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Cain clears his throat. “She did.”
Eden crosses her legs. “And what did you tell her?”
Cain averts his gaze. “I handled it.”
“Right.” Pain slashes across her face. “And by handled, you mean you put it all on me. Because God forbid you take responsibility for anything.”
Cain, relentless bastard he is, tries to pry his way through an opening that isn’t there. “I’m sorry—”
“No, you’re not.” She looks right through him. “If you were, you would have stopped hurting and using people a long time ago.”
“Eden—”
“Enough, Cain,” I sneer. “You’re losing focus again.”
I position him so the tip of his dick drapes over the tank. “Look, I’m not go
“That’s your big plan?” He snickers. “For the record, Brainiac, forcing a confession from a person under duress is inadmissible in court.”
“Fortunately, I’m not interested in a judge or jury hearing the truth, I only care that Eden hears it.”
Confusion spreads across Eden’s face. “I already know the—”
“Not all of it. There’s more than Cain killing his family and blackmailing me.”
Cain shakes his head. “That’s not true. I never—”
“And in the tank we go,” I interject. “Boy, that didn’t take long.”
“Wait,” Cain shouts. “Okay.” He looks at Eden. “I did it. You said I had to tell the truth, right? Well, here it is. They abused me for years.” He inhales a ragged breath. “I finally had enough of it, so I killed them.” His eyes become glassy. “I couldn’t take it anymore, Eden. If that makes me a terrible human being, so be it.”
“That’s not what makes you terrible,” Eden says, jabbing her fingernail into my desk. “Blaming the murder on an i
“You’re right. But I was young and scared. I didn’t want to go to jail. I wanted the future I pla
Eden stays silent, but I see the pain flashing in her eyes. She knows exactly what it’s like.
Because Cain is her monster.
He tilts his head toward me. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. It took me eleven years to say it, but I truly feel horrible for what I did to you. You were a good friend, we had a bond…and I took advantage of that. I’m so sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” Cain can’t fool me anymore. “The only thing you’re sorry about is the position I have you in now.”
The one I’ve been pining for all this time.
I fish out my cigarettes with my free hand and light one. “Now that we got the first two murders out of the way, let’s jump to the next notch on your list. Shall we?”
He struggles against me. “There is no other notc—”
I lower his dick into the water, and he starts to scream…until he looks down and realizes he’s on the side with the good fish.
But the thing is, most fish tend to get curious about new friends in the tank. Especially when you haven’t fed them much for the past few days…in preparation for this moment.
Cain exhales, looking relieved…until some of the fish start nibbling.
“Fuck.” Eden looks away. “That’s gross.”
Stubborn bastard he is, Cain withstands the torture for the better part of a minute before he whispers, “Karen.”
“Sorry, man.” I cup my ears with my free hand. “You’re go
“Karen,” he grits through his teeth and Eden gasps. “I killed Karen.”
I tug him back so he’s out of the water. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Eden bolts up from the chair. “You killed my mother?”
“Yes,” Cain says with more vigor. “What she was doing to you was abusive and I couldn’t take it anymore.”
For a moment, I think Eden’s going to fall for it, but she shakes her head. “Yeah, so abusive you waited four years to do it, and then paid medical professionals to brainwash me.” She starts pacing the room. “Christ, what is wrong with you? I know she was a bitch, but she was the only family I had. You had no right to take that from me.”
“I’m so—”
“She might have come around.” Eden folds her arms around herself. “She was cruel and mean. But maybe we could have had a relationship in the future. Now I’ll never know…because of you.”
“I was doing what I thought was best,” Cain snaps. “And that includes hiring professionals to treat you. With all of Karen’s neglect and mistreatment, I needed you to learn to trust someone first before—”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growl. Every word he says brings me that much closer to the end of my fuse. And I’m sure as fuck not going to stand here and let him manipulate Eden into thinking he did this for her benefit when he only did it for his. “You make me sick.”
“Fu
“I know,” Eden informs him. “Damien told me everything about your history.”
He snorts. “Sweetheart, the fact that you’re still standing here helping him tells me he did not.”
Her red lips part in surprise as her gaze flits to me. “What’s he talking about?”
“Come on, Damien,” Cain sneers when I don’t answer. “Don’t leave us in suspense.”
Rage lights me up and faster than the flip of a switch, I kick his legs out from underneath him and plunge his head into the tank.
Cain’s not ru
He thrashes against me as I drown him, but I don’t let him up for air until his movements slow down.
He wheezes, gasping for air. “Damien helped me set up the teacher we were having sex with for the murder of my family.” He winces, preparing to be dunked again. “Damien might have you fooled, but trust me he is far from i
“I already know about Mrs. Miller,” Eden says. “Like I said, Damien told me everything, including the part he played in it.”
Cain’s eyebrows draw together, and I can see those psychopathic wheels in his head turning.
I don’t want his wheels turning, though. What I want—is to hear him admit the one thing I haven’t been able to prove, but feel burning in my gut every time I think about it.
“So, you know she was his friend? The one who introduced me to her—or should I say, presented her on a platter to me to use and take however and whenever I wanted. He took an abused woman and manipulated her into doing whatever he wanted, and then betrayed her when it suited his needs. He’s no different than I am.” He holds Eden’s gaze. “And if you don’t believe me. Just ask yourself this question, sweetheart. If he could backstab his friend…a woman he claimed to care for, what’s to stop him from doing the same thing to you one day?”