Part 24 (1/2)

He licked his lips. ”No. I'm sure Cupid had never seen you. If he had, he might not have ever remembered to kill Neil or his mistress.”

She widened her eyes, but terror didn't linger in them. Asher couldn't confirm that it was l.u.s.t, but it was better than the terror.

She touched her chest. ”You want me to stay here, because you think Cupid wants to kill me?”

”No.” He tucked the rose behind one ear. ”I want you to stay here, because I can't think of any other woman or person I want to have next to me every night.”

”Tonight was only a one-time thing.”

”I believe you're mistaken.”

”What do you think Cupid would believe?” she asked.

Careful, Diana. You're not ready to meet the monster yet. Maybe, you should only focus on Asher for tonight.

”Cupid doesn't deal with love,” he said.

”No?” Diana asked. ”Then what do you think Cupid deals with?”

”Death. Just death.”

”Are you sure?”

”As much as I could be, Diana.”

”That's a shame,” she said as she continued up the stairs. ”I'm tired. I should go to sleep. . .in my own room. I'm so sorry, but I'm out of it. Besides, I have more interviews with Cupid's victims' tomorrow morning. Remember?” She kept her back to me. ”And then there's possibly a new victim.”

”Yes.” Asher thought back then to the b.l.o.o.d.y scene and message to Diana that he'd left behind.

”f.u.c.k.” He cringed.

”Did you say anything?” Diana called back from the top of the stairs.

”No. Goodnight.”

The b.l.o.o.d.y message to Diana flashed in his head. Earlier, he'd put wrote the blood on the wall to scare her into staying at the house longer. Cupid was supposed to be some crazy guy that could be stalking her. It was just supposed to be this quick fix to buy him some more days.

But now Diana knew that he was Cupid.

How could she not?

A bow and arrow lay in his closet. And he, himself, had shown a huge interest into the Cupid murders, even funding her with a lot of money to investigate it.

How stupid had he been to think he could keep his ident.i.ty a secret from Diana?

Tomorrow, she would either go to the scene herself or be told by the police. They'd have to connect her as the Diana in the message. It would make sense to at least check with the fifth's victim's widow who happened to also be named Diana.

He didn't worry about Diana telling the cops about him. What proof would she have? The bow and arrow would be gone from the closet, as well as anything else on his property.

Asher also had a strong alibi for Neil's murder, over two hundred partying guests would confirm that he was there. He even had an alibi for this recent murder. He always maintained footage of him sitting in the office at different parts of a given day. It would take no time to slip a pre-recorded disk out and have the security hand that to the police.

The cops would see him in his office all evening just like he said he'd been.

If anything, they would think Diana was crazy, and getting that label on small, yet wealthy Ovid Island, would further cage her to him.

She'll have nowhere to escape, not until I'm done.

He returned to the b.l.o.o.d.y message he'd left her earlier.

”d.a.m.n it.” He ran his fingers through his blonde curls.

She knows I'm Cupid, and now I've written her name in f.u.c.king blood on a door above a dead body. Even worse, I carved the d.a.m.n name she gave me into his chest.

He blew out a long breath.

f.u.c.king fantastic! Now she's going to see the message and think I'm crazy!

”You are crazy,” his mother said behind him.

Shocked, he twisted around and yanked the rose from his ear. ”Mom, what are you doing here?”

”Saving your a.s.s as usual.” She fanned herself, took off the leather jacket she always wore, and captured him in her arms. ”She won't find out about you, Baby. I'll make sure of it.”

”No.” He pushed her away. ”No, I don't need your help. I want you to go back to Paris.”

”But, darling-”

”No.” He pushed at her again. ”I don't need you this time.”

”No?” Her image rippled in front of him. ”Are you sure, Honey?”

His chest filled with fear, but he nodded. ”I'm sure.”

And in the next moment, his mother evaporated in front of him.

He stood there for a long time. Moments like that were hard for him to swallow. It was in those seconds when he realized that his mother was actually dead.

He didn't like those times.

Yes. That's right.

He released another long breath.

I killed Mother. I really have to stop forgetting that.