Holly
I stared in my mirror,a mixture of horror and trepidation filling my stomach.
A date! What the hell had I been thinking, accepting a date with Master Mal? I’d only been on one date before in my life and that involved me having a panic attack and snapping my date’s neck when he got too handsy with me. Granted, we’d met while I was stalking one of my victims and he probably only thought I was cute because of the disguise I’d been wearing at the time. But I’d been young and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
In all honesty, I hadn’t been impressed. The guy had taken me to a bar where the music was so loud that we could barely hear each other. He did not understand why I didn’t want to go onto the claustrophobic dance floor and got annoyed when I specifically ordered a water bottle instead of an alcoholic beverage.
There was absolutely no connection between me and the man who’d asked me out. He clearly liked what he saw in me, which seemed proof enough in my eyes that men care more about looks than personality. He never asked aboutme, his mind alreadyfilling in assumptions as to who I was and things about me because of those looks.
The experiment was clearly a fail.
My phone alerted me to a new message. Tossing down the little black dress I’d been debating on wearing to the floor, I stormed over to the bed. I was already in my bra, panties, garter belt, suspenders, and stockings. I just needed to find something suitable to wear over it because apparently my current outfit is not considered ‘appropriate public attire’.
Ridiculous.
I smiled when I saw it was a message from Master Mal.
Master: Stop fussing, Little Owl. This is a date, not an inquisition. Wear sweatpants for all I care. You’ll still be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
I discreetly checked my bedroom for cameras a moment before I realized that Master Mal didn’t need to spy on me. Despite that he’d never said my name or seen my real eyes, he knewme. There was something…comfortingabout that. Knowing that he didn’t even have to be in the room with me to know what thoughts and concerns would be running through my head. Doubtful, he knew how my last date had ended, but he clearly knew I was nervous about this one.
I took a deep breath and centered myself. I could do this. It was just Master Mal.
Me: Thank you, Sir.
Master: I will be at your door to pick you up in thirty-seven minutes. Be ready for me.
Shit. I still had to get across the street to the fake apartment I was using. Jason would kill me if he knew I’d chosen one so close to the apartment where we sleep, but I’d panicked under the short notice of Master Mal informing me that he was taking me on a date tonight. I knew that a couple across the street was on vacation, so I was commandeering their apartment for the night to stage it as my own.
It was a good thing Jason was spending the evening with his new toy at the fishery.
Me: I’ll be ready, Sir.
I turned back towards my closet and the mirror. The panic I’d been feeling only minutes before was now gone. I was going to get dressed and get myself across the street to be ready for Master Mal when he picked me up for my second official date.
I really hoped this one did not end in homicide too.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Holly
I owed Jason a lot,but his ruthlessness and his continuation to kick me when I was down is what saved my life now. The moment something hard connected with the back of my head, I went down. I didn’t lose consciousness. My body tried as my brain screamed in agony, but I pushed through it. I hit the blacktop of the parking lot hard, crumpling like a rag doll.
No amount of training gave me back my senses right away. I was still discombobulated, my vision going fuzzy as my ears rang. I couldthink—I just couldn’t move for several precious seconds.
I knew exactly where I was and what had happened. Master Mal and I were walking to the car. We were on a date. I’d been shocked, surprised, and elated when he hadn’t taken me to a fancy outing or to a movie theater. Not my Master. He’d taken me to a strip club for our first date. It was amateur night on stage with a contest that awarded the winner a fifty-dollar gift certificate to a local pizzeria.
Master Mal had even brought my owl mask.
I no longer questioned my feelings for my man. I wasbeyondin love with my Master. He knew me better than anyone else. Maybe even better than Jason.
There was no competition. I obliterated the others who’d danced on stage tonight. Maybe my experience gave me an edge others lacked, but the rules only specified that you couldn’t be currently or previously employed as a dancer or pole dancer so it wasn’t cheating. My winnings then purchased our dinner. There was even enough after the pizza and our salads for ice cream.
I could still smell the oregano and bread coming from the building we’d just exited. We hadn’t gotten far. An older couple had left the restaurant the same time we did. Master Mal had held the door open for them when he saw them behind us. I remembered thinking that I wanted that to beusin fifty years. Still walking on Master Mal’s arm, looking up at his wrinkled face and gray hair with the same devotion and love I was feeling tonight.
We rounded the corner and… Something hit me. It was too deliberate a strike to be anything other than an attack. The older couple were too far away, so it had to be someone else. Muffled voices filled my ears. I forced myself to breathe through the pain, to stay in the here and now.
Had someone escaped? Emmet was the only one left. Jason had staged the bodies of Kaylee and Rachel last night. Kaylee had been found in the middle of the night by the janitorial staff, and mere hours later, Rachel had been discovered when the radio station opened for their morning show. Even if Emmet had gotten out, he couldn’t have known where I was. He couldn’t have followed me from the fishery.
