LOKI MALIK SPIN OFF
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Let's get one thing straight: I am not the good guy. I've bought myself a ticket to hell a million times over, you are not supposed to root for me, or hope all my problems will solve themselves. You are supposed to terrifying me, hope you never run into me, hope you don't know anyone like me and pray your daughter doesn't date me.
Most importantly, you should feel no sympathy for me. But you do, don't you? The image of me clutching roses and stumbling upon my wife's deaf body coaxed some sorrow for me into your being, even though you know it shouldn't.
That's one of the many complexities of human psychology. Perspective. There is always a bad guy, but who it is... is what come into debate.
Is the serial killer the one to blame because he is bad, or is it his parents for neglecting him or abusing him and making him that way? Or, if people are truly born bad, is he really to blame for simply being a product of his biology?
It's a slippery slope when you start getting into details. Regardless of your viewpoint, humans have been known to be drawn to the people who truly are the worst of the worst, dare I say even care for them.
That's what I plan for you. I want to make you question your own innocence and sense of good and bad in the face of something objectively and utterly evil.
So I'll tell you my story, but I ask you to leave your fears at the door. They have no worth here, they will get you nowhere. Come with a blank slate. Forget what you've heard of me and learn what you think of me.
Welcome.
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
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Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.