The blow of his fist felt like a hammer against the side of her head. Dani fell back, unconsciousness claiming her before her body could hit the floor. When she awoke, she was bound and gagged to her bed.

Her bedroom was dimly lit and a sizzling fear burned through her as she heard the soft notes of Beethoven playing softly around her.

"The walls of these apartments are so thin that I have to be careful. Don't worry, the cops next door already left. It's just you and me now, Dani. We're finally alone. Oh, how I've longed for this moment. I've been watching you for such a long time. Did you know that?"

She watched him eye the knife he held in his hand, "You're probably surprised to see me.

Dani mumbled something behind her gag.

"What was that? You never would have guessed it was me?" he asked. "Are you really that surprised?"

She nodded and he caressed her face with his gloved hands.

"Shall I tell you a secret?" When she didn't respond, he continued anyway. "Your neighbor Derek is my half-brother. Or should I say was? He's no longer living, is he? I had also been watching him for a long time. I originally had planned to kill him. He and his friend always came to the diner so I started coming with Belcher. But then something amazing happened. Something totally unexpected. I met you."

Dani watched Freddy close his eyes and inhale the music that was softly playing as though it were giving him strength. Possibly life.

"Belcher's going to be so sad when he hears of your death...but I saw you first. In my heart, I had already called dibs. Do you know how difficult it was to pretend to be a strung out musician? I had to though. If I wanted to continue my quest for the perfect heart, I had to. There's something about you that I just can't get enough of. It almost pains me to have to do this, Dani. Almost."

Dani was mumbling behind her gag, struggling to move away from him. Freddy clucked his tongue, "I'll take away the gag if you promise not to yell. Shall I show you what will happen if you scream for help?"

Dani felt the knife prick her skin before pressing the cut deeper into her flesh. Sweat broke out on her brow and she screamed into the gag at the pain he was giving her.

"Don't worry my love, I won't do it again unless you scream. I'm a very fair man. Do you promise?"

Tears were streaming down her face. She nodded.

"Good girl," he removed the gag and quickly kissed her lips. Dani was too stunned to react. "There's something I have wanted to ask you but you said you have something to say so I'll let you go first. I am a gentleman after all."

Dani started to lick her lips but stopped when she remembered he had just kissed them. She looked up into Freddy's crazed eyes and shuddered, "Why are you doing this? Why me?"

"Why am I doing this? Well, you could say it started with Adam and Eve. Adam gave his rib for a woman only to have him trick him. To betray him. Perhaps that's why women always betray the men they claim to love. My mother betrayed me. She was an alcoholic that only cared about her next drink."

"I-I'm sure she loved you. You were her son," Dani said, looking around for anything she could use as a possible weapon.

"Me? Not at all. My brother, Jackson? That's a different story. He was her favorite. He used to play the piano and she loved it. I learned how to play the piano to please her but she didn't care. She wouldn't give me her heart."

"Jackson?" Dani repeated, remembering Tammy call Derek Jackson.

"You knew him as Derek. My mother loved him enough to free him but she kept me with her. It was hell. All the while she kept asking me for Jackson. She loved my older brother. Adored him. Probably not as much as her booze...but it was enough. She let him live with his father when he was seven and pretended like he was adopted. I wasn't so fortunate. I was left behind. Do you know what it's like to grow up starving for a mother's love?"

"Yes," Dani whispered. "My mother abandoned me when I was younger."

Freddy grinned, "You see? I knew you and I would have a lot in common. You're perfect for me. I had even thought about letting you live."

"Why can't you?"

"Because you betrayed me."

"No, I didn't. Why would I betray you?"

"You're dating that detective."

"No, I'm not."

"Liar! I hate women that lie. I see the way you look at each other. You're dating! I thought we were fated because we had so much in common but I was wrong."

Dani shook her head, "I know what it's like to be alone and unwanted, but I didn't turn into some psycho serial-killer. You don't have to do this."

Freddy's eyes widened and Dani thought he'd kill her right at that moment. Instead he laughed like a jackal and said, "You're not unwanted anymore, Dani. I want you. All of you. I've wanted you since the first time I saw you sketching a picture of a woman bleeding to death. It was such a morbid picture that I knew you and I would get along."

"You saw that?" Dani asked, remembering the drawing from last year. It was a nightmare she had that she couldn't forget due to its goriness.

"I told you. I watch you. You sketch all the time. Was it to escape? It has to be, right? I totally understand because that's what music does for me. It gives me life, Dani. Life."

"Why did you become a killer?"

Freddy frowned at her sudden question but his head tilted to one side and he shrugged, "I wish I could give you a noble reason but I do not believe such a thing exists. I murder to fill the pain in my heart. The first woman I ever killed was my mother. I asked her to love me. I was her son. And do you know what she said to me?"

Dani remained silent.

"She said Jackson was her only son. I was the one left behind to clean up her vomit when she got too drunk, to cook for us, to fight off men...but Jackson was her only son. So one night I grabbed the butcher knife and stabbed her. The sound...it's unforgettable. The blood gurgling in her mouth is a sound I'll carry with me here," he pointed to his heart.

"She was your mother."

"She didn't care so why should I? Do you know what's funny? After it was all over...when the gurgling stopped and the knife was out of my hands...I thought that was it. I was done for. I was so scared I was going to get in trouble but no one seemed to care that my mom was missing. Two days passed. No one came looking for her. So I cleaned up. Tossed her body in a trash bag and then a dumpster. The trash came and went but the police never came looking for me. Ironic isn't it? I was so worried about her caring for me when no one outside our family of two cared about her."

"So why did you keep murdering women?" Dani asked, trying to buy herself some time.

"I found that I missed my mother. Despite all her faults, I missed her. So I began searching for another woman to care for me. To love me. To finally understand me."

"Freddy-"

"And then I found you. I even forgave Jackson because he had led me to you. Instead of killing him, I was going to frame him for being the Maestro. I went through so much trouble to break into his apartment and-"

"You put that bloody shirt in his trash?"

Freddy nodded, "These apartments are easy to break into. I was going to leave an anonymous tip but then his roommate went missing and that threw my plans off."

"Derek's dead," Dani whispered. "He killed his roommate."

Her words made Freddy smile, "I guess blood really does run thick. I suppose I can frame Belcher now. The police already have him as a possible suspect."

"Are you...are you really going to kill me, Freddy?"

"I don't want to kill you Dani but I want your heart."

Dani took him literally, "If you take my heart, I'll die."

She felt him crawl on top of her until he was straddling her, "I know. Do you want to live?"

Dani nodded.

"So what will you give me instead?"

She thought of the craziest answer she could give and then gave it, "Something better than my heart."

"Better than your heart?" Freddy smiled. "What could be better than your heart?"

"My love," Dani whispered. "Untie me Freddy."

He shook his head, "I can't do that."

"Then turn up the music. I want to let the music take over me the way it does you."

Freddy's eyes narrowed, "You mean that?"

"Yes, turn it up."

"What about your neighbors?"

"The other apartment on this floor belonged to Derek and as you know...he's dead. The apartment is officially vacant. Turn it up."

Freddy crawled off her body and turned up the stereo as loud as he could. Dani hoped one of her neighbors from either upstairs or downstairs would hear it and call the cops. The music was deafening and Dani could barely hear herself think.

Freddy turned back to Dani, rubbing his hands together, "Now-"

A gunshot cut through the music causing Freddy to jump. Both he and Dani screamed as Jax came barreling through the door, gun raised. He saw Dani tied to the bed, bleeding. Freddy was still holding his knife. He lunged at Jax but was thrown back after being hit in the chest by two of Jax's bullets.

He walked over to Freddy, whose eyes were still open, and kicked the knife away from his corpse.

"Jax? How did you know?"

He was untying her, his fingers shaking, "I was about to knock when I heard the music. So I broke down the door and hauled ass in here."

"Why did you come back?" Dani asked. She could hear police sirens coming from outside. Jax pulled out her cell phone, "You left this in my jacket."

Jax wrapped his arms around Dani who began crying. Even through the music that was playing, she could hear Jax's words of comfort, "I've got you. You're safe now. It's going to be alright."

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A/N: Don't skip the epilogue! Also, books 2, 3, and 4 are coming. Lookon my profile for the next installment. If you liked this book, be sure to give me a follow here and on social media!