The Devil's Vice (The Dark Triad, #1)

by Mindy Paige

“You realize that shit is exactly what I’m talking about, right? Since when do you feel the need to give me the same act as everyone else?”

typing in the number I know by heart. It rings exactly once before the line clicks through, and I’m met with deafening silence.

My jaw tightens as I squeeze the phone in my palm, knowing this is a mistake.

a pigeon lands on her windowsill. Its claws clench the cracked stone as it peers from side to side, looking for threats. Then it taps its beak against her window.

I shake my head. Persistent little thing. Too bad it won’t work.

I nearly fall over when Lillith opens her window for it. Not only that, she reaches out and pets the fucking thing. I don’t know shit about bir...

I blink hard, wondering if I took too much Rebound....

Okay, I definitely took too much fucking Rebound.

For the first time in my life, I have an urge to feed the pigeons in the park.

My chest squeezes at the pain in her eyes as she watches the little animal disappear over the horizon, and it hits me. She loves the little bird.

“Lillith… “ she moans, reaching out to my face with the last of her strength. “My beautiful flower.”

A furious tapping sounds on my window, and I nearly piss myself.

“Damn, someone’s hungry this morning,” I grumble,

“Stop it, Herb!” I howl, slamming my palm on the tile.

I run my thumb over the note, over the letter scrawled at the bottom. K.

“Get out of here! Fucking rat with wings,” he snarls, attempting to hit it out of the sky as it takes flight. “What are you doing?” I cry,

After digging around for a few moments, her fingers curl around one of the last cherry red pops in the bin. She inspects her prize for a moment, a smile tugging prettily on her full pink lips.

I’m suddenly aware of the weight of the thick silver revolver strapped to my hip.

It would be so easy. So easy to put that barrel to the side of my temple. So easy to pull the trigger. To slip. To fall. Down. Down, down, down the rabbit hole.

I frown at the way it wobbles loosely against the wood now. Fuck. She’s gonna notice that.

Now I know why she has to live in such a shithole—she spends all her fucking money on skincare and body wash.

She didn’t fucking lock her door.

No. You won’t even get past the threshold. Not while I’m breathing.

“Fucking leaves her doors unlocked in this neighborhood. The woman is going to give me a heart attack…” I continue muttering angrily

A beautiful gift for a beautiful girl.

So he’s pissed I didn’t lock my doors. That’s… sweet, right? Right?

trying to ignore the warmth growing between my thighs as I think about the man who gifted it to me.

Lillith belongs to me. And I won’t share my toy.

I can’t risk him losing his head and firing into the crowd. Can’t risk her getting hurt.

Like I’ve done something bad, and my dark, scarred angel is watching, waiting for the moment to exact his revenge.

but I’m so busy wishing for a quick and speedy death that I don’t notice until he coughs to regain my attention.

not quite having the strength to point out that his “boy” probably got the numbers to a fast-food chain, and those girls definitely giggled about how stupid he was later.

his mouth wide as the glass flies around his head. A brick sails through the busted window, landing on Sam’s lap with a dull thud.

against the nightmare tormenting her sleep. I frown. I don’t like how frequently she has them.

If I could, I’d reach into her pretty little head and strangle the demons that live there.

Soon, flower. Soon.

Taptaptap! Taptaptap! "I know, I know," I groan, rolling out of bed

"Must you always be so rude?" The little pigeon blinks at me, lifting one leg to scratch behind his wing. Then, to add insult to injury, he shits on my sill.

"You know, you're making it kind of hard to defend your species, Herb," I grumble,

"Hello, Sally," I breathe, reaching out toward her snowy feathers. She fluffs and scootches away from me, her beady eyes trained on her mate with alarm.

She doesn't trust me—and why should she? Just because her man said so?

"You better hold onto her, Herb. She's too smart for you."

It was him, wasn’t it? He threw the brick last night, and now he’s hurt Sam.

“I just took the statement from your friend. He was jumped by a couple of homeless guys last night on Main.”

Unknown: Did you like my present?

“It seems you haven’t lost that dry sense of humor. That’s a good sign.”

“Unless you’d like me to suspend you for a week. The choice is yours.”

“Can I go home now? I don’t like being on the other side of this doctor-patient relationship.”