Page 40 of Sincerely, Butterfly

Fuck. I am not going to cry!

“I called him, revealing myself as the Midnight Shadow, and told him why I did what I did. And if he ever tried to come looking for me or tried to mess with the life I'd built, I’d come back and take down his empire man by man until there was nothing left. I knew I could do it, and by this time, I was heavily connected with the Brotherhood, an important part of their organization. They would have my back if needed.”

“What did your father say?”

My dad chuckles, shaking his head, running a hand through his greying hair. “He laughed and told me he was proud of me. Disappointed that those skills were not put to use for him, but I think he knew how much of a threat I was as an enemy. He told me good luck with life, and that was it. We hung up, and I’ve never heard from him since.”

“Whoa.” I sit back in my chair, taking it all in. “That's… crazy.”

“It is,” he agrees. “But crazy is fun.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” I grin.

“Now you see why I’m both excited and proud of how things turned out tonight,” he says.

“I guess I can.”

He goes into all the dos and don’ts of committing murder, and I give him a play-by-play of how my night went. He’s impressed by how I covered my tracks and told me that if it were anywhere else besides New Orleans, he’d heavily advise against doing this again. But because he and the Brotherhood have control of this city, and as long as I do my best to cover my tracks, keep my identity a secret, and space out my kills, then it should be okay.

And just like that, I get the green light from a parental figure to become a serial killer.

I wasn’t planning on killing anyone else, but it’s nice to know that if I did, I’ll be okay.

“So, wanna tell me who’s on that table down there?”

“Oh, right,” I sigh. “Almost forgot about her.”

“Yes, because one forgets about murder so easily.” Dad rolls his eyes in amusement.

“It was a long night, okay,” I argue.

“Nola, focus, who is it?” he asks again. “Because I have some calls to make and I need to know how to make sure this stays out of the wrong hands.”

“Fine.” I chew on my lower lip. “It’s Scarlett Davis.”

“Davis… as in Connor Davis?”

“Yes.” I wince.

“Nola,” Dad groans.

“I’m sorry, okay!” I throw my arms up. “I told you, she was a monster. She’s been bullying me for years now.”

“She has?” Dad's brows furrow together. “Why didn’t you come to me? I’d have made sure it stopped."

“Because I didn’t need anyone saving me,” I reply. “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Plus, they already had it covered.”

“They?” Dad asks. “Would this be the men you were talking about earlier?”

“Maybe.”

Talking murder with my dad, I can handle, but boys, on the other hand, that’s where I start to feel awkward.

“Who?” he demands, going into protective dad mode.

“Promise you won’t be mad?”

“Who, Nola?” he pushes.