Page 30 of Unholy Masks

“Are you going to talk with Detective R?” she asked.

“He told me we should talk about Nikki and Sofia when we met at Rishi’s crime scene,” I said with a wince. Knowing I’d never get the chance to talk to him about another case, never get to ask him for an impossible favor, it stung.

Rishi and I had been friends for a long time. Yes, he didn’t know all my secrets like Enzo did, but he still helped me whenever he could.

“Detective Rosario is a good person,” she said with a smile. “Just overworked some days. They all are. We keep them on their toes.”

I had to agree to that. There were too many cases, too many dead bodies, and only a few of them. After a while, it would get harder and harder.

My phone pinged.

I pulled it out to see a message from Reah. I smiled a little.

I had been waiting for it.

R: You’re right. He’s there in Sotto Voce right now. I canceled his date. The woman will be fine. Careful, Ryden, and don’t call me again. I’m busy. I’m with my woman. I won’t answer.

Me: Thank you, Reah. Enjoy your date!

“Are we not going home?” Yara asked when I swerved the car and drove toward my destination. This would be the perfect distraction she needed.

“I’m taking you out to relax. I’m going to spoil you tonight,” I said with a smile, and she gave me a teasing smirk.

“Spoil me, huh?” She arched a brow, looking delighted.

Seeing that smile return to her eyes did something to me. I hated seeing her look as though she had nothing left to hope for.

“Yes. Spoil you,” I said, staring at her, my breath catching.

“But we have, you know, things to do.”

“It is okay to rest once in a while.”

I pulled into the parking lot of Sotto Voce, a small, cozy restaurant tucked into the heart of Corktown. Its dark green façade and soft, glowing lights stood out against the weathered brick buildings surrounding it, as though it had sprung to life among the ghosts of the past.

Through the wide windows, the warm blue glow revealed intimate tables, each adorned with a single flickering candle.

“Here we are,” I said, leaning closer to her. “We’ll find the Strangler,” I said. “That’s our life, but we can’t keep chasing her forever and feeling miserable about that.”

My hand brushed hers as I unbuckled her seat belt, lingering on her hip longer than it needed to. She tensed for a moment, her breath catching, and for a fleeting second, the grim weight of our work gave way to something else entirely—something fragile and unspoken. “There are just too many of them.”

I watched her eyes flicker toward the restaurant, then back to me. “But tonight,” I continued, my voice dropping lower… “Let’s do this. Let’s take time off from chasing the Strangler.”

“But you know I love catching killers. I love killing them.” She grinned, running her fingers through her silky red hair, messing it up.

God, she’s gorgeous.

“I know, Red, and that’s exactly why we are here,” I said with a wink, taking her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. She shuddered.

“What?” Her voice turned into a soft groan when I pressed a finger between my lips. “What?”

I smirked, swirling my tongue around her finger, oh so slowly.

“I give you Mason Backer. A pharmaceutical rep, and a serial killer. He’s here all the way from Texas,” I said, taking a small bite of her finger. She gasped. “He’s here on business. But his business also involves a whole lot of blood. He’ll be in Detroit for exactly five days,” I said, letting her hand go. “We are going to catch him.”

Her lips parted.

“And?”