Page 50 of Dangerous Masquerade (Regency Masquerade)
I move to kick him again, but Calix yanks me back.
“If you’re going to rape and murder someone, at least have the fucking decency to remember their name.”
“She wanted it—” It’s Calix’s growl that cuts him off this time.
“I have no idea if she went into that room willing or not. Maybe she did. Maybe you slipped her something that made a bad idea seem a little less awful. What I do know is that she absolutely did not consent to you choking the fucking life out of her, and she categorically didn’t consent to you fucking her corpse.”
Calix releases me and moves to grab Andino, but I block his path.
“Wait, Calix.”
I keep my back to his front and peer down at Andino with a promise of death in my eyes. “How many before Demi?”
“Nobody ever died before. It was an accident. She wouldn’t stop fighting, and I didn’t want you to hear her,” he admits.
“But you liked it, didn’t you? You liked it so much you couldn’t resist fucking her as her warm body slowly turned cold.”
He looks away from me, and I have my answer when I drop my eyes to the crotch of his pants and see him begin to harden. I step forward and kick him in the dick. This time, Calix doesn’t stop me.
Andino starts rolling around crying, but I have zero sympathy. Bending down, I grab a handful of his hair and yank his head back so that his eyes meet mine.
“What happened to the girls who came before Demi?”
“They all left. I threatened them to keep quiet. I knew where they lived because of their driver’s licenses. I keep them on file.”
“And that worked?” Calix questions.
“Not everyone is like us, Calix. Some people believe the bad guy. They have already hurt them once. What’s to stop him from doing it again? Fear is a powerful weapon, and many victims don’t think they have the power to fight. Plus, looking at Demi makes me think that Andino here screens them somehow. I bet he picks them a little young, a little flighty, and a little too reckless, making it easier to work his particular brand of crazy on them. The problem is, it won’t be enough anymore, will it? Not now that you’ve tasted death and liked it.”
“No, I’ll stop, I swear. I just need help. My parents tried, but then they died, and…”
“And the monster finally found himself free of his shackles,” Calix finishes for him.
“Tell me how many people are staying here right now.”
“Aside from you, four. Two are due to check out today. The other two are staying through the weekend.”
“Which is when you would’ve made your next move.” I shake my head and look up at Calix.
“How do you want to handle this?” he asks me.
“I’m going to get the guests out of here first. Tell them there is a gas leak or something and give them a full refund. Hopefully, that will work.”
“You can’t—”
“I can because if you don’t do as I say right now, I’m calling the police. Trust me when I say you don’t want that, not with how much of your semen is on and inside Demi. Now, where do you keep the money?”
He swallows hard and tells me where to find the safe and that the key is in the front pocket of his pants. I reach for it and slip it into my own pocket before going over to my bag.
I pull out the blonde wig and grab the box of colored contacts that turn my chocolate eyes blue and head into the bathroom with them. Once I take the gloves off and have the contacts in, I slide the wig on and make sure it’s in place before walking back into the bedroom.
Calix does a double take and shakes his head, his lips twitching. “Hello, Sarah.”
“Carver,” I reply before looking down at Andino.
“Do you know how my husband got the nicknameCarverwhile he was in prison? No? How about I give you ten guesses while I go shut down your motel and send your guests safely away? If you don’t guess correctly by the time I return, I’ll let him show you exactly how he got it.”
I step up to Calix and lean in close so only he can hear me. “I won’t be long.”