Page 154 of Unholy Masks

I stared at her, biting down on the anger clawing up my chest.

She was wearing a T-shirt tucked into dark jeans, layered beneath one of those heavy, full-sleeved overcoats she always wore, regardless of the weather.

From the first day I met her, it had always been the same. I’d never seen her without a long-sleeved coat or jacket.

She’s hiding something under that.

Enzo marched in with a bag, eyes wickedly determined.

What the hell is his plan?

“Sorry, I have to—”

Trish turned just as he stumbled forward, the bag bursting against her. Gray ash billowed into the air, engulfing her from head to toe.

Her hands flew up instinctively, swiping at the powder, smearing it into pale, ashen streaks.

“Shit, sorry, sorry I didn’t see you there,” Enzo apologized as Trish turned ashen, too.

“What the hell is that?’ I whispered.

She looked frozen, the carefully placed masks slipping away. Her breath caught, and panic twisted her features before she smothered it behind a tight smile.

Enzo looked horrified. “Shit. I didn’t mean to. Trish, are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just… surprised.” She sneezed as I stepped behind her.

“Let me,” I said, grabbing her coat. She flinched, but I didn’t give her the chance to move out of my way. I pulled it off, making sure to tug it with her T-shirt. The T-shirt slipped down her back…

And there it was. The final proof. The scar, and the tattoo around it.

Patricia Brooks. The Strangler.

She had been tormenting me, leaving me chasing the shadows she made.

Is it her? Really? Kat whispered.

Yes.

Is it over?

Not yet. Not until Ryden and Irene are back.

“I’m so sorry, Trish. Shit.” Enzo apologized again as Trish tugged her T-shirt up, looking like she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. For once, she wasn’t in control of the situation, and the panic in her eyes wasn’t an act.

Enzo wiped his hands as I handed a towel to Trish.

“You don’t have to go,” I said. “You’ll be safe here.”

“I’ll be alright,” she said, her gaze darting between Enzo and me. “Don’t worry about me.”

“If you must go, I can drive you home.”

“No, thanks. I’m alright, Enzo. You must stay with Yara. She… Just find Irene and Ryden,” she said.

I wanted to claw her eyes out, to rip her tongue off, but I had to find Ryden and Irene first before I flayed her.

This wasn’t Patty anymore. Whoever she had been in the past didn’t matter now. She had chosen to kill Kat. She had chosen to kidnap Irene and Ryden.