But he was wrong and things were going to change. Victor had associates, too, and he could make Anthony’s life a living hell behind bars. He could make that asshole pay, physically and mentally for what he had done to Elsa. And he would.

Anthony ambled into the room and it took every ounce of inner strength for Victor not to lunge at him and strangle the life out of him. He had insisted that Anthony not be told who was visiting him. Since Franco had been arrested, Anthony was still in the dark that his partner in crime was behind bars, giving Victor the element of surprise.

When he saw Victor, a brief look of upset flashed over his craggy face.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Agent Cocksucker?” he remained standing.

Victor glanced at the guard and gave him a slight nod to which the man pushed Anthony down into the chair in front of him.

“I just wanted to tell you in person that I know what you did and soon, everyone else will know, too. Including that judge you hate so much. I’m sure it won’t take much to persuade him to make things even worse for you in here.”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “You don’t know jack shit. I ain’t done nothin’ and you got no proof…”

“You’re wrong,” he swiftly cut him off. “You should’ve found someone who wasn’t such a dumbass to carry out your wishes, Ant. Someone who could fight harder… Run faster…”

Anthony revealed nothing, his expression remaining unmoved. He was a practiced liar and it shone. Hell, he had been doing it his whole life and nothing was going to change that.

“Do you want me to relay any messages to Franco from you?” Victor leaned back in his chair as he casually threw the name out there.

Anthony's pupils flared under the bright light and the bob of his Adam’s apple were the only signs that his cool exterior was wavering.

“Who’s Franco?” the corner of his mouth lifted in a condescending grin.

“No one,” Victor straightened his tie nonchalantly. “Just some asshole who thought he was smarter than me.”

“It don’t take much to be smarter than you,” Anthony lifted an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“That might be true, but if he was, he wouldn’t be sitting in jail about ready to face judge and jury for killing all those women.” He pushed his chair back and stood as he glared down at Anthony. His insides were rioting with hatred and self-loathing as he stared into the mirror image of himself. His lack of sleep was taking its toll on him and having to face his father for the last time threatened to put a crack in his composure, but he held strong. “I’ll see what I can do to make sure you two get cells next to each other that way you can discuss the pros and cons of life behind bars. Perhaps you can figure out where you two went wrong in your little plan…” He strolled toward the door. “If you’re lucky, maybe he likes to suck dick. But then again, he seems more like a receiver than a giver…”

A low growl rumbled in Anthony’s throat making Victor smile. He was getting to him and he felt a pride in having been the one to deliver the blow to his ego.

“You should know that Chapter Eight is alive and well. She’s with me and so long as she is, no harm will ever come to her. Try to remember that when they’re sticking the needle in you.” He peered over his shoulder as he took a step over the threshold of the door, ready to close this chapter of his life. “By the way, I’ll be there for that. See you then.”

25: Stripped Away

Victor had called two more times to check in on Elsa after leaving her at her office. His voice had soothed her anxiety, and the image of his fuzzy, bearded face and the words he had spoken to her as he held her the night before made her long to be with him. It was moments like that that she cherished. Mr. Black hadn’t made an appearance in days. Maybe longer. She had no idea as time seemed to slow when she was with him and everything she had done with him blurred into one big, twisted memory. Even though Mr. Black hadn’t been overtly present, there were small glimpses of him. Like when he fucked her mouth roughly. And when Victor’s temper flared. Yes, Victor and Mr. Black were one and the same; intrinsically combined and inseparable.

Yet, Victor seemed to have the upper hand now. Was it possible that he was really changing? She found it hard to believe. Not in such a short time span. Not unless they really want to.

As she lay in bed trying to fall asleep, she wondered how his meeting with Anthony went. His father. She still wasn’t used to the idea. She never would be. It made no sense that someone like Victor could have come from a man like that. Not even with his dark side looming beneath his man-of-justice exterior. Mr. Black could be cruel, sure, but not murderous.

The memory of him lashing her with the belt jolted her awake. He had treated her like a worthless animal and the pain of what he did to her would forever be seared into her psyche. However, now that she knew of his past and what he had endured, she somehow felt sympathetic toward him. Perhaps it was ignorance on her part. Maybe it was just the way she was built. She wasn’t mentally equipped enough to psychoanalyze herself to try and figure it out.

What Victor had done was unforgivable no matter what his past circumstances were, but the look in his eyes when he fell to his knees and held her afterward… The look in his eyes when he saw the scars he had caused… The look in his eyes anytime she brought up how she felt about what he did… There was remorse there; genuine, gut wrenching regret.

She hoped that someday she would completely forgive him. She needed to because harboring the kind of resentment toward Mr. Black that she did wasn’t healthy. Even in her fucked-up state of mind she knew that. She could feel the anger eating away at her peace of mind, bit by bit, and she wanted no part of it.

Just as she drifted to sleep once more, her mother and brother’s panicked voices suddenly intruded on her thoughts. She had three-way called them to relay the news of her attack and who the culprit was. They insisted on coming out to Richmond, but Elsa had reassured them that there was nothing either of them could do. When she mentioned that it was Victor who had been the one to save her, her mother had gone ballistic. Just as expected. Elsa had simply sat and listened to both of their bemoaning and lecturing for nearly half an hour. She didn’t even try to put up a fight or argue her case. There was no point. They were right. She was out of her head to be consorting with Victor and she damn well knew it.

When she mentioned her broken engagement to Nate, her mother’s miserable silence only made Elsa feel worse. She had tried to explain that she never loved Nate and whether or not Victor had been in her life to prompt her decision, it was for the best.

Finally, sleep found her.

"You tried to kill me."

Victor’s steady, deep voice broke through Elsa’s sleepy, haze-filled state. When she finally sat up, only the whites of his eyes shined in the darkened room.

"Don't." He growled when she reached for the lamp.

She swept the sleep from her lashes and tried to bring him into focus, but he was in the chair that faced the bed several feet away and his expression was unreadable.

"What did you say?"

The heater kicked on, breaking the eerie quietness.

"You tried to kill me,” he repeated without added gravity. "In my dream. You tried to murder me." A moment later his tone changed to annoyance. "Why would you do that?"

When he shifted, moonlight peeking through the window gave her only a split second glimpse at the stark, haunted look on his face. Frozen with a mixture of half-asleep emotions, her mouth hung open in confusion.

The stressed tone of his voice chilled the air. "Why would you want me dead?"