It was cold, wet and rainy by the time Tonya got back on her side of town. Her twist out had transformed into a big puff of mess and her favorite chunky heels had bit the dust. All she wanted was a hot shower and to be swallowed by her favorite plush robe. As she turned on her street she was thankful it was raining so she wouldn’t have to drown out her loud neighbors. She loved her house but it wasn’t in the best location. She had bought it alone when she turned 30 and it was a big accomplishment for her. She didn’t mind her nosey neighbor across the street nor the man next door who always mowed her grass.

As she pulled into the garage her mind wandered to Malcolm. Jess had called her on her way home to fill her in on the fiasco outside. Hearing this part of the story had Tonya feeling uneasy. This was a big trigger for her. Black men have it hard enough dealing with everyday trials and tribulations she honestly didn’t see the reason to ever add any more stress to someone. As she hung her umbrella in her mud room she crossed the open floor to the kitchen where her pot roast had been slow cooking for the most of the day.

She got her hot shower she was dreaming about and she finished a new series on Netflix while she ate dinner. Even though she had been off for a couple of hours she still thought of work. Her workload would be increasing with the new projects they were taking on. If Malcom’s resume is as good as it seemed an increase in pay is definitely in the near future.

Once she finished eating. She cleaned her mess. M would be starting tomorrow, so it wouldn’t hurt to get a jump start on an outfit. She thought. She started with shoes and decided on a pair of Steve Madden’s. As she made her way across her closet grabbing options for an outfit a bullet casing fell to the floor.

“Shit. I thought I got rid of these.” she said, sucking her teeth.

Tonya had more secrets than most, her friends and family just thought she was very ambitious, always working or taking on new projects. And in a sense, she was. Top Notch was a great up and coming company. Plus the fact she could get information discreetly on possible targets. She wanted the company to thrive and she loved her work but she also loved killing people. Not innocents, but people the justice system let fall through the cracks. It was almost a month since her last kill. And the bullet casing falling to the floor lit that familiar fire inside of her again.

The thrill of taking a life that once caused pain, torture and heartache to others was oddly satisfying. She had started to do some “freelance” work around the time she started going to group meetings for rape victims. Hearing so many stories of pain and how their perpetrators were never caught did something inside of Tonya. It angered her. Since they wouldn’t be brought to justice, she decided to take the justice to them. She started out with her attacker, James. She stalked him from bar to bar for a few weeks, watching as he dazzled the other unknowing women. It just so happened the one time she wasn’t there, he slipped something in a young girls drink, had his way with her and left her for dead in an alley. She was only 23 years old. He had done the same thing to Tonya years ago but she was lucky enough to survive. Once she heard the details of the case it sounded so similar she knew who did it. She also took it upon herself to keep tabs on James so she would always know his address.

She had had a year to prepare for this not leaving anything to chance. She filled a syringe with air and waited for him in his apartment. It wasn’t too long before he came home alone and was asleep on the couch. His leg was resting on the back of the couch. Perfect. She needed to inject him with the air in a place that wouldn’t be noticeable to police. Between the toes should do it. The tiny prick made James grimace in his sleep but it did not wake him fully. By the time he woke up and realized he was dying he would be dead and Tonya would be in the stairwell, headed to her car leaving no evidence behind. When the police found him they also found a treasure trove of trophies from previous victims and every newspaper clipping related to the cases. They classified his death as a heart attack. Once again, perfect.

Snapping out of her memory she tossed the casing in the trash. She found herself thinking of the conversation she had with Jess about the drama with Malcolm. She hated that for him. She hated that Jess sounded as if she was enjoying telling her about it too. She had cut the conversation short, blaming her eagerness to get off the phone on another call coming in. Laughing at someone else’s pain wasn’t cool to Tonya. She decided to have a chat with her the next morning since he would be starting work soon. No need to make him feel more uncomfortable.

She didn’t know why she had a fondness for him. During his interview he looked as if he had seen her naked and they were old friends. Not in a creepy way just a way that made her feel vulnerable and seen. After her sexual assault with James, she had not even thought about a man nor did she want one. But the fire she felt with M was hot and heavy.

Just as she was drifting into another fantasy she over heard the news asking if anyone had any information about the missing 25 year old woman, to call the police and provide a statement. She was last seen leaving her apartment on foot, dressed in workout attire. That was the third woman this month and the media was calling him ‘The Snatcher’.

Tonya felt that familiar urge again. The feeling she needed to do something. This is just what she needed, a reminder. She couldn’t allow herself to get caught up in Malcolm. Her mission was to find and kill. She decided to scratch the chat with Jess, instead putting her computer and programming skills to use. She needed all the information she could get if she was going to make this “Snatcher” her next target.

💋KV