The Gathering Dusk (Killer Instinct 0.5)(18)

Nina’s eyes glittered, but no real emotion showed on her face. Acting. Just going through the motions, trying to play us.

And Samantha knew Nina’s secret. “You didn’t feel alive, did you? Everyone around you felt. You could see it. You could almost taste their emotions. But you didn’t feel. Until the first cut. That’s when you started to feel. What you felt, it was pain. But to you it was like pleasure, wasn’t it? Something to finally cut through the cloud of numbness that was all around you. Something to prove you were alive.”

Nina shook her head. “You know nothing about me—”

“You and George...what happened? Did he find you one day? See what you were doing? Only, instead of being horrified, you found a perfect partner in the boy down the street from you. A boy you could control because he was already in love with you, right?” Samantha nodded. “It would make sense. You’re beautiful. You were a little older than him. He was the shy, smart kid, but when we talked to some of the people who went to school with him, they said he was teased because of his size. Teased because he wasn’t strong enough for sports or—”

“He was strong enough with me.”

Samantha’s stomach knotted, but she barely eased out a breath. It’s working. She’s talking. “Because you made him strong. Just like you made him start cutting you. And he liked it, just as much as you did. But then one day, those slices on your skin weren’t enough to make you feel, were they? The cloud was back.”

“Shut. Up.” Nina nearly screamed at her.

“What did you decide the next rush would be? The knife wasn’t cutting deep enough...at least, not on you. Originally, I was looking at this all wrong. I thought George was angry, that he wanted to hurt you.”

“George would never hurt me.” She leapt toward Samantha, trying to come right across the table.

Blake shot to his feet, catching her shoulders. “You need to calm down, Ms. Miller.”

“Get your hands off me! You can’t touch me! I’ll have you brought up on charges! I’ll—”

“George didn’t want to hurt you. You wanted to hurt yourself. But you didn’t want to die.” Samantha’s low words carried right across Nina’s screams. “So you found a victim who was similar to you. And you got George to kill her...for you.”

Silence.

Samantha didn’t dare to breathe. Had she gone too far? Pushed too much? All of her instincts were screaming that she was correct but...

Maybe I’m not handling Nina the right way.

Blake slowly released the other woman. Nina didn’t sit. She stared at Samantha. Nina’s eyes were blank, glassy, like a doll’s.

“George made videos. Took photos. The killing gave him a rush. He got power from the attack.” Samantha kept talking because she knew there was no going back. She needed Nina to break. She needed her to slip up. Because I don’t have any footage linking her to the murders. No evidence at all. “And then he took another girl...and he killed her, too.”

Nina’s lips had clamped together. Her body was as stiff as a board.

Blake was still on his feet, but Samantha remained seated. She stayed in the seat to give Nina the feeling of control she knew the other woman wanted. Nina craved control and— “Did you know he took Missy Johnson?” Samantha asked her, tilting her head. “You were with him for the other attacks—I saw that in the pictures.” I can bluff all day long, Nina. “But you weren’t there when he took Missy.” She let her eyes widen. “He took her without you, didn’t he? George got a taste for that power rush and he—”

“The bastard should have waited for me!” Nina screamed. “I would have been there! I would have watched out for him—he would still be with me! But he took her...said he couldn’t wait. She was wrong, though. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I’d changed my hair and he didn’t even know. I wanted to try someone new. He didn’t know—you took him from me and he didn’t know—”

Once more, she came at Samantha.

And, once more, Blake was in her path. But this time, when Blake touched Nina, she collapsed, sobbing. Deep, wrenching sobs that shook her whole body.

For a moment, Samantha didn’t move at all. Shock chilled her skin. She confessed. I got her to confess.

Blake looked back at Samantha. A faint smile curved his lips and he stared at her with...pride?

Her chin lifted.

“I want a lawyer,” Nina whispered.

Ah, those desperate, guilty words. But they’d come too late. Samantha nodded as she rose to her feet. “We’ll make sure you have an attorney present right away.” She headed for the door, then, unable to help herself, she glanced back.

Nina was glaring at her.

“Count on it,” Samantha said.

Nina’s eyes flared and her hands—clawlike—lifted into the air as if she’d attack.

Samantha just kept walking.

Hell, yes. She’d done it.

Told you I’d have those secrets.

*



“YOU DIDN’T FIND evidence at George’s house, did you?” Blake asked her about an hour later, when they were both settled in their office on the fourth floor.

Samantha shook her head.

“Remind me to never play poker with you.”