Page 170 of The Monster and the Masochist

‘She likes vegan food!’

‘You like vegan food, and she eats it because she knows it makes you happy. What makes her happy?’

I frowned as I pressed the button for the elevator, and I mulled this over.

What made Theo happy?

She liked playing that violent cartoon game.

She liked fighting… I think. I wasn’t sure if she actually liked the sport, or if it was simply a means to an end for her… which wasn’t something I really wanted to dwell on.

Me.

She liked me.

But did she love me?

My monster rolled its eyes.

‘Don’t be daft.’

I smiled.

Okay. She definitely did.

Maybe a night at home with greasy cheeseburgers, Smash Bros, and… me? It didn’t seem like much, but maybe that was all Theo really needed to be happy…

Just then, my phone vibrated, and I slipped it out of my bag to see who was messaging me. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was Vox.

‘Oh fuck. He has something!’

‘Open it,’ my monster urged, peeking curiously through the bars of its cage as I clicked open the encrypted messaging app the mercenary had installed on my phone.

My frown deepened as I realized he’d sent me a link to a digital folder full of video files.

The first one was titled Meredith.mov

One of the girls who had come forward with accusations was named Meredith. She was nine years old.

My blood turned cold, and I knew even as my thumb tapped the link that whatever I was about to watch was going to make me want to scrub the inside of my skull out with fucking bleach… but still. I needed to watch it.

I needed evidence, and Vox had sent it to me in a neat little digital folder.

The elevator dinged, but I ignored it.

All I could do was watch as my client’s voice echoed out from my phone.

‘Very good, Meredith. See? You’re a lady, and now you look like one, too. You look so pretty in those heels.’

My Louboutins cracked like gunshots against the marble floors of Sinclair and Morrissy LLP. Several associates glanced up as I entered through the glass doors of the firm. They took one look at my face and scattered, knowing better than to get in my way when I was in a mood.

I was a walking contradiction.

My entire body felt hot and cold at the same time. I was both calm and burning with pent-up energy, waiting to be released.

My monster was pacing in my chest, growling and snarling, waiting for me to give it the blood it demanded.

I’d watched all six of the videos Vox had sent me. Each one had been named after a different girl, four of whom had already publicly come forward against the reverend.