A Hand in Hell

Chapter 10

"Come, Dexter dear," I said lightly as I swept into the kitchen, clad head to toe in sleek black leather. I must've looked as good as I felt, considering an entire bite of macaroni and cheese fell out of the girl's mouth when she turned to me. I offered her a sweet smile and added, "Lauren dear, I mean."

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking me up and down, and I couldn't help my smirk. "And why are you dressed like that?"

I chuckled. "I have to look good for my new wifey, don't I?" I teased, taking her hand and pulling her from her seat. She didn't resist, and I gave her a joyous little spin away from me. "Do you not like it?" I asked as I pulled her back to me, an arm snaking around her waist to hold her body to mine.

"No," she said, staring up at me in awe. "I'm just jealous that I could never look like that."

"When you can look however you want, it's almost impossible to look bad," I said, beginning to sway in a mock waltz, one hand in hers and the other at the small of her back. "Are you ready to go?"

"Where are we going?" I was surprised that she wasn't fighting me. There was no suspicion to her tone, no resistance in her careful swaying, no desire to escape in her curious eyes. The good humor my sexy outfit inspired was beginning to dissipate. What was she planning? Why was she here? I couldn't let myself get too chummy with her. You could never trust someone after you killed their best friend.

"Well, we're running a little bit behind," I began, my arms sliding away from her as I took a step back, "but we should still be able to catch those silly humans at their silly human meeting." A frown creased her brow, but I went on cheerfully. "You don't have to come, but I wanted to make a quick stop at the bar later, and I didn't want to have to waste time coming back for you."

"Why do you need me at the bar?" she asked, that suspicion I'd grown to love adding a hard edge to her voice.

"Well, you see," I started, making my way around the center island counter to where my tequila still sat across the room, the stiletto heels of my black knee-highs clicking loudly on the tile all the while, "I was planning to kill two birds with one stone." I faced her and uncapped the bottle, smirking. "A quick stop at Furry Boy's fine demon establishment to see just what the hell is taking him so long with that information, then I planned on taking you to the human bar down the street to help me pick out our next victim."

The words were barely out of my mouth when she started shaking her head, gently at first, but then so violently that her hair went whipping from side to side so hard that I could almost hear it. "Uh-uh," she said shortly. "You're not hurting any more innocent people, and I'm sure as hell not helping you with it if you do."

I took a swig of tequila and rolled my eyes. "Lauren, baby," I started in my most pathetic, pleading voice, "you told me when we got together that you would always stand behind me in whatever I chose to do, 100%." Plopping the open bottle on the counter, I stepped away from it, my hands clasped tightly over my chest as I looked at her with tears glistening in my eyes. I could feel them, foreign and burning as they threatened to well over, and all I wanted to do was laugh at how ridiculous I must have looked. "What happened to that?" I went on, begging earnestly. "What happened to the Lauren I fell in love with?"

She plopped back down on her stool and shook her head, unimpressed. "She never thought you'd want to do this," she sighed solemnly, retrieving her fork from where she'd left it, sitting in her bowl. "She didn't know you were a cold-hearted murderer."

"I don't do it because I like it, Lauren!" I cried, rounding the island counter and falling to kneel before her. I pulled her free hand from her lap, gripping it tightly in both of mine, and the bewildered expression she shot me nearly cracked my pitiful mask, but I held on. "I do it for us! I do it because I love you!"