“Not all of them,” Kate sighed. “I have to believe that. There are good men out there. There must be!”
My heart was broken for my friend who’d just had her hopes dashed, but it also burned toward the man who, just like all the others, expected her to repay simple kindness with her body. I tried to reel in my anger by reminding myself that he hadn’t tried forcing her to do anything or abused her in any way, but the hunger clawing at my insides would not be satiated. This man had done more than just hurt her emotionally. He had presented himself as a nice person in order to lure her in and then put her in a situation where she would feel like she owed him sex. When she hadn’t acquiesced, he’d continued to try to manipulate her with guilt. He was clearly the type of man who was only a step away from taking things too far – if he hadn’t already. Certainty twisted inside me like a knife, he would be my next target.
Norah came back down the stairs and Kate took her hand to go tuck her into bed. She was smiling down at her sweet daughter as she walked, but I could see the weary slump to her shoulders. It confirmed what I had to do.
As I watched them go, I noticed she’d left her phone behind and I jumped at the opportunity. Kate was too trusting and didn’t have a lock on her device. I’d only been around this technology for six months and already had mine locked to my fingerprint. I swiped to open it and went into her messages to find Joe’s number. I memorized it as quickly as I could and then closed her phone, setting it back on the table before grabbing my own to text him.
“Joe – it’s Kate. Phone died so using my work number, but I changed my mind. Can I come by to finish our date?”
I wondered whether he would become suspicious and text her regular number, but I brushed off the fear. There was no rational reason for him to doubt what I’d said. Sure enough, he replied within seconds with his address and a big winking face. It made me sick.
Kate returned just as I was putting my phone in my pocket. “So, what should we do?” she asked.
I felt terrible abandoning her, but I was doing this for her.
“I’m actually feeling really tired and a little sick to my stomach,” I lied. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to head to bed too. Are you going to be okay?”
Kate smiled at me and said, “Of course I will. Don’t worry about me. It’s not like it was my first bad date. Get some rest and I hope you feel better.”
Kate would still be up for another few hours, which would give me just the alibi I needed. I went up to my room, shut the door, and grabbed everything I’d need, shoving it in my small backpack. Most of what I had I’d picked up from either garage sales or thrift stores. I was about to buy a knife I quite liked from the sporting goods store when I read about a killer getting caught because the rope he’d used ended up being tracked back to where he’d purchased it. That wasn’t going to be me! I put a knife, my taser, some rope, duct tape, and a roll of plastic sheeting into the bag. I called a cab and requested that it pick me up 3 blocks away, in order to distance myself from the house. With everything I needed on my back, I shuffled out the window and down onto the balcony railing below. Kate was watching TV and facing away from me, so I was in the clear.
I hustled to where the cab would be arriving and reviewed my plan over and over on the way – how I might do it, how I could cover my tracks, and how I could get home without leaving any evidence that I’d ever left. I’d spent most of my free time the past six months preparing for this, and now it was time. My heart raced as I ran, but my mind was laser focused, just as it had always been in these situations. At last, this world would get a taste of the true Emlyn!
Chapter 4
Killing had been so much easier in my past life. I’d been caught in the end, but it was a result of excessive carelessness and letting my emotions boil over. I should have walked away that last night, but I let my power go to my head and assumed that no one would dare stop me. I had been wrong.
In this life, the chances of getting caught were much higher. When Norah had first shown me how to use the internet, I was horrified to discover how successful the police were at catching violent offenders. Modern science meant that they could find almost any trace you left behind and use it against you. I read case after case where someone’s blood or fingerprints undid what was otherwise the perfect crime, and it had made me a little sick to my stomach.
Thankfully, society seemed to have an obsession with crime and there were countless shows on the subject. Most people seemed to view them as entertainment, but I saw them as an invaluable resource for education. Between the shows I managed to watch, and my very limited exposure to the internet, I felt like I was relatively well prepared to keep myself from making a foolish mistake. Tonight would be my first test.
My heart was hammering in my chest, and I felt almost jittery as I walked. I was nervous, it was true, but mostly what I felt was anticipation; it had been too long since I had spilt tainted blood. I’d been biding my time, trying to keep my hunger contained while I learned and searched for the perfect target. When the thought of killing Joe had crept into my mind it was like the skeletal hand of fate had reached down and chosen him for me. As soon as the idea took root in my head, I knew he was the one. It was a risk to go after someone so connected to Kate, but I quickly formulated a plan. She was certain I was at home, and I would use some of the modern forensics against the investigation, which, if successful, would make my alibi airtight. I knew I was up to this challenge.
I made it to the corner where the cab was picking me up and took a moment to catch my breath and smooth my hair; I didn’t want to look flustered or memorable in any way. When the cab arrived, I calmly climbed into the backseat and provided the driver with an intersection a few blocks from Joe’s house. I saw the driver glance back at me in the mirror, but I’d deliberately worn a baggy sweatshirt, and I didn’t seem to hold his attention. He returned his eyes to the road and I smirked slightly as I stared out the window; men were so predictable.
When the cab dropped me on the corner, I paid in cash and started walking in the opposite direction as it drove away. There would be no connection between Kate’s house and Joe’s. Once it was around the corner, I turned back the way I’d been coming from and slowly made my way to the address Joe had given me, calming my nerves and collecting my thoughts as I went. After I was done with him, I’d make sure to clear the text message from his phone, and even if they found the record of the text, it would be from a number they couldn’t trace back to me. My phone was still at home to prevent any GPS evidence in case they still looked into me. Had I known earlier what I’d be doing right now, I would’ve had the chance to lay down even more foundation for my alibi, but there was nothing I could do about that now. I just hoped that I’d planned enough.
As I stood on his doorstep, I pulled off my sweatshirt in order to show off more of my body which I’d highlighted for him with a very low-cut shirt. The straps of the backpack pressed my breasts together, accentuating my cleavage. I knocked on his door and waited. I heard heavy steps on the wood floor inside as he came to me, each one drawing him closer to his death. His steps slowed and I could feel him on the other side of the door. It was time.
The door swung back and he stood there blankly for a moment, blinking at me stupidly. He looked surprised, then confused, then he peered behind me as if he might find Kate hiding in the bushes somewhere.
“What’s going on?” Joe asked.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a forced blush. “Kate didn’t really text you. She came home and told me how the night went, and I just couldn’t help but wonder how she could’ve been so foolish.”
Joe did not look even remotely convinced. “You didn’t seem all that into me when I picked her up earlier,” he said.
I shrugged my shoulders helplessly and gazed up at him with a coy smile. “I was jealous,” I said, “I don’t know if she told you much about me, but I haven’t been on a date in as long as I can remember – literally. Women get a little crazy when we get j
ealous.”
I twirled a strand of my hair between my fingers, then slowly let my hand brush down through its length, leading his eyes to my cleavage. A smile pulled at the very edge of his mouth as he openly stared at my chest. It didn’t matter whether the story I fed him was completely ridiculous; people believe what they want to believe, and right now, this man wanted to believe that I desired him.
“May I come in?” I asked.
He opened the door wider and waved me in, allowing me to step in front of him as I entered. I could feel his eyes on my body as plainly as if they were his hands groping every inch of me. His home was as lavish as any I’d seen on television. It was also very warm inside, which was perfect for my plan.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked.
“I would love one, but first, would you mind if I freshen up in your bathroom?”
Joe pointed me in the right direction, and I let my smile linger on him for a moment before I shut the door. “I’ll be right out,” I said sweetly.
Once I was alone, I felt the fake smile curdle as my insides roiled with loathing. What kind of self-absorbed pig would believe that a woman like me would come begging in the middle of the night for his attentions? He was so self-assured that he’d let me right in; he probably didn’t even remember my name, not that it would matter to him, he saw me as an object, not a person.
I imagined him right now, mixing our drinks and looking forward to scoring. Of course, I wouldn’t really be drinking anything; I just hadn’t wanted to decline and give him any reason to become suspicious. I would have to clean up the glass when I was done so as to leave no trace that a woman had been here. I quickly changed into some clothes I’d picked up at a thrift store, pulled the taser and knife from my bag, made sure my gloves were still on tight, and quietly opened the door.
As if it was meant to be, Joe was putting on music and had his back to me. I crept down the hall silently until I was right behind him. I raised the tongs of the taser to the base of his neck. I don’t know whether he heard me breathe, or just sensed danger, but he tensed and turned his head. His eye dilated, but it was too late to react. I pulled the trigger on the taser and a bright blue arc of light flashed for a second before Joe let out a gurgling noise and slumped to the floor at my feet. I had the knife ready, just in case the taser wasn’t enough, but he was out cold.
While he was unconscious, I restrained his arms and legs, deleted our text messages from his phone, and cleaned up the drinks he had fixed. I poured a glass of water and stood over him for a moment, staring down at his helpless form; he would beg me for mercy before the night was done. I tilted the cup and poured some water over his face. He didn’t even stir, and a flash of anger seared through me. If he didn’t awaken, I could still finish him off, but it would take the satisfaction out of the kill. I needed him to know why he was being punished, I needed him to suffer! With a flick of my wrist, I splashed the rest of the water over him, and it hit hard, like a slap.
“What the hell?” Joe groaned, struggling to move his arms which were taped together behind his back.
Grogginess gave way to panic when he realized he had been immobilized, and he began to struggle and shout. He lived in a nicer part of town with more space between homes and I doubted that anyone could hear him, but I didn’t want to risk it. I drove the pointed tip of my boot into his ribs, cutting off his cry as he gasped for air.
“Shut up or you’ll get another one,” I barked at him.
“What do you want?” he wheezed, “what in God’s name is wrong with you?”
I smiled wide and said, “God has nothing to do with this, Joe. You brought this on yourself. Just like all the other men, you think women owe you something. You think after you give us a compliment or a meal we are indebted to you, that we have to repay you with our bodies. And then what? You use us and move on? Oh, Joe… You think we’re so weak that we’ll all just take it?”
“No!” he shouted. “I’m not like that.”
“Really?” I asked with a mocking chuckle. “So, you didn’t get upset when Kate wouldn’t come back to your place tonight?”
“No, I mean… I wanted her to, but it’s not like I made her do anything.”
“Right, you didn’t rape her. Is that your best defense?!”
“No! I… I’m a good person!” he stammered desperately.
“A good person?” I spat. “You made it perfectly clear that she had one purpose as far as you were concerned, and you treated her like garbage when she didn’t satisfy your needs, right?”
Joe looked ashamed. It was a sweet thing to see.
“Well, Joe… I understand how you feel. I have needs too,” I said softly, running the knife in my hands down the center of my chest and watching his pathetic eyes follow it.
Even now, he was nothing more than a pig of a man.
“I understand how sometimes you just want something so bad, it gets in your head and you can’t think about anything else until you get it, right?”
“It… it can be hard,” he answered, looking very uncertain and sensing the trap.
“Yes,” I said sweetly. “Yes, it can. You’re going to meet my needs tonight, Joe.”
“Okay!” he exclaimed. “Whatever you need.”
The poor fool had no idea what he was saying.
“Do you want money?” he blabbered, “I have a safe with cash. Take it all, just let me go. I won’t say anything, I swear!”
I hadn’t expected that, but it was a welcome surprise.
“Where is your safe?” I asked.
Joe looked across the room at a picture on the wall. I walked over, removed the picture, and found a wall safe tucked away behind it. Hoping to save himself a worse fate, Joe provided the combination right away, and sure enough, there were stacks of cash inside. I counted eight thousand dollars.
“Thank you, Joe,” I said menacingly, but with a sweet smile. “I wasn’t here for your money, but then, you certainly won’t need it anymore.”
“What?!” he cried out. “No! You can’t do this. They’ll find out. Just take the money. I was an asshole and I deserve that. I won’t say a word. Kate will never see me again and I’ll keep my mouth shut, just let me go.”
“Yes, you do deserve it Joe, but that’s not all you deserve,” I said. I stepped forward so I was standing right over his body, then slowly lowered myself down on top of him.
Straddling him, I pressed the tip of the knife into one of his shoulders, applying just enough pressure to break the skin; just a little, just a prick. Joe shrieked and thrashed beneath me, but with his arms pinned he couldn’t dislodge me. A few crimson drops of blood soaked into his white shirt. I felt like I was drinking his fear and drawing strength from it.
“How does it feel to be used for my satisfaction, Joe?” I asked, the venom flowing freely from my voice.
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!” he screamed.
I withdrew the knife, stood up, and drove my boot, once more, into his ribs to shut him up.
“I haven’t done anything to you yet, Joe, you haven’t even come close to filling my needs,” I said with another evil grin.
“You want to sleep with me?” he gasped, still recovering from the last kick.
“YOU STUPID, AROGANT MAN!” I shouted, losing my cool.
I jumped back on top of him and drove the knife into his shoulder, this time all the way to the hilt of the blade, a good 5 inches into the joint. Joe screamed in agony and writhed beneath me, but the movement, especially with his arms tied together behind him, only made the pain worse.
“You see, Joe, we’re really not so different – you get your satisfaction from using women, and I basically get mine the very same way. I take what I want from men. Men who don’t deserve the air they breathe or the space they occupy on this earth. Pigs who treat women, the givers of life, as though we are second class citizens. You want to take our innocence, our love, and our dignity. I want to take your blood!”
Joe was still scream
ing, but I knew he could hear every word. His blood was pooling underneath him on the rug I’d rolled him onto.
“YOU BITCH!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
I quickly rose to my feet and gave him another sharp kick to the ribs, the handle of the knife still lodged in his shoulder. He winced from the blow, then moaned as his reaction intensified the pain from his wound. He whimpered on the ground like an injured dog, until, seeming to realize that obedience was his only option, he fell into reluctant silence.
Crouching down beside him again, I pulled the blade from his arm as slowly as I could, watching his face contort in pain as he bit his lip in an effort not to cry out.
“You think all this is just for you, don’t you?” I asked as I let the fingers of my free hand run gently down my side, emphasizing the curve at my breast and hips. “You thought, even after being the asshole you were, that you’d still get what you wanted tonight. You were wrong!” I shouted as I slammed the knife down into his other shoulder.
Joe clenched his jaw and screamed through gritted teeth. He was bleeding profusely from both wounds, and his shirt was nearly completely dyed a deep, inky red.
He looked back up at me defiantly, as though he could still retain some control, even now. Narrowing my eyes, I set my knife down so I could cover his mouth with one gloved hand. With my free hand, I drove my thumb deep into the first shoulder’s wound. He came alive with pain. The feeling of ultimate control coursed through my veins as his mouth opened wide, straining against my hand to scream, but I held him down, absorbing his misery. I twisted my thumb inside him, digging into his warm flesh; it was satisfying, but I wanted more. I longed to remove my glove and feel his blood fresh and hot against my skin.
I looked up at the clock and saw that it was nearly eleven already. I didn’t have enough time to play with him any longer.
Evil Unbound- Death's Mistress Returns Page 6