Chapter 26
Jamison
I watch Kaz as she walks down the street, casually looking over her shoulder every few seconds. To anyone else in this city, she is probably just some random girl nervous to be out past dark. I know better, though. My Kitten has claws just waiting to come out. From the corner of another building, I see her look around before entering a dingy looking bar. She looks nervous, but I’m unsure why. She can’t see me, so I know I’m not the cause. Normally I wouldn’t be following her around tonight seeing as how she’s been following the same regiment for months now, however I've noticed she’s been acting strange all week long. It started over the weekend when she had me pick her up after disappearing from the club. I wanted to fucking punish her for disobeying me so directly like that, especially considering the circumstances surrounding all of us at Bolt Corporation. I don’t care what contracts were signed. I don’t for one minute believe Lockhart gave up on Sasha so easily. Then, there is the matter of what he had said to me after his meeting with Xavier that day. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It’s almost as if he implied there was someone dangerous close to me. The devil herself. A woman. Kitten is the only woman I’ve let close to me and there’s something off with her right now.
I cross the street quickly and wait for a group of people to walk through the bar door. As soon as they begin piling in, I slide through, hoping to get lost in the small crowd. The inside of the bar is fucking filthy. My nose scrunches up at the distasteful decor scattered around. It looks like a bomb went off in a vintage secondhand store and they decided to take the remains and shove it all in here. I spot Kaz immediately in a booth, hunched over her phone. She's nervously tapping her fingers on the small table with her other hand. Thankfully, she isn’t paying attention as I make my way past her and sit in another booth directly behind. The ugliest curtains hang between all of these booths, lightly knotted at the ends. They provide a somewhat detailed shield, but I pull the hoodie I stole from Jonathan up over my head and turn away, just in case. What the fuck is she doing here anyway? A server in a very skimpy outfit eyes me and starts heading my direction, so I wave her off with my hand while glaring like an asshole. She skitters away quickly, an annoyed look on her face. I’m two seconds away from sliding in Kaz's booth, my patience wearing thin, when a smooth voice makes my entire body freeze up.
“Hello, Little Devil,” Lockhart purrs. “So nice to meet you face to face.”
Kaz scoffs. “I should have known.”
What should she have known? What the fuck is Lockhart doing meeting with her? My fingers close around the edge of the table hard, making my knuckles turn white as I continue listening.
“I believe you have something for me?” Lockhart asks her. It doesn’t sound like a question, though. If anything, it’s an assumption. I hear a rustling sound and Lockhart laughs.
“Your lap dog has something of mine as well, and I want it back.” I hear Kaz grit out. She sounds angry. There isn’t a trace of fear in her voice.
“Ahh, yes. He is currently out of the country right now on business. I’ll have to see what we can do about that. You did quite the number on him, you know? I could use someone with your expertise, Little Devil. You could make lots of money. More than what Bolt Corporation pays you, I’m sure.”
Something slams on the table and I hear Lockhart gasp. “You little bitch.”
“I don’t fight anymore. If you want to keep your fingers, I suggest you keep your hands on your side of the table. I brought you what you wanted. We are done here.”
“Not so fast,” Lockhart grits out. “We aren’t done until I say we are.”
I hear another rustling sound and see Kaz jolt up from the table and walk towards the exit, with Lockhart following close behind. He grabs her by the arm to stop her, but I can’t hear anything else. Of course, the waitress from earlier thinks this is the perfect time to come over and ask me if I’m ready to order. By the time I’ve sent her on her way, Kaz and Lockhart are both gone.
“Fuck,” I mutter, as I stand quickly and rush out of the bar, hoping I haven’t lost them. Once I’ve made my way outside, I scan both sides of the street. A quick flash of Kaz's hair as she rounds a corner has me walking that direction. I know these streets like the back of my hand. She may be walking fast, but I know exactly where to go to cut her off. I cut through a back alley that curves over and connects with another street ahead. Once I reach the entrance of the alley, I stand and wait. Not thirty seconds pass before Kaz walks right next to the opening. I yank her into the dark, covering her mouth, and slam her against the brick wall. Her eyes go wide and her hands curl around my wrists, causing her nails to bite into my skin.
“Tell me, Kaz,” I sneer as I lean right into her face and squeeze her neck with my other hand. “Are you Kitten or Little Devil because I’m starting to think there isn’t a difference?”
She whimpers behind my hand as I continue. “All this time, I’ve been watching you. Never once did I think you were in with Lockhart. Nothing ever gets past me, Kaz, nothing, yet here we are. Me, letting my dick get in the way of what’s really important and you,” I slam her head back again and she cries out in pain. “You, using your pussy like the fucking slut I always knew you were. You played us. Was this your fucking plan?” I grit out. She tries to shake her head no, but there isn’t much wiggle room with how I’ve got her pinned. “Liar. That’s what you are. A fucking liar, but don’t worry, I’ve got a special place for you.”
I drop my hand from her mouth as I reach into my pocket. “Please," she wheezes out, attempting to catch her breath. “Let me explain.”
I squeeze her neck tighter. “Shut the fuck up.” When she sees the syringe I've pulled out, she drops both her hands and pushes them up between us to grab my shoulders. In one quick motion, she knees me, preparing to break away. Unfortunately for her, I’ve already seen it coming and turn just enough for her to miss her mark. I yank her back by her hair and pull her flush against my body before whispering in her ear. “You didn’t think you were the only trained fighter did you?” I chuckle as I slide the syringe in her neck and her body goes limp. Jonathan and I train multiple days a week and have since we escaped the hell hole from our childhood. He clearly never told her about that either. I sigh out loud and pull my phone out to make a call.
“Please tell me there’s a case I need to be out there for?” Andre asks when he picks up.
“We have a fucking problem,” I grit out.
I hear someone scream in the background before a door clicks shut and it goes quiet on his end.
“Fuck sorry," he says, sounding very annoyed. “Is this one of those worst case scenario kind of problems?”
I don’t bother beating around the bush. “I’m going to need the vault.”
Andre blows out a breath. “Okay, I’ll let Antonio know. I’ll catch the next flight out.”
“Andre,” I say, pausing because I’m not really sure what I’m feeling in this moment. “Don’t say anything to the guys.”