Chapter Forty Six

Brian Reed was slouching in the front seat of his car, chewing on a red licorice stick like he didn’t have a worry in the world. Following Queen Bee to the coffee shop had been a breeze. Between her checking the mirror and being scared of wrecking that new trophy-wife-hey-look-at-me Cadillac she was driving, she hadn’t even noticed him following her.

He was a man with a plan. Confidence thrummed in his veins with renewed fervor. He grabbed his phone and pulled up Black Rose’s website. Everything was the same except for a few new comments from clueless fans who thought he walked on water. That’s what I should do, make my own website for my fans. He pondered the idea and grinned at the prospect of giving Black Rose a little not-so-friendly competition. It would be interesting to see who could get the most followers. Of course, Black Rose had had years to acquire his audience so it wouldn’t be fair to think Brian would have as many right away. But wouldn’t it be something if he could outdo the great and mighty Black Rose? He rolled his eyes at the thought of just how delusional the guy probably was. Talk about ego.

Brian knew his followers would embrace him because of his natural talent for killing, not because he was some fucking Robin Hood coming to the rescue of Louisville, Kentucky. He rolled his eyes again.

Subject’s on the move. He lowered his body a little more, pulling the baseball cap down enough to hide his identity and still see them. He watched as the man stepped in toward Queen Bee, pressing her back against the Cadillac as he kissed her and let his hands wander possessively over her body. It seemed like they were really in love. Brian felt a momentary twinge, knowing that he wasn’t capable of falling in love. His heart was too black for that sort of thing, at least in the traditional sense.

There was only one person he could bond with on any level, only one person who understood him: Teegan. All he had to do was convince her that he was the better pick. Of course it would take time and a little conditioning. But even if her loyalty to him was derived from a deeply ingrained, meticulously crafted case of Stockholm syndrome, he wouldn’t care because she would still belong to him.

Yes…killing Queen Bee would get him noticed by that stupid, socially elite family of serial killers, but Teegan would be his key to finally being a fully formed human being. He’d never been able to figure out what that meant on his own, but he knew it was something he wanted desperately that had always eluded him. But he wasn’t worried. Teegan would show him. She would know what to do.

He pulled into traffic, staying far enough behind Queen Bee to not be noticed. Even though she didn’t strike him as the most perceptive creature in the world, he still wasn’t taking any chances. He was glad that boyfriend of hers was finally loosening his grip after the close call she’d had in that alley a while back. And why not? Her boyfriend had no way of knowing that the love of his life was going to be killed by the infamous Mummy Man. And even that was okay as far as Mummy Man was concerned. After he was through with her, she’d be famous. Fuck, she’d be more than famous; she’d be immortal. In a way, she’d live forever.

Her lover was probably one of those modern men who would be stupid enough to believe he shouldn’t be too controlling. That belief would be his undoing. A real man knew control was the best insurance policy, and Mummy Man’s insurance policy was paid in full. He was ready to collect.

He clenched the steering wheel and blew out a long, slow breath as he followed her taillights. He already had the itch again but knew better than to rush things. All he had to do was bide his time.