through me. “Why let me heal when you'll just break me anyway?”
“Because breaking you is half the fun.”
More tears spilled out of my eyes as I lowered deeper into the hotel's bathtub. Water rose up to my neck. My hands lay between my thighs as I stroked myself, thinking of Miguel inside of me. I shut my eyes, not even able to deal with my reflection in the faucet's metal or the bathroom door's mirror. I couldn't look at myself.
I was sick and long gone from sanity.
Because only a mad woman would masturbate to the memory of the man who'd taken all that she loved. My body was another pawn in this game between us. It weakened me, whenever he was involved, made me do crazy things like stroke myself to the sound of his groans in my head.
My phone rang.
Before today, I would've said that it could only be Miguel, but Kane had it too. Miguel would go crazy if he found out. Miguel’s outrageous jealousy made him keep Kane far away from me. Sex appeal oozed from Kane. It dripped from those layered muscles and radiated from his eyes. Before all of this craziness, Kane would've been just my type, sex enveloped in danger and muscle. Not that Kane could take my attention away from Miguel back then, but Miguel would’ve felt threatened, nonetheless.
I wiped my hand off and grabbed my phone. “Hello?”
“Hello? That's new.” Miguel's voice hummed through me.
I gritted my teeth.
“Usually, it's what do you want Miguel or stop calling me. Why hello this time?”
“Because I wasn't sure who it was.” I smiled.
Think about that answer, you sick asshole.
Silence passed on the line for several seconds before he cleared his throat and continued,
“Someone else has this number?”
“Why wouldn't he?”
“Because I bought you this phone.”
“But then you killed all of my family. I figured that we were over. Was I wrong?”
“Yes.” The word was a dark growl. “You're very much wrong.”
“Hmmm. I don't care.” I hung up, but didn't set the phone down.
It barely took him an half of a second to call back.
“Hello?” I grinned.
“Hello again?” The usual calm left Miguel's words. Usually his threatening wordplay flowed with honey. This time, each syllable dotted with rage. “This is a very dangerous game you're playing.”
“Which game?”
“The one where you involve another man.”
“I'm lonely. You told me yourself that our bodies always needed sexual release, at least daily if we could help it.”
“Come home.”
I leaned my head against the wall and slumped my shoulders forward. “That doesn't sound like any fun. You never enjoyed an easy kill.”
“I wouldn't kill you if you just returned to me.”
“But you'll hurt me?”
“Of course, I will, but then you love the way I hurt you.” Velvety smoothness lathered those words. “Don't you, Mami?”
“I don't know.”
“No?”
“No. This new guy is teaching me other ways to love. I think I'm starting to like it.”
Something cracked on the other line, but I had no idea what it was. I guessed he threw something against a wall, maybe a glass or plate.
“What's your next move, Mami?”
“I'm going to take out your bishop.”
He chuckled to himself. “Interesting. I wonder which one of my men you would think could be considered a bishop on my game board.”
“You'll see.”
Chapter 7
Fool's mate
~Kane
Maybe I was crazy for not shooting Melody in my condo. Dead body on my property or not, I didn't like the idea of having to watch my back. But then the wisest people did the oddest things, not what others thought they should. My gut and unpredictability kept me breathing each day. Until those failed me, I lived.
Plus, predictable actions are boring. How can you learn when you do what's expected?
Philosophy taught me that. When people thought of a philosopher, specific images rushed to their brains—intellectual people stroking their wise beards and sitting above everyone else as they spouted out knowledge on life.
In
Peter Tremayne
Mandy M. Roth
Laura Joy Rennert
Francine Pascal
Whitley Strieber
Amy Green
Edward Marston
Jina Bacarr
William Buckel
Lisa Clark O'Neill