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I can almost pretend to be one of them. Just another face in the crowd, out for a morning jog. They don’t know who or what I truly am. They don’t see the monster lurking beneath the handsome facade. But if they look closely enough and peer behind the mask, they’ll see a face that will make their blood run cold.
A face that should fucking terrify them.
The city blurs past me in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. I weave through the alleys and side streets as the sun glints off the steel and glass towers that loom above me.
I check my smartwatch. An hour has passed since I left my apartment. Almost showtime.
I round the corner onto Maple Street, and slow to a jog as I approach St. Jude Park, keeping my breathing even despite the excitement in my gut. Can’t look too eager or give the game away too soon.
I time it perfectly, reaching the park as a familiar dark sedan glides up to the curb. Francesca DeMarco steps out, all long legs and determined grace. Frankie to her friends on the force, Detective DeMarco to the fools who think they matter. But to me? She’s so much more. My adversary, my muse, my obsession. My revenge.
I can’t take my eyes off her as she stands before the fountain, her keen gaze sweeping the area, no doubt searching for more traces of Ryder Beaumont. The memory of his butchered corpse, pale and destroyed, sends a thrill down my spine. That body and the others I’ve left in my wake link us together, Francesca and me.
An unbreakable bond forged in blood and darkness. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she belongs to me. And I to her, in a way.
But I force myself to be patient, to savor the slow burn of our deadly dance. The game is far from over, and I still have a symphony of horrors yet to orchestrate for my beloved Frankie.
She believes she’s the hunter, but little does she know I’m the one holding the puppet strings. I’m the maestro, and she’s the unwitting star of my demented play.
Francesca and her partner linger by the fountain, no doubt searching for Beaumont’s severed cock. I sliced it off with surgical precision, a mocking tribute left behind. But they won’t find it. Not unless I want them to.
And watching them search, seeing the determined set of Francesca’s jaw, the fire in her eyes, puts a smile on my face. Her determination is admirable but futile. A fool’s errand. She wants to catch me so badly she can taste it.
I’ve seen it in the tick of her jaw when the press confronts her, the frustration simmering in her captivating brown eyes when she has no answers to give.
Keep trying, my pet. Keep chasing me. You'll catch up to me eventually, but only when I’m ready.
Until then, I’ll be watching. Waiting. Savoring every moment of our twisted existence. Just thinking about my plan has my cock swelling in my joggers.
I can’t wait to make Francesca mine. Make her submit to me. I crave her. Aside from my other plans, she’s all I can think about lately. Seducing her. Fucking her. Making her mine so that I can destroy her.
Frankie and her colleague disappear as I sprint along the park’s perimeter, but I still sense her presence. She’s completely fixated on me, the murderer, trying to decode my mind and why I killed that guy.
A grin spreads across my face as I recall the pathetic whimpers and pleas that went with my blade slicing through his shrinking cock. The wide, disbelieving eyes that saw me taking away what he cherished most—it was a rush. Now, watching Francesca trying to piece it together, I get to relive it all over again.
I increase my pace, pumping my arms and legs harder to round the park and make it to the other side of the fountain. Jogging in place for a few minutes, I come to an abrupt stop at the park’s north entrance as I watch her.
I blend in perfectly with the crowd of joggers and parkgoers, all of us taking advantage of the post-rain sunshine. I stand and stare while I stretch my hamstrings and then my quads and arms, soaking up the conversation between Frankie and her partner. I can hear her slightly husky voice as she tries to unravel the mystery. Of me. Trying to find the thread that connects those assholes, but I’ve made sure she’ll never find it. I’m meticulous, leaving nothing to chance, and it’s a damn good thing because a detective like Francesca, with her razor-sharp intellect and relentless determination, is a worthy opponent.
For once.
She’s frustrated by her lack of progress, and I understand that because it’s my job to confound her. It’s taken years to plan my revenge, and I won’t let anyone stand in my way.
Not even you, kitten.
Detective DeMarco turns and scans the growing crowd, and I swear her gaze collides with mine. The impact for me is like being struck by a Mack truck, but with my sunglasses on she can’t tell if I’m watching her or rubbernecking like all the others. But I sense the connection with such intensity and rawness, as if there is a tether binding us, and the tingling sensation on my skin assures me that I’m alive, almost as alive as when I’m hunting. Or killing.
Almost.
With a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth, I break the staring contest first and smile at Francesca. Does she see me? I can’t tell for sure, but I think that little grin playing on her full, luscious lips is meant just for me. A secret acknowledgment of the twisted game we’re playing.
My watch beeps, telling me it’s time to put on my daytime mask as Damien Wolfe, the handsome and charming, smart-as-a-whip software developer who rules over the tech industry with an iron fist in a velvet glove.
I jog away from the crime scene and back to my penthouse, where I shed my sweaty clothes and step into a steaming hot shower. The scalding water pours over me, washing away any trace of the dark deeds I’ve committed.
I dress carefully in a perfectly tailored Armani suit, the fine Italian fabric sliding over my skin like armor. It completes the mask I wear for roughly twelve hours each day, the facade of a successful, respectable businessman. I love the way it feels on my body. It’s smart, sophisticated, and powerful.
No one would ever suspect the monster lurking beneath the designer labels and megawatt smile. And that’s exactly how I like it.
