Chapter 3

After I was done with the researchers, I untied the other girls and threw open the door.

"Run," I told them. "Run as far and as fast as you can!"

Ten minutes later, an old man with a shock of white hair rushed in.

When he saw the carnage, his face turned a sick-looking gray.

I stood in the middle of the wreckage, the scalpel in my hand still dripping blood. I cocked my head, studying him.

His face contorted with rage. "You! You did this? You let them go?" he roared.

I grinned, my smile wide and unnerving.

"So, you're Theo Carter?

"You're the one who cut out my sister's heart, dug out her liver, and sliced her tongue?"

Theo flinched, his composure cracking for a split second before he tried to mask his shock, but it was too late. He denied it instantly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You've destroyed a critical medical facility and assaulted my researchers. You're a criminal! Seize her!"

The bodyguards behind him raised their guns.

I stared down the dark barrels and let out a chilling laugh.

"My sister had the most beautiful eyes. It's a shame the last thing she ever saw was your demonic face. You saw something you shouldn't have. You touched someone you shouldn't have. Those eyes of yours are useless now."

Before the words were even out of my mouth, my hand shot out like a bolt of lightning. The scalpel in my hand drew a perfect line across the nearest bodyguard's throat.

He let out a gurgling scream, and his gun clattered to the floor.

When Theo looked at me again, my face was spattered with blood, and his bodyguards were on the ground, riddled with wounds.

One of them twitched a few more times, clawing at the air in a death rattle.

I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow and let out a triumphant laugh.

"Now it's your turn, Dr. Carter," I said.

He collapsed in a heap, a dark stain spreading on his trousers.

He pointed a trembling finger at me and yelled, "You're a monster! Your sister's sacrifice gave Mr. Williams a new life! It was a goddamn blessing for a girl like her!"

A cold smirk played on my lips. In a flash, I was on him, and with a sickening pop, I ripped his eyeball from its socket.

I held it up, grinning. "Want to see if you're 'blessed' too?"

He trembled violently, writhing on the floor like a worm on a hook.

I licked a drop of blood from my lips and dragged the scalpel down the length of his thigh. A river of red gushed out.

I pulled out a lighter. With a flick, a flame roared to life, and the smoke that filled the air was thick and black as it consumed that filthy place, burning it all to the ground.

It took me days of casing the place, but I finally made it to Will Williams' house. It was a fortress, with guards patrolling around the clock.

I played the long game. I watched. I hunted until I found the weak link.

I followed the nanny's car that left at seven every morning. And I finally got my chance, kidnapping his daughter.

When he saw his daughter tied to a chair on my livestream, Will finally showed his face.

"What have I ever done to you to deserve this?" he screamed at the screen. "Why would you kidnap my daughter? She's just started kindergarten! How could you be so heartless?"

He was over fifty but looked strong and vital. His voice, usually calm and authoritative, was now ragged with fury.

I met his gaze and asked, "My sister never did a thing to you. You carved out her heart and her liver and made them your own. How could you be so heartless?"

He flinched, just for a second.

"That's a ridiculous lie! Don't you dare spread such filth! I'll sue you for slander!"

His wife fell to her knees, bowing her head to the floor, begging me not to hurt their child.

The live chat was a waterfall of hate. They called me a lunatic, a monster taking revenge on the world.

I ignored them. "Mr. Williams," I said slowly, "you were on your deathbed not long ago. You'd already written your will. What miracle drug did you take that you're suddenly so full of life?

"Hundreds of girls in the city were dumped in the river, with their bodies carved up. Their deaths were all ruled as suicides. Today it was my sister. Tomorrow, it could be one of their daughters. The day after, it could be one of yours. Are you all really going to just sit back and watch?

"Technology was supposed to be a tool for good. Instead, it's become a weapon used against ordinary people."

The live chat froze.

"Bullshit!" Will slammed his fist on the table, a vein throbbing in his forehead.

Realizing he was still on camera, he forced his expression into one of sorrowful pain.

"This woman is insane! To justify her sister's suicide, she's concocted these vile lies and kidnapped an innocent child! Please, don't listen to a word she says!"

"Innocent?" I sneered. The tip of my blade traced a line across the cheek of the little girl, who was trembling in her chair.

"My sister is Emily Shaw. Was she not innocent? And what about all those other girls floating in the river? Were they not innocent?"

I leaned closer to the camera. Even with my mask on, my intense gaze felt like it could pierce the screen. "Mr. Williams, do you dare, right now, in front of this entire city, to undergo a full cardiac examination? Let's see if that 'healthy' heart of yours is actually your own. Do you dare to swear on the lives of your entire family that you have never abused your power to harm an innocent soul?"

The chat exploded. Questions, curses, and demands for the truth all blurred together.

His composure finally shattered. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes.

He tried to hold it together. "This is absurd! I will not be subjected to the baseless accusations of a terrorist!"

Just then, from off-screen, came the sound of running footsteps.