I kiss her forehead as footsteps crunching in the gravel grow closer. I didn’t want to ruin our final moments together by saying she would be waiting her whole life for me. Maybe we were never meant to be together at all. Perhaps this isourpunishment.
The cops jump out of their cars, and the door flies open.
Guns point in our direction.
I push Clemmie behind me and raise my hands in the air.
“On the ground!” A voice yells. “Both of you.”
I lower myself to my knees, and Clemmie does the same. Seconds later, the cops are on top of me. They haul me to my feet and force my wrists into handcuffs. I don’t resist. They march me to a waiting car.
I turn back to see Clemmie wailing hysterically. Tears stream down her cheeks, making her mascara run as she sobs, “Thank God you’re here!”
A female officer wraps her arm around Clemmie’s shoulders and steers her away to another car calling for someone to bring a blanket. I breathe a sigh of relief. She isn’t stupid.
I’m thrown into the backseat and look at her for the last time.
She’s never looked more beautiful—even if she is covered in blood and wearing my jacket over lingerie. She is the perfect victim. My gaze looks beyond Clemmie to the mansion and at a small girl holding a cell phone in the window.
The car pulls away as Iris presses her hand to the glass, and I could have sworn I saw her mouth, “I’m sorry.”
I wanted to rid the world of monsters, but did I become one in the process? Maybe it didn’t matter, as long as she was safe.
CHAPTER20
Clemmie
August shouldn’t have underestimatedme, nor should the foolish officers. They look at me and see an innocent victim. They don’t notice the knife tucked into my garter as I’m ushered into the back of a cop car.
I cry hysterically, giving the performance of a lifetime.
I need to convince them if I’m going to fix this. I’m not ready for my new life to be over before it starts.
“It’ll be okay,” a female officer reassures, sliding into the back seat by my side. Two other officers sit up front, avoiding looking in my direction. They don’t know how to deal with an emotional wreck like me. “You’re safe now.”
Safe? I want to roll my eyes, but I let the tears fall. The only place I’ll be safe is with August, but they are tearing us apart. They want to split us up forever. The thought of being separated makes my chest ache like my soul is being ripped apart.
We start moving, leaving the only home I’ve ever known to follow the vehicle with August inside. It’s the first time I’ve left the grounds in years, but it’s too dark to see where we are. No other houses are around, and the road is empty apart from the car’s tail lights ahead.
The other cops stayed behind at the mansion, undoubtedly fussing over the silly girl Daddy bought as a gift and the presents I left for them to find. I’d love to see their faces when they see my work.
“It’s okay,” the female officer says gently, patting my shoulder. “We won’t be too long.”
I have to act fast. There’s no time to think.
I grab my knife in a smooth motion and slice it across her throat. Blood spurts from the open wound, and she gasps. Her hands fly to her neck in confusion, then her eyes widen as she realizes what I’ve done. She never saw it coming, and she’ll bleed out soon enough.
The officer in the passenger seat in front turns around at the sudden commotion. The darkness is my friend.
“What the—”
Before he finishes his sentence, I launch at him with the knife, aiming for his temple. He tries to catch my wrist, but I’m quicker, and his head turning means the blade goes straight through his eye instead. That’s more fun.
I pull out the knife and stab his neck to complete the job.
The driver realizes what’s going on as blood sprays over the side of his face. He lunges to stop me but loses control of the car, and we swerve dramatically to the left. We veer off the road and hurtle down a slope. I’m bouncing in my seat but react fast and strap myself in. While the driver takes the wheel again, I lean forward to unclip his belt as he slams the brake.
The car halts, but his body keeps moving. He flies violently into the glass as we crash through the wooden gate, I brace myself as the wheels come to a natural stop. I’m winded but unharmed. Adrenaline will power me through. I can’t stop now that I’m so close.