Page 81 of Unholy Masks

I hated working for what I deserved.

I deserved to kill Valentina. She reminded me of my mother.

That smile… that mocking smile…

“You’re lying,” he said after a while. “You’re lying.”

I sighed. Didn’t say anything.

My brother grunted.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

18

THE WAY YOU ARE

YARA

Three days later, I finally got a reply from Patricia.

TS: It took you a long, long time, Little Love. It’s good you finally found me. Do you remember, then, the day you promised to always protect me? And now you’re protecting the wrong people.

TS: All this time, I’ve been waiting for you to look at me, to see me, to know that you have failed me just as you had failed Tany. But it’s okay, Little Love. I still love you. I still want you, and I’ll still take you, once you beg for my forgiveness.

This bitch was delusional, and she was making me angry. So very angry.

Me: I felt bad that you were a victim, but you still killed innocent women. You still killed Kat. I won’t show you any mercy, Patty.

TS: I killed the FATE sisters because they were mean, vicious bullies. Kat just had to go, because you loved her, loved her the way you should have loved me. You smiled at her, you saw her, while you looked right through me, like I was invisible, like I didn’t exist. The others I killed—they were broken like Tany, and broken things deserved to go peacefully. You don’t know half the things they went through.

There was an utter conviction in her words, like she truly believed her reasons justified every life she had taken.

Me: Amy wasn’t broken. Miranda wasn’t.

TS: They had to go because they were the good things in this bad world. I killed them to protect their innocence.

I growled.

I wanted to rip this bitch’s head right off and then stomp on it.

Me: How long are you going to hide? If you so badly wanted to be noticed, you should have given me something.

TS: Not long, Little Love. Not long. I’ll save you.

Me: I don’t need saving.

Me: You’re not saving me.

The messages stayed unread.

A sharp sting crawled under my skin as I stared at the screen, jaw clenched until Ryden’s name flashed across the screen.

“Did Reah get the location?”

“Yes. Just now,” he said. “The last ping was near the Coffee Connexion.”