Chapter 6
LEGION
Istood in the shadow of the apothecary’s storefront, the cold dampness seeping through my leather jacket, my gaze locked on the reinforced glass and the heavy steel lock of the side entrance.
I leaned against the brickwork of the apothecary, feeling the dampness seep through my leather jacket, chilling my skin.
My hands were steady, but my chest felt tight.
The crunching sound echoing in my earpiece was rhythmic, annoying, and entirely too loud.
"You still breathing over there, or did the rain drown you?" Hoax’s voice crackled, punctuated by the aggressive sound of him chewing on what I could only imagine were corn chips.
"I'm here," I muttered, my voice low. "Is the door ready?"
"Give me a damn second. I’m fighting a security protocol that looks like it was written by a paranoid monk. Almost... got it. There.
I heard the rapid-fire clatter of keys, and a heavy, metallic thud echoed through the earpiece. I shifted my weight, eyes scanning the street for any sign of a patrol or a stray witness before. I pushed against the side door, feeling the resistance of the lock give way.
I stepped inside, the silence of the shop swallowing the city noise. Suddenly, a heavy, metallic click resonated through the door. The deadbolt slid back with a mechanical sigh. I paused, looking back at the door, then tapped my ear.
"You in?" Hoax asked.
"I'm in," I whispered, scanning the darkened room. “Wait, am I locked in here?”
“For the time being.”
“Well how about we shorten that timeframe to seconds.”
“Relax. I’ll get you out if needed.”
I took a deep breath and my nose crinkled. "The air smells like... everything. Herbs, wax, something sweet."
"That’s called 'ambiance,' Legion. Try it sometime.
More crunching sounds made me flinch. “Could you stop crunching on that crap.”
“I found a new spicy flavor. I’ll get you a bag for when you get back.”
“Thanks,” my response was filled with sarcasm.
“You better move fast. I’m seeing some weird pings on the network. Obsidian’s active tonight. If she catches your digital footprint, we’re both dead men walking."
"I'm setting the cameras up now."
“I’ve looped the exterior feed. You’ve got a window but don’t take long. In and out, remember.”
“Yup.”
I moved through the dim interior, my boots barely making a sound on the floorboards. I found the corners, the high shelves, and the underside of the counter. I worked with a practiced efficiency, tucking micro lenses and mics into the crevices of the shop.
Dried lavender, crushed peppercorns, and the underlying sweetness of vanilla and honey filled my senses as I did my walk through. It was an olfactory map of her mind, and I wanted to get lost in it.
I pulled a small, high-definition lens from my pocket and adhered it to the underside of the counter, then another in the corner of the ceiling. A mic followed, tucked into a wooden shelf.
"You're really going full 'Big Brother' on her, aren't you?" Hoax asked, his voice muffled by another mouthful of chips. "I mean, I knew you were obsessed, but this is some next level stalking. Do you have a shrine? Please tell me there's a shrine with candles."
"Shut up and watch the feed."
"Oh, I’m watching. I'm seeing a very moody man sniffing jars of tiny organic oils. It's wierd. Very 'Twilight,' but with more leather and less sparkle."
"I'm checking her inventory. Seeing what she keeps on hand."
I reached for a small amber bottle on the counter, unscrewing the cap. I pressed the opening to my nose and inhaled deeply. It was a blend of sandalwood and something dark, like rain on hot asphalt. I wondered if it smelled like her.
"You know, if you keep going, maybe you'll find her secret diary and discover she has a thing for guys who break into shops at midnight."
“Hoax!”
“Yeah,” he crunched.
"I said shut up.”
It took me a couple more minutes to finish up. Overall it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
I walked to the back of the shop, spotting the staff access elevator and plans changed very quickly.
“I'm heading up."
“What? Already?”
“I found the access elevator. I want cameras in her apartment.
“You’re fucking crazy. We only have enough for the shop and Duchess’ office.”
“Duchess doesn’t matter. Just do what I say. Lantana’s the one we’re following. Now what floor is she on?”
“Fuck, man.”
“What floor, Hoax?”
“Sixty-first.”
"I hope you cloned that keycard right, because I am not hacking a biometric scanner while you're hanging off a ledge."
"I got it. Just let me in when I tell you to."
The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss and I waited for a moment before I stepped out. The hallway was silent, the carpet thick and expensive under my boots. I moved toward her door, my heart doing a slow, heavy thud against my ribs.
I pressed the card to the lock and waited a few seconds while Hoax did his thing. The door suddenly clicked open.
“You’re a fucking magical genius,” I whispered to him.
“I’ve never been called that but I’ll take it.”
The apartment was dark, lit only by the city lights bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
It was a lot different from what the Bastards' places looked like. Much more expensive. The apartment covered the entire floor. Black leather furniture filled up the wide space and large art pieces filled the walls. I avoided the white rug in the living room and walked over to her kitchen, which was immaculate. It didn’t look like she was much of a cook, it barely looked like anyone lived here at all.
I quickly set up two cameras, one in the living room facing the door, another on the top of the fridge with a view to the full apartment. “Do you have feed?”
"Place looks like a museum, don't you think?" Hoax asked. "A bit... 'I have many secrets and no friends'?"
"It's neat. Shows she's organized."
"She's repressed. There's a difference."
Ignoring his sarcasm, I moved down the long hallway. I entered the main bedroom and found the area much warmer. The scent of lavender filled the room but it was laced with something more intimate.
A king sized bed sat in the center of the, a purple velvet chair sat at the corner of the room, next to the windows. I moved aside the black heavy curtains to glance down at the city. I had to admit she had a great view.
My gaze fell on the bridge of the chair.
Draped haphazardly over the velvet seat was a pair of lace panties, sheer and dark.
I stopped as the world narrowed down to that small piece of fabric, and I reached out, my fingers brushing the lace before I gripped them and instinctively I pulled them to my face.
I closed my eyes and took a deep inhale.
The scent hit me like a punch to the gut.
Strawberries. Warm skin. The unmistakable, intoxicating musk of a woman.
It was her. It was all her. My eyes drifted shut, my head spinning as the scent filled my lungs.
I felt a sudden ache in my groin, my pulse racing as my mind conjured images of her wearing nothing but that lace, looking up at me with those dark eyes.
My cock stirred, straining against my jeans, a hard, aching pressure that demanded release.
"Legion? You've gone quiet. Did you pass out or somethin’?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. I was too busy imagining the curves those panties had hugged, the wetness they had absorbed.
"Hello? You still breathing?"
I snapped back to reality, tucking the lace into my back pocket, though the scent still lingered in my nostrils.
Get it together, man. We're on the clock."
I moved to the corners of the bedroom, my focus returning to the task. I was sticking the last camera into the molding when Hoax’s voice suddenly lost all its humor.
“Legion, you need to stop whatever you’re doing now.”
“I’m almost done…”
“Abort. Abort now! Lantana just cleared the lobby security. She's in the building."
I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"What the fuck? Didn’t you tell me they were all out tonight at some corporate event?”
"Do I look like I know what the hell half of them are up to?”
"Where the hell am I supposed to go? There's no fire escape, Hoax! I'm on the sixtieth floor!"
“Hide!”
"Hide? Where? There's no fire escape, Hoax! It's a high-rise!"
“Dude, if you let her see you, this whole job is over.”
"I can't just vanish!"
"Just... find a hole and crawl into it! She's in the elevator. She's coming up. Ten seconds!"
I heard the distant ding of the elevator and panic surged through me.
I searched around the room, my eyes darting wildly.
There was nowhere to go. I lunged toward the corner of the bedroom, sliding behind the heavy, velvet chair.
I pressed myself against the wall and pulled the heavy black curtains, trying to make myself as small and invisible as possible.
I held my breath, my lungs burning, and my heart beating wildly in my chest. A sound I was sure she could hear from the hallway.
The front door opened and the sound of her heels clicking on the hardwood floor was like a countdown to the end. She hummed a low, melodic tune, a sound that vibrated in the small of my back. She moved through the living room, and then she entered the bedroom.
She was standing just a few feet away. She flung her purse onto the bed and shoved her heels off, one of them landed by my knee. I froze, waiting to see if she’d pick it up, but then relaxed as she could care less.
I watched her from a small crevice in the curtain.
She was beautiful, even more than the photograph Hoax had presented me with.
My mouth went dry as she reached back for the zipper of her leather dress and my breath hitched.
I watched, mesmerized, as she slid the zipper down.
The sound of the leather sliding against her skin was a wet, rasping noise that made my mouth go dry.
She stepped out of the dress, leaving it in a heap on the floor, revealing her wide hips in a pair of seamless black thongs that cut deep into her soft skin.
Then came the lacy bra. She pulled the fabric off in one fluid motion, her tits bouncing slightly as they were freed from their confines.
I nearly groaned aloud. Her tits were larger than I had pictured.
Full, heavy globes with dark, peaked nipples that looked tight from the chill of the room.
They swayed slightly as she moved, perfect and inviting.
I could see the pale vein tracing across the curve of one breast, a roadmap to her heart.
I wanted to bury my face in them, to taste the salt of her skin and the sweetness of her scent.
I was aching, a throbbing, visceral need that felt like a physical wound.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Hoax whispered in my ear.
I didn't even hear him. I didn't care. My eyes were locked on the way her dark hair curled over the swell of her ass as she leaned over to pick up her clothes.
Her curves were devastating, and the arch of her back provoked me to reach out, grab her by those purple curls and pull her head back, to see the shock and then the surrender in her eyes.
I wanted to feel her tremble under my hands, to hear her moan my name even though she didn't know it yet.
She sighed, a soft, weary sound, and began to wander toward the ensuite bathroom. Her hips swayed, a rhythmic, hypnotic motion that drew my gaze down to the cleft of her ass, the skin pale and flawless against the dark shadows of the room.
The moment the bathroom door clicked shut, the spell broke.
"Get me the hell out of here," I hissed to Hoax. "She just stepped into the shower.”
“I have a feeling you enjoyed that more than you’ll ever admit.”
“Just tell me where to go.”
“I swear, if that woman catches you, I am not bail-bonding you out of a high-rise penthouse. I'm too young to be the alibi for a professional stalker. Now move!"
I didn't need to be told twice.I sprinted across the bedroom, the image of her bare breasts burned into my retinas.
I flew through the living room and hit the front door, sliding out into the hallway just as the sound of running water began to echo from the bathroom.
I hit the elevator button, the metal cage descending rapidly, leaving the scent of strawberries behind.
As I reached the street and stepped back into the rain, I felt the cold air hit my face, and I finally took the breath I was holding.
"You okay over there, Romeo?" Hoax asked, his voice returning to its usual sarcastic drawl. "Or do you need a cold shower and a prayer?"
I leaned against the brick wall, closing my eyes and breathing in the rain.
"I'm fine," I rasped, my voice sounding like gravel.
"Sure you are. Just remember, next time you decide to play stalker, don’t drag me into it.”
“Fuck. Me.”
"Next time, maybe just send a text? 'Hey, I'm outside, can I come in and watch you get naked?' It's less work. By the way, I hear dinner and a movie are very popular these days."
"Shut up, Hoax."
"Love you too, buddy. Now get out of there before Obsidian traces you. I'm going back to my chips."
I pushed off the wall and disappeared into the crowded streets, the scent of her still lingering on my senses.