’m not playing games. And this won’t lead us to anything,” he says, clutching it firmly. “Even if you could get fingerprints from it, you still wouldn’t know who barged in here and stole our kill.”
“At least it’d be a start,” I reply. “And you’re not fucking helping.”
“Face it. We lost. End of story. Better luck next time.” He shrugs.
“Luck’s never been on my side, and you know that,” I grit. “Someone stole this kill from us, and I’m gonna fucking find out who it was.”
“What does it even matter?” Milo shrugs. “This was one time.”
“You think?” I frown back. “She was onto the same fucker, which means she’s searching the same sites we are.”
Milo’s face turns white. “Fuck.”
“Exactly,” I say, chucking the knife back on the ground. “That woman is a threat. She’s seen us now.”
Milo gazes at the body with narrowed eyes. “By the looks of those wounds, that woman’s got a lot of pent-up anger.”
Kai smirks, and I throw him a look.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m impressed.” Kai holds up the ribbon, inspecting every fiber like he’s trying to find a clue. “And something tells me this won’t be the last time.”
I pull out my phone and take a picture of the ribbon with the dead body in the background.
“What’d you do that for?” Kai asks.
“Keepsake,” I reply, a smile tugging at my lips. “You never know when we might need some proof she was here.”
Lana
I showered and slept well last night, despite the murder that took place, but I can’t get rid of this aching feeling in my underbelly that something bad is going to happen.
All because of three fucking dudes who ruined my fun.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh, then take another sip from my breakfast smoothie.
“What’s wrong?” Irina asks, squinting at me as she’s baking in the midday sun.
“Hmm?” I look her way.
“That sigh was huge,” she says.
“Oh, just some shit with some dudes …” I mutter, taking another sip. “Nothing important.”
“Shit with dudes?” Brooke sticks her head out from behind Irina. “You were out last night?”
“Only for a few minutes,” I respond when they both eagle-eye me. “It was just some casual drinks. No biggie.” I change the subject before things get out of hand. “So what classes do you girls still have left for the day?”
“Ummm…” Irina checks her schedule. “I know there’s economics, but I could’ve sworn I have another one right after.”
I adjust the red ribbon in my hair and look at the people in the grass while I wait. But my eyes land on a particular set of eyes, one pure white, the other as green as an emerald.
He stands near the fountain, just like yesterday, this time alone. He has a cigarette between two fingers, eyes smoldering as fiercely as the cigarette’s bud while they stare me down.
A creeping chill runs up my spine … because no matter how hard I try, I can’t look away.
Kai
That girl …
My eyes home in on her gorgeous oval face, those killer cat-lined eyes, her narrow jawline, and sharp cheekbones as cutthroat as her soul. Her beautiful full, red lips make my tongue dart out to wet mine, her skin so pale not even that black dress she’s wearing could hide the fact that she rarely comes out into the sun.
A protected princess, hidden away by her father until even he could no longer contain her.
And now she’s here to study, pretending to be a part of the masses.
But now we both know that’s only a farce, a mask she puts on to make the people she loves believe she’s capable of more than the violence they’ve all inherited.
Fucking Lana Rivera …
I take the red ribbon out of my pocket and look at it once more.
A smirk slowly spreads on my face as I gaze up at the girl laughing her worries away, the wind softly breezing through the ribbon in her hair.
Looks like apples don’t fall far from the tree after all.
I clutch the ribbon tighter, wondering if I should tell Milo and Nathan.
If I should give them the opportunity to interrogate her … or if I should do it myself.
All alone, just the two of us.
Killer to killer.
Oh, little violent kitty … I found you.
You can run all you want … but I’m gonna find a way to lure you out of your den.
And when I do, I’m going to have so much fucking fun with you.
