chapter twenty-four

There was something about putting your hair up in a high bun, wearing a lab coat, and having a smartwatch decorating your wrist that made you feel so professional and like you could accomplish everything on your to-do list. However, the screaming behind me was getting on my nerves. I was honestly surprised he hadn’t lost his voice by now. After another thirty seconds of uninterrupted screaming, I slammed my hands on my desk and screamed back as loud as I could. He immediately fell silent.

“If you haven’t already figured it out, you are in a soundproof room,” I hissed, breaking the now glorious silence. “The only reason I haven’t taken your vocal cords out yet is because I am busy with my current note-taking. However, your constant grating on my nerves is going to speed that process up, so I can’t hear a fucking thing from you.” I swiveled in my chair to look him dead in the eyes. “Keep it up, I dare you.”

He gave me a whimper, and I could see his wrists were bleeding from the amount of tugging he did against his restraints. I picked this asshole up from a local bar after I went to let off some steam and saw him trying to pick up someone who was obviously very uncomfortable and not taking no for an answer. I’m not a knight in shining armor kind of girl. However, how could I deny gaining more product? Especially since I needed to lose a little bit of steam anyway. I made sure to contact Hadrian to let him know I would have more shipments for him today, but instead, he said he wouldn’t be able to pick it up and would have someone come pick it up for him. He said he trusted him but warned me not to give any information other than what Hadrian was already offering.

I appreciated Hadrian was very protective of me, but I wasn’t an idiot. Yes, Hadrian was a stranger who practically knew my deepest secrets, with whom I tended to share easily. However, I was not trying to get myself taken out of the game too early. Whenever my downfall happened, it happened. It was a game for me now to see how long it took.

The man in question, Maddox, should arrive in the next couple of hours. Would I tell the merchandise behind me this? Hell no. It would disrupt my now glorious peace and quiet. Once I mentioned that his time was running out in the next couple of hours, he’d go into a frenzy of ear-splitting screams, worsening the pounding in my head. So I would let him think that he had been given some extra time to himself when, in reality, the only thing he had just granted himself was the ability to use his voice box just a little bit longer.

It took me a while, but I finally hit enter on my last sentence. Before closing the program, I made sure to save the document and back it up on my cloud. I pulled out my tiny lip moisturizer tub and dabbed a bit on my dry lips. Taking a sip of my iced water, I grabbed my mask and gloves before I headed to the table.

“You see, I have an appointment with someone later today, so we don’t have a whole lot of time to work.” I gave the hyperventilating guy a smile. “Normally, I would like to drag this out, but unfortunately, this is the only time he can visit and pick up… you.” My smile turned vicious as he moaned low in his throat. “I don’t exactly know where the leftovers end up, but I can tell you where you will end up on my end.”

Taking my time, I leaned over his face and pulled the stainless steel mayo stand closer, ensuring that all my tools were neatly arranged in the sterile tray on top before I began. With deliberate movements, I slipped on one glove and then the other, never breaking eye contact. “I’m most excited to try a new charcoal from burning your bones. It should go very nicely as a powder eyeliner.”

I placed the mask on my chin and looped the string over one of my ears.

“Of course, I will use your fat for tallow. If you don’t know, you will make me excellent candles and soaps. “I do this with every”—I gave him a thorough, disgusted once-over, lingering on each detail with contempt—“thing I catch. Have done since day one.”

I looked over the side and ran through all the scents I had available through my head. “Maybe with you, I will try the margarita mix with added strawberry essence. I bet that scent combo will be a hit. Plus, it would be a tribute to the drink you tried to buy that poor girl you bothered.”

His moaning started to go quieter as he accepted his fate. I didn’t even need to take out his vocal cords or gag him! This was a success in my book.

“Lastly, but certainly not least, my absolute favorite thing. Your blood will be my new face mask.” I grinned wildly. “When you separate the blood, you can activate the collagen, making an excellent youth serum.” I took my scalpel, watching the light shine off the blade. I knew he saw it, too, because he went completely silent. I turned to look at him and saw he had dissociated, which made me scowl. I struck him sharply across the face, and he cried out in pain.

“You don’t get to check out early,” I hissed, emphasizing each word. “I know your kind. You don’t let the people you prey on check out early, so why do you think I will?”

His eyes pleaded with mine, desperate for words he could not speak. Even now, with a scalpel to the artery in his neck and tongueless, he thought he could buy himself freedom with sympathy. I didn’t know who he thought I was, but I was the last person outside the people he preyed on to give mercy to the likes of him.

I finally let the knife kiss his skin and pressed in, splitting it open like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. The blood pooled until it spilled over. I watched, mesmerized, as I pulled the knife into a clean line over his throat, sealing the deal. The sound he made as he fully accepted his fate while being fully in the moment gave me a shiver down my spine.

Ah, yes… That’s the stuff.

And with that, I got to work.