15
It all happens in a blur.
The bullet explodes with a bang toward his left leg, but he dodges my aim, anticipating my shot a split second before I take it. A fraction of a moment latermyshoulders slam back against the dirty concrete wall, and I cry out in pain.
He’s up against me, the firm muscles of his arm pressing hard against my chest to pin me in place. I feel my nipples tighten.
My gun lies forgotten on the ground a yard away from us. He doesn’t try to go for it. He just easily holds me in place with his powerful forearm against my chest while I try and fail to break free of his grip.
I’m face to face with his mask. I brace myself for terror and disgust, but only terror surges through me. In the place of disgust is transfixion: I can’t tear my eyes away from the lifeless stitches that make up his eyes.
He leansintoward my exposedneck,as ifbreathing in my scent.His own hits me: it’s heady and masculine, like leather, cedar, and woodsmoke, with a slight, sharpedge of iron. I try to ignore just how good it is.
“I just stopped you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Trust is a fragile thing, Detective. Don’t play with itorit might shatter into pieces and leave you bleeding.”
I feel the vibrations of his deep, modulated voice against my skin. The flutter makes me shiver, though my body feels on fire.
“Trust?” I mutter. “Why would we trust each other?”
“You’re not like the other cops. I’m not like your other criminals. I can see the shield you hold up to the world, and I can see through its cracks to the scared little girl inside.”
The breath is knocked from my lungs as I stare at him.
“I see a whole world ofdark,complexity in your eyes, my little dove of peace. A whole swirling, black galaxy. I thought no one else could ever understand. But my theory is that you understand. I’m going to have so much fucking fun testing it out.”
“I—I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”I stammer out the lie. It’s all I can do.
“You think this is what you’re supposed to do. Arrest me and send me to rot in jail. But you’re mistaken.”
“Are you going to kill me?” I breathe.
He laughs. “I need you alive for my game, Ava. If you fail the game, that’s a different matter.”
“Go to hell,” I mutter.
He draws back, cocking his head to the side.
“Rude little detective.”My face burns asthedeep, distorted humof his voicescolds me like a misbehaving child.“If you can’t say anything nice, I’ll have to stuff your mouth with something until you learn your lesson.”
Anger flashes through me like lightning, joined by an unwelcome, undeniable clench of heat deep in my stomach. Before I can stop myself, I spit in his face.
He slowly raises one gloved hand and wipes the spit off his mask. “I’ll start with this.”
He lifts his forefinger and, before I can turn my head, shoves it between my parted lips.
Humiliation floods me. I groan in protest asheinvades my mouth, biting down onhisfinger. It’s no use through the thick leather.
But it’s like the humiliation opens the floodgates for something much darker and more insistent. Suddenlymyheart rate is fast, a twinge of hunger growing in my depths.
He sinks his fingerdeeper, and I sputter around him. He’s edging toward the start of my throat.
Heat explodes between my legs. I don’t want my body to react this way, but the growing ache in my core is undeniable. Why is this masked psycho teasing me? And why is it setting me on fire?
“Do you promise to be polite, little dove?” He murmurs the words into my ear.
He pushes his finger further. My throat contracts, involuntary tears springing up in my eyes. I reluctantly hurry out a nod.
“Good, because next time it’s going to be something much fucking bigger.”
He pulls his gloved finger out of my mouth, and I gasp for air.
My stomach is swirling with a mix of anger and heat as I gasp the words. “My boss will be here any second. My team will take you down.”
“Then let me give you something interesting to tell your boss.”
His thick gloves skate over my stomach, sliding down between my legs. Only the fabric of his glove and my jeans separates his fingers from my skin. A pulse of heat bursts to life in my core.
“I’m no detective,” he murmurs. “But it’s clear, little dove. You want me to touch you. Is that right?”
A strained moan of pleasure leaves my lips. I don’t need to answer;hecan see the hunger in my body’s reaction. I can’t deny it any longer. The pull is like trying to resist gravity.
You’re broken, Ava. You’ll never be a good,normalgirl.
I squirm under his form, suddenly longing for friction as much as I’m longing for Hawkins to burst in with backup. The ache is so powerful, but he tantalizingly only rests his fingers between my legs. I want to scream for him to give me more, but I stop myself.
The fabric of his mask caresses my cheek as he leans further into me. “You might be too proud to say it, but your body is begging for the touch of a killer.”
The hot pulse is beating harder. This is so fucking wrong. But every word he speaks is igniting something that went cold and dead a long time ago.
“Cain!”
Hawkins.
His distant yell from outside this abandoned building isn’t quite enough to break the spell.
The masked man—Hyde —leans in. I clamp my eyes shut tight. I can hear the sadistic smile in his voice when he speaks.
“I changed my mind. You tell a single soul about this, and I’ll make sure your precious team of detectives doesn’t live to see the dawn.”
Dread falls in my stomach like an anvil.
I nod.
“Be good, little dove, and I won’t tell your precious boss how his star detective longs to be the filthy little slut for a killer.”
Heat engulfs my core. The ache of need between my legs is so powerful that it’sactuallypainful.
And worse, it’s left completely unfulfilled.
Suddenlythepressure disappears from my chest. My eyes snap open.
The grimy concrete room is empty.
Reality crashes back into my sensesandI run to check the exits, but there’s no sign of him. He’s disappeared like a dream.
My heart is beating so hard in my chest, but that’s the only evidence this encounter even happened. That, and the hot, shameful wetness between my legs.
“Cain.” Hawkins bursts in through the door.
I try to catch my breath and hide the shock on my face. “I’m sorry, Captain. I lost him.”
Hawkins curses, flicking on his radio and ordering the team to circle the area ASAP. “Did you get a good look at him?”
“Male, approx. 6 foot 3, lean, muscular build. But he was in a mask and gloves.He—he started to speakto me, but then he disappeared.”
“What did he say?”
“He said his name is Hyde. And that he killed the victim. And…”
Hawkins looks at me expectantly. My throat tightens like an invisible handis squeezingthe air out of it.
“And that’s it. I’m sorry, sir.”
A searing flash of guilt rips through my heart; how can I lie to Hawkins, the man I’ve modeled my whole career after? The man who makes me believe the law enforcement systemactuallymight be able to bring some justice to the world?
But Hyde’s threat is ringing in my ears. If I tell anyone what just happened, he’ll target my team. I can’t let that happen.
I can’t have any more blood on my hands.
When I was fifteen, I promised no other personon earth would ever learn ofwhat I’m hiding.
In just seconds, this masked killer somehow saw more of what I’ve tried to keep buried than even the people closest to me ever have. Hawkins can’t know any of this.If he did, I’d lose my job,his respect, and my wholelife in a split second.
And what’s more, I’m on fire with a different sort of shame. I’m betrayed by how my body reacted whenhetaunted me like an object.
“Ah. That’s all right, Cain. Good work on spotting him.”
The disappointment is heavy in Hawkins’s voice, though he’s trying to hide it.If he knewanymore of what just happened between me and the killer, he wouldn’tjustbe disappointed.He’d be disgusted.
***
The next few hours of work slip by in a daze.
The team’s search for the masked suspectcomes upempty; he’s left no trace. I try to shake off what just happened, but I’m on autopilot as I make notes on the scene for the rest of the evening.
Until I hear three words.
“Hello, Detective Cain.”
I look up and see the only man who couldpossiblyget the killer off my mind.
Dr Jackson Keller.