Page 33 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
“Don’t have an answer, or don’t want to tell me?”
Again, there was only silence.
“It doesn’t matter—I was only curious. You should be thankful that I’m the one that decided to end your miserable life and not one of my associates.”
A flash of anger mixed in with the fear in Slim Jim’s eyes. “Thank you? Are you crazy?”
“If I were a different kind of man, a different kind of animal, I’d make you watch me do to your children what you allowed done to so many others before I killed you.”
The chains rattled as Slim Jim jerked hard, his eyes flaring with hatred, an emotion that Kes was used to seeing on the faces of those he killed, and on some that he didn’t. “Don’t you touch my kids!”
Kes smiled, although Slim Jim couldn’t see the reaction. “I said, ‘If I were a different kind of animal.’ I’m not like you—I don’t kill innocents. Not even to fuck with scum like you.”
Kes groaned as he pushed himself up from the awkward lotus position he’d been holding and stretched his body out into a warrior pose. Hands to heart center, he slowly turned to stretch out his other side before lowering his hands to the crate. Taking a slow breath, he flexed his hands and pushed up with his feet until he was in a flying pose.
“What is wrong with you, man? Are you doing fucking yoga? Why can’t you just take me to prison or kill me like a normal person,” Slim Jim yelled before screaming wildly as his angry thrashing jostled a larger dose of the deadly liquid down on his shoulder.
The sharp echoing thud of something smacking against the concrete had him jumping up straight and spinning around. His eyes focused on the mangled mess of boxes and other discarded items. There wasn’t much left that could be considered useful, but what had been left behind was piled in a row from one end of the building to the other. The building was condemned, part of the roof having fallen in, and the long streams of plastic curtains waved back and forth, making it harder to see who the fuck was in the building with him.
The man hanging from the chains disappeared from his mind. He was zeroed in on what had caused the bang. The slim sliver of moonlight shining through the hole in the roof was just enough to show a shadow moving. Before his eyes fully focused on the moving figure, he took two long strides and leaped off the large crate, breaking into a full sprint toward the intruder. Kes snatched his blade from the strap he kept under his coat, easily pulling the sharp knife free of its sheath.
The intruder took off behind the boxes, the size of the shape confirming it was indeed a human and not an animal. He couldn’t get a good view with the random pieces of plastic hanging between him and the fleeing shadow. The intruder kept disappearing completely behind the taller stacks of debris, leaving him to rely on his hearing to follow the rhythmical thumping of feet to track his pray. It didn’t matter, though. He was gaining ground, and Kes knew where they were heading before they could even angle in that direction. All doors but one were chained from inside the building with links as thick as his forearms. He knew because he was the one that had placed them there. This was a building he’d used before, and he enjoyed the game of watching those he trapped trying to get out like mice in a maze.
The intruder must have snuck in while Slim Jim was screaming. That had to be the reason he didn’t hear the noisy door.
With a final burst of speed, he grabbed the back of the intruder’s puffy black coat that blended in with the dark, unlit corners of the building before they could make their great escape. Kes lifted them easily into the air, a sound of rage ripping from his throat as he slammed the small body against the wall. He put the knife to their throat, but his hand stilled as small hands gripped his forearm. His eyes flicked to the chipped black nail polish and then to the size of the intruder and the jacket. Up close, he knew that jacket—he had just fucking purchased it.
Grabbing the hood, he ripped it back from the hidden face and groaned. “Zumi, for fuck’s sake. I almost slit your throat.”
Kes pulled down on the mask he’d been wearing so she could see his face properly in the dim shadows of the unlit area. Zumi’s bottom lip trembled and her eyes held unshed tears, but she didn’t cry or scream for help.
“Are you going to kill me?” Her small chin nodded toward the area where he had his guest hanging. “Like him?” A tiny whimper did escape her lips then, and he sighed.
“Really, Kid? Do you think I randomly kill people for fun? Well, most times it’s fun, but it’s never random.” He gave her his best ‘don’t be stupid’ face when Nezumi continued to stare like a frightened mouse. “No, I’m not going to kill you.”
“Even if I ran out of here and told the cops you were killing some dude?”
His lip curled up. “No, not even then. I would prefer it if you didn’t—it complicates things. But regardless, no, I’d never hurt you.” Stepping away from the wall, he gently lowered her to the ground and let go of the jacket.
Zumi took a few little sideways steps toward the exit, fear still dancing in her dark eyes. “I’m serious. If you want to run, then go. I will not come back to the camp and will move so you feel safe.”
“That wouldn’t make me feel safe,” she mumbled, and he didn’t know what to say to the terrified but sweet admission.
“Why are you here, anyway? I swear you’re like a fucking tick on my ass today.”
Zumi stuffed her hands in the coat and looked at the door and then back up at him. “You swear I could just leave?”
He slipped the knife into its hidden sheath and crossed his arms over his chest while taking another step away from her. “Go for it. I didn’t invite you to this party—you crashed it all on your own. But, I can tell you I’ve never hurt an innocent willingly, and I’m not going to start with you.”
Sighing, she mimicked his pose. “So, you’ve killed innocent people unwillingly?”
He looked away from her keen eyes and shrugged. “I had to do my share of shit while I was overseas. Now, I’ve answered your question. You answer mine. Why the hell are you here?”
Zumi ran her foot along a crack in the concrete, the action so childlike. “I wanted to know what you do. You wouldn’t tell me. I told you I’d find out, so I did.”
Kes shook his head back and forth in disbelief. “And what was I supposed to say I do, Zumi? ‘Oh, you know, nothing much, other than murdering people?’” His voice dripped with sarcasm, and Zumi rolled her eyes at him.
“I can handle it.” She looked away from him, her eyes on her boots once more.
