Page 33 of Unholy Masks

“I didn’t find him. He found me this time.”

“What do you mean?” I tilted my head, studying the smile on Ryden’s lips.

“He was caught once, and then released when new evidence came out. Someone else is in prison now for the crime he committed. I saw the story online, and I knew the truth. I know he wouldn’t hide for long. He couldn’t.”

“How do you know he’s here then?” I asked.

“Reah. He moves around under the guise of medical conventions. He’s here now for that. Once he zeroes in on his victims, he drugs—” Ryden stopped when the waiter approached our table.

I gave him a smile, and he blinked. Ryden nudged my foot under the table.

“A bottle of your best Chianti, please,” I said. “And I’ll have the pasta carbonara.”

“Steak, medium rare.”

As the waiter walked away, Ryden rolled his eyes. “The man looked hypnotized.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Oh, why would I be? At the end of the day, I’m the one you’re going to take home, tie to the headboard, and play with. I’m the one who gets to scream your name.” His eyes promised debauchery.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Who me? You’re the one who promised to show me hell.”

My heart hammered against my ribs.

It wasn’t our first date. It wasn’t even the first time I’d sat across from him like this. And yet, one look at him, and my body betrayed me all over again.

I had him every day. Every night. I knew the feel of his hands, the sound of his voice, the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t watching.

It should have been enough.

It never was.

Once, this hunger for him had terrified me. I’d wanted to run from it, from him. Now, I couldn’t imagine running at all.

Mason shifted in his seat, pulling a notebook from his coat pocket. He scribbled something down, then set it aside, his movements calm, practiced. He kept staring at the empty table in front of him.

“He looks like he’s waiting for someone,” I said. “What do you think?”

“He’s here to hunt, but the girl won’t come. Reah hacked into her computer and sent an e-mail to her. It was easy to convince her not to come.”

“I must meet this Reah. She sounds awesome.”

“She’s awesome. She’d wanted to meet you, too. Not exactly you, but K.Y. Wolff.”

I smiled. “Maybe when all of this mess is over,” I said with a sigh. “So, are we killing him tonight?”

Ryden shook his head. “No. Tonight, we will just let him notice you.”

“I am the bait?” I asked, my lips in an O. “You told me I can’t chase the Strangler because it’s dangerous.”

Fuck. I’m the bait, and I loved it.

“Before I knew who you were. But now, oh, love, you’re Yara fucking West. What could some sleazy lowlife, who can’t get a woman without drugs, possibly do to you? He’s a spineless creep, and you’re you.”

“How do you know exactly what to say all the damn time, Ryden?” I asked with a smile. I loved it when he looked at me like that, with all the trust in the world, with madness and pride. My heart swelled.