I just can't catch a break today. I don't want to deal with this anymore men.
"What are you doing in my apartment Harry"
"I told you, sunshine we aren't done talking." He says with a smile.
I clench my jaw and look at him. Is he fucking serious. "You broke into my house again to talk to me after I told you I did want to see you." I step closer to him and watch his eyes talk in my appearance. A small smile creeps on my lips as I watch his eyes widen and his smile falter. "I've had a very long night as I'm sure you can see and I just want to go to bed. So please get out of my apartment."
"You know I had my doubts about you being the crazy killer terrorizing Los Angeles. I have to say I don't think you had it on you. Guess you really are a little devil."
I hum and nod "That seems to be a running theme amongst men. No one sees the girl as a threat. Makes my job easier so I can't really complain." I take my knife out and toss it on the table before making my way over to him, "Now that we've established that I am in fact a threat I suggest you get out of my dining room and stay away from me."
"Or what, button?" He says standing, a smile still present on his face. "You gonna take that pretty little knife and crave me ear to ear?" He steps around the table and walks towards me, licking his bottom lip."Cause I'd love to see you try."
I clench my jaw and take a step forward "This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely. Get. Out."
He smiles and looks directly into my eyes "Make me."
I step forward and swipe his leg out from under him. He falls to the floor with a thud. He gasps for air as I grab the knife from the table. "I am so beyond sick of men. I'm sick of the attitudes. The way every one of you think you can do whatever you want without consequence."
I pick the knife up and turn my attention back to Harry. "I wanted to come home and take a nice hot shower and relax but instead I'm going to have to clean blood off my fl-AH fuck," suddenly my legs give out under me as Harry rolls and kicks the back of my knees. The knife slides under the table. As I take a second to figure out what the fuck just happened Harry stands up and looks over me.
"You should be more careful, button. It's not safe to play with knives, you never know what could happen." A cocky smirk falls on his lips. He walks over to the living room and starts looking at my plants. Does he not realize his life is in danger? I slowly stand up and make my way over to him.
"So many plants. I didn't think a killer would have such a green thumb"
"Is that really what you're thinking about right now?"
He turns and looks at me eyeing me up and down, "Well one of the things..."
I tilt my head slightly and bite my bottom lip. The audacity? I need to get his guard down. What better way to do that than to make I raise the knife up and push back a strand of hair before crossing my arms, shaking my head. "Is this really the best time to flirt with me?"
"Well you decide being tied to a chair in a torture room was a good time. I think the living room of a pretty girl is a perfect time." He says with a goofy smile.
I roll my eyes and take a step forward bringing my knife up to his chin and
slowly drag it down to his pulse. " I'd be careful, hot shot. You're playing a dangerous game."
"Danger adds to the fun, doesn't it little devil?" He says taking a step closer to me. I lower the knife slowly down his neck down to his chest following it as I go. If press a little harder....
I think it's my turn to ask the questions. I feel his hand slide up my arm. He's going for the knife. Clever boy. His hand reaches my wrist and I smirk to myself. I drop the knife and turn my body. In one fluid motion I grab his wrist, throw it up while stepping to the side of him. I turn his arm up and push down forcing him to the ground. A small yelp comes from his mouth.
I kick my leg over his arm to get more leverage. If I break his arm he'll be easier to control. Right now he has too much power. As I go to pull his arm back he stands up. Well how the fuck. This is bad, this is very bad. I throw my legs up and flip around. My legs are around his neck all I need to do is squeeze.
A strangled laugh comes from him, "If you wanted me between your thighs so bad all you had to do is ask."
I squeeze harder as he falls to his knees. "Talking while being strangled. Tsk tsk you're running low on air now hot shot." With that we hit the floor hard. I hiss as I unwrap my legs.
Well now what. I am covered in blood, have this man passed out on top of me, and I have work tomorrow. I groan and push him off me. Standing up I blow air out and look around, how am I supposed to hold him.
I walk into my back room and look around aimlessly. It's not like I have rope just laying around. I walk into the laundry room and spot some old sheets. I bend down to pick them up, "These will work. I can cut them into rope and use it to tie him to the table or something." I smile to myself and start humming Don't Stop Me Now.
Walking back into the front room I look at Harry passed out on the floor then over to my table. This isn't gonna work. There's no way I can get him up onto the table and if I tie him to the legs I'll have to crouch to talk to him. I sigh and realize the place that would work best is my bedroom. If I tie him to the bed I can get him to stand when he comes to.
This asshole better cooperate. If I have to persuade him into talking and end up getting blood on my sheets, I'll be so pissed. I walk into my room and set the sheets on to the bed. I walk back into the living room and grab Harry's feet. Yet another reason why I'm glad I don't have carpet. I pull Harry down the hall, slowly but surely. Jesus he's fucking heavy. My arms are already fucking sore from stabbing someone to death and now I have to drag this 6 foot man down my hallway.
As I pull him into my room his head hits the corner of the door. I drop his legs and hold my hands in front of my mouth. I try to hold back my laugh. Well I guess that will help him stay out. I shrug my shoulders and pull him a little further. Dusting my hands off I walk back into the living room to get my knife.
I cut two strips out and kneel down next to Harry. I take one of his wrists and tie the strip around knotting it tightly. I do the same to the other before pulling him closer to the bed. I double knot the two strips around the frame of the bed. I give it a quick tug and nod satisfied with my handy work. I walk over and set the knife on my vanity.
Now when he wakes up he won't be going anywhere without my say so. Okay I really need to shower. I just became self aware of the fact I am still covered in blood. Blowing a raspberry I take one last look at Harry before leaving my room.
Walking into the bathroom I finally see my reflection. Jesus. I look like Carrie at prom. Blood covers my arms and splatters cover my face. Harry saw me walk in looking like this and still picked a fight. I don't understand him.
Right now isn't about him. Separate Sage. Deal with this mess in the mirror then deal with the hot unconscious man in your bedroom. I tilt my head and smile. I can say this is a first, didn't think I'd have a man tied to my bed. Funny how things work out this way.
I turn the shower on and step in quickly. The water stings at first but then it does what it always does. I stand and scrub my body trying to get rid of the blood as fast as possible. I don't know how much longer Harry will be out and I'd prefer it if I wasn't in the shower when he comes to.
I need to know how he found me. I've always been careful, I don't leave evidence. The witnesses never say anything, they're either too drugged to remember details or I'm doing them a favor. I don't have to worry about them. Though the more I kill the riskier it gets. I need to wait longer into between kills. I can't do this again. The anger is good but it makes me stupid.
I sigh and wring out my hair before stepping out of the shower. My mind wasn't in the right place tonight. I should've known. The dreams always mess with my head. I wrap myself up in my black robe. I look at myself in the mirror as I scrunch my hair in the towel.
"There you are. Nice to see you looking like a person again" I say smiling at myself in the mirror. I hang my towels up and walk to my room. Harry is still passed out on the floor. I roll my eyes and grab a pair of panties and slide them up my legs. Giving one last look at Harry I leave the room and walk to the kitchen. A cup of tea sounds wonderful right now.
I hum as I turn on the kettle and set up a mug. Waiting for the water to heat up I turn on some soft piano music to fill the silence. It doesn't take long before the kettle starts to whistle. I pour myself a cup and add some honey to sweeten it. Peppermint tea always gives me a little boost of energy.
I hear Harry starting to stir in the other room. "What the hell?"
I smile and walk back to my room holding the mug in my hands. I blow softly on the liquid before taking a sip. "Did you seriously just make a cup of tea?"
I nod and tilt my head slightly, "I would offer you a cup by you a cup but you seem a little tied up at the moment." I raise the mug up to hide a small laugh.
"Haha very funny, little devil. Why don't you be a good girl and untie me. We can have our talk like civilized people."
I set the cup down and pick up the knife. "You see, sweets, I've never been a good girl. Why would I start now?" I flip my vanity chair around and sit, twirling the knife in my fingers. "Plus you had me tied up for our first chat. Thought I would return the favor."
His eyes look me up and down before he shifts. I'm still wearing the robe. Well. This should be interesting.
"If this is how you look while interrogating people, I can see why they end up dead. You're really not playing fair here little devil. I kept my clothes on." He says not taking his eyes off my legs. I let out a small laugh before shaking my head. Men really only have one thing on their minds.
"I hadn't planned on looking like this. You woke up sooner than I expected and well here we are. Now if you'd stop staring at my legs we can talk. You answer my questions. I'll answer a few of yours. You answer truthfully and maybe I'll let you leave. You lie or do anything that otherwise pisses me off, you leave in a body bag. Are we clear?"
His head tilts down as he bites his bottom lip. He looks back up with a small smile "Crystal."
"Good, now first things first I wanna know how you found me. I've been here for years and the cops no nothing. I kill one of your men and days later you're in my home. How'd you do it?" I say sitting back crossing my leg.
Harry's eyebrow raises. He lets out a sigh and struggles to stand up. Once there he leans back against the bed frame with his eyes closed. "Louis is very good at computers." Is all he says.
"Not good enough hot shot I need details. The LAPD have people good with computers and yet you found me first. I need more than that."
"I am not good with computers. So I can only give you my basic understanding, sweets. Louis tracked you down by your car. He cross referenced all of the cars from Dylan's scene to the cars from the last one. He hacked the traffic lights. After that it wasn't hard to find who owns your car. Not many people drive cars from the 60s."
"Don't shit on Hades" I pout.
"Oh I would never. I think it's quite attractive to drive such an interesting car." He says lifting his head up to look at me. "How does one come to own such an interesting car."
I stiffen up a little and push my shoulders back. "It was my fathers. Now did you just assume it was me because my car was in the right place at the wrong time. I mean come on LA isn't as big as you think."
"Well once those two scenes matched your car we started looking for it at the other scenes and at every one your car was around. Now I don't believe in coincidences but Louis insisted on checking every crime scene. I will say it's impressive how you managed to just walk away without anyone seeing you."
"People don't suspect the woman. It makes it easy on me." I say with a slight shrug.
"Oh I'm sure it does. I still wonder how you manage to leave unharmed every time. You go after dangerous men, little devil. Men who kill for a living and here you are unharmed. How do you do it?" He asks standing up straighter.
"It's not your turn to ask a question but I'll allow it. People underestimate me. They don't see me as a threat. It's very easy to beat someone who doesn't try. They'll get a punch in every now and then. The last guy got me pretty good. It helps that they've been drinking, they move slow. Plus I've been doing this for a while." I say bringing my hand up to my cheek and rubbing it softly.
The pain has dulled but it still stings. Harry frowns at me and leans forward.
"He hit you?"
"He hit a lot of women. I wasn't the first, but I made sure I was the last." I stand and take a step towards him. "Now does anyone else know where I am. Besides Louis and Niall." I take the knife and bring it to his chest. "I don't want any more surprises."
He chuckles and looks down at the knife. "No. Louis and Niall were the only ones I trusted to find you. I thought it would be an easy assignment, but you are turning out to be more difficult to control."
I smile and press the knife against the top button of his shirt. Slicing down fast it falls to the floor. "I get that a lot." I push the sides of his shirt open more and see two birds peeking out. "I like your shirt like this. The birds are cute."
"Hmm I'm sure you do. Are you liking what you're seeing, little devil?" He smirks before pulling against the cloth. He lowers his mouth and whispers, "Maybe you should undo these knots. This outfit has my imagination running. I'd love to see what else you can do with that knife."
He sure knows how to sweet talk. I drag the knife lower taking off a few more buttons. "And what exactly do you think is going to happen? Hmm? You think I'll let you down and we'll fuck?" I bring the knife but up to his chin and push it up, giving me access to his neck. I place little kisses along his collarbone, keeping the knife pressed against his chin. "You think I'll let that pretty little mouth near me after everything you've done?" I bite down softly on the base of his neck. He breathes in quickly and pulls against the bed frame.
"You aren't playing fair." He says in a low voice. I smile and pull away. "Fucking tease." He says under breath. It's so easy to get men going. A kiss here, a kiss there, and boom they have no brain. It's kinda fun to watch them.
"Be nice Hot Shot. I was just considering letting you leave here alive. I had a few more questions for you. How did you find someone like Louis? He's nice and he's got brains. He doesn't seem like the typical goons gang leaders have working for them."
A laugh leaves Harry and dimples pop out of his cheeks. He shakes his head and looks at me. Wow. He looks so different like this. So innocent. Amazing what a smile can do.
"Of course you ask about him." He says, still shaking his head.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I ask sitting back down. I set the knife down on the vanity table before crossing my arms. A smile threatens to show.
"Nothing, nothing at all Little Devil." An amused look crosses his features.
"Hey now we had a deal Hot Shot" I say, raising my eyebrows and tilting my head towards him. I can no longer hide my smile. Something about him just..... feels weird. I have to smile when he does. I can't control it.
Harry sighs dramatically and I roll my eyes. "Okay okay all I mean is you seem quite cozy with Louis. So it's not surprising you'd ask about him."
"I like Louis, but I want to know how someone like him ended up being part of a gang. I was going to ask about Niall too."
"Well it's not my story to tell. What I can tell you is they didn't have any options. They wouldn't have chosen this life. It was more so pushes on them. They're both too good for it, but we all do what we have to." He says. He looks sad. For the first time Harry doesn't look like he's playing some angle.
"What about you? How did you end up here? You don't seem like the type of guy that would normally be running a gang." I watch as his body stiffens.
"Wrong place at the right time" Is all he says.
What does that mean? I can tell he doesn't want to talk about it anymore. I'll respect that, but I'm curious. What was he doing and who was he doing it for?
"Okay. Well then tell me what do you do outside of kidnapping women." The air is uncomfortable now, but his little laugh makes it feel lighter.
"I run a company that makes and sells pianos."
"That's certainly interesting, why that of all things?" Pianos.... I wonder if he plays. Who am I kidding of course he plays piano players always have a "holier than thou" mindset. I wonder if he's any good.
"It's what my father did and his father and so on. Taking over the family business you could say."
"Mmm am I sensing daddy issues? Daddy forced you into taking over the family business? Maybe that's while we're rebellious and run a gang. Real stick it to the man of you, Hot Shot." I tease, but I don't get the reaction I'm hoping for. His smile falls and he looks..... sad? Well that's not where I wanted this to go. I wanted to make him angry.
"No Button, I don't have any daddy issues. I loved my father. He was a kind man. I chose to go into his business. I've made choices in my life but none were to spite my father. It's easy to hide things in pianos, no one questions the big boxes. If you allow it I would much rather talk about something else. Something about you."
"Okay... it's only fair. I've asked a lot and you've answered. So what do you want to know?" I ask, tapping my fingers against my palm.
"Why knives?" He asks, tilting his head softly. He switches so easily. I don't know how he does that. It's weird.
"I like to cause pain. A gun is too fast. They deserve to suffer, a knife creates the most pain." I say shrugging.
"Interesting reasoning, Little Devil."
I smile softly and pick the knife back up. He smirks at me, raising his eyebrow up. I roll my eyes and walk behind him cutting the ties. He rubs his wrist and turns to face me.
"So is this the part where I die?"
I can't help but laugh. He's something else. Who in their right mind asks that? They say I'm the psychopath, obviously they've never met him.
"Not today, I think I'll let you live. I don't enjoy cleaning blood off these floors. You caught me on a good night. I'll see you out." I say holding my arm out, pointing towards the door with the knife.
He shakes his head while walking out of the room. He's holding his wrist still and I can't help but feel a little bad. In my own defense he kept pulling against the ties. I follow him out and watch as he opens the door.
"Do you work tomorrow?" He asks walking out of the door.
"Wouldn't you like to know." I lean up against the frame of my door. The moon is shining bright tonight casting a glow against his skin. He looks like some pirate with his shirt cut open. I giggle softly to myself.
"Hmm well I guess I'll just have to come by and hope for the best." He says, smirking at me.
"No, have you learned nothing from this encounter. You stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." I squint at him.
"I need caffeine to run an efficient business and Kira has the best in town" A cheeky grin crosses his face.
"You are stubborn. It's gonna get you killed."
"I'm not so sure about that. I'll see you tomorrow, Little Devil." He says as he turns to leave.
"I'm serious Harry, don't come to my work!" I call out after him.
He just waves his arm. I shake my head and watch him leave. He sends me one last look before getting in his car.
This was an eventful night. I don't even know how to process what went on. I look up to the sky and sigh.
"Can you believe that? After all of that he still wants to see me at work? This guy has a death wish. I don't understand him. It's frustratingly interesting." I say, leaning against the railing. "I got another one today. He hit me pretty good back but it's nothing I can't handle. He won't hurt anyone anymore. I need to take a break for my body and my mind. I can't keep this up if I'm exhausted."
The stars twinkle and planes fly through the sky. I know they can't talk back, but they listen. They watch and they listen. They're there for me.
Blowing a kiss to the sky I turn to go inside. I need to get some well deserved sleep.
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Hi everyone I'm sorry for such a long wait. And the cliffhanger...... I didn't realize that's what I did.
I've felt weird these past couple of days. Some stuff about another author came out on Twitter, it didn't feel right to update. I feel like it's a little bit better now. That being said if anyone was affected by what happened and need to talk I am always willing to listen. I may not have the right words but I will do my best.
April is also sexual assault awareness month. Even though it's great to bring awareness to things I understand it can be triggering for some people. I know for myself it can get overwhelming to see it all over my Twitter. Please remember to take care of yourselves. Take breaks from social medias, do some extra self care, watch some movies.
I am so happy you're here and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you again soon! Remember to drink some water, eat something, and treat yourself with kindness. Thank you for being you.