Chapter 44

Ariel had shut her eyes after the gunshot, her breathing hard.

When she opened them, Nathaniel had fired.

“Who the hell are you?” Nathaniel barked, standing over the man and punching his face, trying to rip off his mask.

“Nathaniel,” Ariel called from behind him.

He grunted and yanked the mask off with force.

Ariel rushed to his side but froze mid-step.

“What is he doing here?” she gasped, staring at the man on the floor—his face red and swollen, blood oozing from a split lip.

“I knew it was you—” Nathaniel growled, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him up.

James.

They had him tied to a chair now, both standing in front of him.

“Why are you here?” Ariel demanded.

James glanced from Nathaniel to Ariel, his breathing ragged, expression tight.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You called me here, didn’t you?” James snorted, wincing at the pain in his broken nose.

“That’s a lie. And even if I did, were you supposed to try and kill me?” Ariel glared at him, disgust in her eyes.

James exhaled shakily, closing his eyes for a moment before looking straight at her.

“Look, I didn’t know it was Nat, okay? I got your text saying you were under attack, and I came. When Nat pointed a gun at me, I had to defend myself.”

Ariel tossed the pendant on the floor before him.

“Then tell me—what was that doing here?”

He frowned in confusion until recognition flickered in his eyes.

“It’s been missing for days. How did you find it?”

Ariel pointed at it, her gaze unflinching.

“Don’t fuck with me, James,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “I know you put it there. It was lying on my bathroom floor—next to a dead finger.”

James’s eyes widened. He looked from Nathaniel back to Ariel.

“No, I swear—it wasn’t me!”

Ariel pressed a palm to her forehead and pushed her hair back in frustration.

“Lies, lies, James. From day one since I met you, you’ve always been lying to me.” Her voice trembled, but her glare stayed sharp.

“I’m sorry, Ariel. If this is about us—our relationship—I really didn’t mean to hurt you. I regret it every day. But I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His gaze flicked to Nathaniel, who’d been silent the whole time.

Ariel turned away, walked into the next room, and returned with a ribbon.

“I’m sure you remember this—the one you gave the girl at the club… just before she died?”

“Ariel…”

“This was also found at the boutique—next to the dead woman.”

His eyes widened. “You found this? But it wasn’t included in the report.”

Ariel’s glare hardened. “That’s because I took it. And I know you were with her before she died.”

James’s jaw tightened; he swallowed hard.

“The museum attendant,” Ariel continued. “The one you took to the boutique. Why did you do it, James?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I saw her before she died, but not the way you think. A man in a hood asked me to help his girlfriend—he said someone was stalking her.”

Ariel scoffed. “So you were her bodyguard, and then she just ended up dead?” Her tone dripped with disbelief.

“I had debts, Ariel. The hooded guy offered to pay. All I did was help. I followed her to the boutique, and the one second I stepped away, she was gone. Dead.”

Nathaniel straightened from where he leaned against the pillar, his voice mocking.

“Then explain why you’re always the last person to see the victims alive. Were you playing bodyguard for all of them too?”

James snarled in response.

Ariel’s jaw clenched, her voice cracking as she whispered,

“How many more, James? How many more women did you ‘help’ before they ended up dead?”

James’s breath came hard, his wrists twisting against the ropes that bound him.

“I told you—I didn’t kill anyone!” His eyes darted between them, wild and desperate. “You’re being set up, Ariel. We both are.”

“Set up?” Nathaniel scoffed, stepping closer until his boots scraped against the floor. “By who? The same ghost that plants your things at every murder scene?”

James opened his mouth, hesitated, then lowered his gaze. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”

Nathaniel slammed his hand down on the chair, spinning it slightly. “Speak.”

James’s shoulders tensed. “There’s a man. I’ve never seen his face—always hooded. He gives orders, knows things he shouldn’t. About me, about Ariel… even about you, Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel’s eyes darkened. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not!” James barked, grimacing as pain flared in his jaw. “He—he was the one who asked me to protect his girlfriend.” He turned to Ariel. “Back then, at the club. He was also the one who asked me to give that girl the ribbon.”

Nathaniel released him roughly, his jaw tight, eyes narrowing.

“I didn’t notice back then because he always wore a hood,” James continued, voice low. “But after the woman’s death at the boutique—I knew. It was him.”

Silence fell.

Everything James said sounded… true.

But he’d lied before. How could she trust him now?

Nathaniel grabbed James by the jaw, his gun aimed at his head.

“Don’t believe a word he says, Ariel. He’s a killer.”

Suddenly, a sharp beep broke the tension.

Both Ariel’s and James’s phones vibrated at once.

Ariel snatched James’s phone from his pocket, turning both screens toward her. The same message glowed on both, from one sender—Michael.

> Step away from him, Ariel. He isn’t who you think he is.

Beneath the message was a single picture—of Nathaniel.

Nathaniel’s gaze snapped to Ariel’s trembling hands, her face pale as she stared at the image.

“Ariel,” he said slowly, his voice low. “Is everything okay?”

Her breath hitched. “You—you…”

Her throat tightened as her voice broke.

“You’re the killer,” she whispered.