Chapter Ten
Kiera arches a brow at me, amusement dancing in her eyes. “You say that to every woman you sta…I mean, follow?” she asks. She thinks this is going to get to me.
Taking a step closer into her space, I let my mouth curve. “Only to the cute ones who are prickly.” I step in again, close enough that it feels like I might touch her, but instead, my hand shoots past to grab the door and pull it open. “After you.”
“And they say chivalry is dead.” Kiera ducks under my arm and walks inside.
The view from behind is almost perfect, but it’s not the one I want.
She’ll be looking at me when I break her.
That will be perfection. I discreetly adjust myself and follow her in.
“I’m free today and heading to the gun range. Would you want to join me?”
Her brows lift, a mix of shock and calculation. “Uh… actually, yeah. I need to practice anyway. Let me have breakfast with the grumpy monster waiting on me, and then I can meet you?”
“I’ll pick you up. Let me see your phone.
” She frowns, confused, and I huff a quiet laugh.
“Relax. I’m just adding my number. You can text me when you’re ready.
” Kiera hands over her phone, and I type my number under the name Stalker.
Little do you know, Thorn. I pass the phone back.
“I’ll see you later.” I let a slow, knowing smirk tug at my mouth before turning away and strolling over to the coolers.
I grab a peach Red Bull and a breakfast burrito.
I check out and head back to the truck. Sliding behind the wheel, I pull out toward home.
That was easier than I thought it would be.
My phone pings. I see it’s Kiera. Smiling, I pull up her message.
Thorn: I knew you were a stalker.
Me: Well, if you're gonna insist on calling
me one, I might as well be one.
Thorn: Do I need to send my address
or do you already have that too?
Me: No. I actually need that, despite your
belief.
I don’t need her address, but she doesn’t need to know that yet.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m knocking on her door. Lila answers, leaning against the frame. “Well, look who it is. She’ll be ready in a second.” She swings the door wider and gestures for me to come inside. “The gun range, huh? You know she’ll shoot you if you piss her off, right?”
Chuckling, “Yeah, I figured. Makes it all the more fun.” A pointed throat-clear comes from the hallway. Kiera stands there in black leggings that hug every curve, a leather jacket over a black tank top with a rhinestone skull on the front, and combat boots laced tight. She looks like heavenly sin.
“You going to keep staring, or are we actually going to go somewhere?” Kiera smirks, the taunt clear in her voice.
She brushes past me, glancing over her shoulder.
“Let’s go, Ghost.” My grin slips for just a fraction of a second before I force it back into place, hoping neither of them caught it. There’s no way she should know that.
“I’m just admiring the view,” I say, sliding the cocky edge back in place.
“Bye, Lila. Nice seeing you again.” I give her a quick wave as Kiera and I head for the elevator.
I’m pretty sure I catch something about don’t get hurt right before the doors slide shut.
“So do you know how to shoot, or do you need a lesson?”
Kiera gives me a sideways look, lips twitching. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” She sweeps her gaze over the rows of cars. “Let me guess—the murdered-out Chevy Silverado with the dark tint is yours?”
I give her my best lopsided smile. “So you know vehicles, huh? And what exactly makes you say that?”
Kiera gives me a sly grin. “Well, for one, I live here and have never seen this truck before. And for two, I know more than you think I do.” The way her expression shifts on that last line makes me almost certain she knows more than she’s letting on.
I clear my throat, “Right.” For a second, my composure slips. There’s no way she can know who I am. I’m paranoid. “Well then, are you ready?” She looks straight at me like she’s trying to see all the way down to whatever dark void passes for my soul. Keep looking, Thorn—there isn't one.
Reaching the truck, I open the passenger door so she can climb in.
Her foot slips off the step, and she tips backward, but I’m already there, my hand braced against the small of her back to steady her.
A blush crawls up her neck, a perfect shade of pink.
This time, she manages to get in fully, and I shut the door before circling around to my side.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, I start the engine, my phone auto-connecting.
"Hate Me" by SkyDxddy pours through the speakers.
She hums along under her breath as the whole cab seems to thicken with something raw and aching.
Her body becomes tense, gaze fixed out the window, clearly miles away.
Those lyrics are hitting somewhere deep.
“I can change it,” I say quietly. Kiera jumps like she forgot she was in the car with me.
“That’s okay. I like this song. Just makes me think of some people.” She gives me a solemn smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You can talk about it if you want. I’m the last person who’s going to judge.” I keep my tone light, trying to ease the tightness in the air. Right on cue, Mom’s voice slices through my head. Don’t get attached. No one will love you. I drag in a slow breath, forcing it down.
“I just miss my mom and don’t miss someone who helped shape me into who I am,” Kiera says lightly, offering nothing more.
“I’m guessing he’s the reason you’re so prickly with me.” A grin tugs at my mouth.
She shrugs, “I get ‘prickly’ with everyone. I don’t do feelings or attachments.
” She hesitates. “Nothing good comes from letting someone in.” And yet, I can’t seem to stay away from you.
I pull into the lot, kill the engine, and hop out, rounding the front of the truck.
Kiera’s already slamming her door. “Gotta be quicker than that.” She tosses over her shoulder as she heads for the building.
I shake my head and lengthen my stride to catch up with her. I reach the door first and swing it open. “How’s that for quick?” She smacks my arm as she slips by. We head up to the counter where Adrian, the owner, is standing. “Hey, bud, you got a lane for two?”
“Sure do, Sterling. And who’s this spitfire you brought with you? You get yourself a girlfriend and forget to tell me?” Adrian looks over Kiera. Don’t kill him. At least not in front of her.
Expecting Kiera to bristle, I’m caught off guard when she does the exact opposite. “I knew you were hiding me. No wonder you ghost all the time. Does he bring other girls here?” she asks, flashing Adrian a mischievous grin.
“Oh, all the time!” I’m going to kill him.
I shoot him a flat glare, “If you could get us set up with two Walther PDPs, that would be fucking fantastic.”
Adrain hurries to get us set up. “Aw, babe, don’t give him such a hard time. We were just teasing, Ghost,” she says loudly. There it is again. Adrian returns, motioning for us to follow him. He shows us to a private room, points out where everything is, then leaves us alone.
Kiera heads over to the bench to start setting up her gear. I catch her by the wrist, spin her, and pin her back against the wall. “What do you know?” She feigns a gasp of surprise. “That's what… three, four times, you’ve called me Ghost.” I lean in, voice low. “So, what do you know?”
“I don’t know… what do I know, Sterling?” She smiles at me with fake innocence, all wrapped in razor blades. Fucking hell, she’s going to ruin me. “You tell me.”
“Kiera..,” I warn, her name a low growl between us. If she knows everything, this is over before it even begins.
“I know that you’re the one stalking me.
I know you’re the one who was in that theater box with me, which is a whole other discussion about fucking boundaries we need to have at a later date.
And I know my dad hired you to find his blackmailer.
” She plants her hands on my chest and shoves, forcing me back a few steps.
“So, Sterling…tell me—what do you know?” There’s a wicked glint in her eyes. She’s enjoying every second of this.
A lopsided smirk spreads across my face as I grab her waist and haul her closer, catching her sleek ponytail in one hand and tipping her head back so she has to look up at me.
“I know you're Wade’s daughter. I know I have a dangerous obsession with you. And I know you enjoyed every second that night.” Her breathing hitches, just barely.
“Do you know who’s threatening him?” She searches my eyes for even the smallest hint of a lie.
“Not yet, but I will. I promise I’ll find who’s doing this.
” Something in her eyes shifts as she bites down on her bottom lip.
Before I can stop myself, I tug Kiera back in and crush my mouth against hers, capturing her lips.
I let her set the pace, giving her every chance to pull away.
She doesn’t. Instead, she fists my shirt, pulling me closer.
The kiss morphs from something sweet into a dark, depraved demand, like she needs it to breathe.
My hands slide from her waist up to her throat, squeezing just enough to make her gasp. “I knew you enjoyed it.”
Kiera rips herself away, fingers darting for the gun. “You can’t just take what you want.” She cocks it and levels the barrel at my chest. Ohhh, let the games begin.
“You begged, remember? I gave you the option to say no. I gave you a way out.” I take a step closer into the muzzle until the barrel digs into my chest. “What are you going to do, shoot me?” In one quick move, I catch her around the hips and lay her out on the counter behind us.
I don’t reach for the gun. I want her to cling to the illusion that she has control.
“Just like now,” I whisper. “I can smell how worked up you are; see the slightly darker spot on your leggings. I bet if I touched you, you’d already be soaked for me. ”