Jorge marched away before I could thank him. I peered into the dark changeroom and flicked on the light. He hadn’t been lying about the size. The first opening was a changing stall, the next was a shower, and the last was a closed-door toilet. There was a pair of sinks, one long bench, and a half dozen lockers, all with the Mode logo on the front.

I took a deep breath and smiled as I tried to shake off the nervousness. This was the first real independence I’d ever had in my life. I’d decided that as soon as I could, I was going to move to London and do whatever I needed to stay with my dad and get away from my controlling mother, jerk of a boyfriend who I planned on making ex very soon, and a job I didn’t want. Nothing was going to stop me from getting out of here once and for all.

CAIN

I enjoyed this part of the stalking process. I could even argue that I enjoyed it as much as licking the tears from their cheeks. It took a great deal of patience to sit and watch someone for hours and learn all their nuances. I jotted down everything, including the things that no one else would think were worth remembering. It wasn’t good enough to memorize their schedule and habits. I liked knowing exactly what they were thinking and feeling at any given moment. How would they react when I wrapped a hand around their throat, would their pulse race? Would they get turned on? Would they try to cry out in fear?

To know one’s prey the way I did took more effort than the average person was willing to put into a relationship. It was also why other relationships failed, whereas mine always ended the way I wanted. My brother had no appreciation for the hunt. I, on the other hand, was the breeze against your skin before my blade found your throat.

“I don’t just want to pluck the wings from your back, Sunshine. I want to pull the little legs from your body until you can no longer run.”

The blue pick-up truck I was using fit in with the other vehicles in the area and didn’t look out of place. I tossed a few more of the peanuts I was snacking on into my mouth as I waited for my Sunshine to emerge from the beige building.

There were too many exits in this place, but I’d followed the silver Mercedes here, and it was still parked in the visitor area. It was a pretty good bet that they would come out this door. I grabbed the binoculars as more people filed out the double doors, but none of the people were her or the dink she was dating.