5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
The Huntress
He’s caught like a deer in headlights, and I smile as his hazel-green eyes widen toward me. I set my glass of water down and run my tongue along my bottom lip, inwardly waiting for his eyes to catch and follow it.
But they don’t.
“Why’d you leave my apartment door unlocked?” I ask, opting for the easier question first. Honestly, I’m not sure if he actually followed me. I’m not sure if he even saw me leave, and the attempt to keep the door unlocked was a poor move if he was following me.
“Well, I don’t have a key—and I don’t know the code,” he answers me, his voice calm and cool, almost... amused? “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to call Henry to let me back in.”
I narrow my gaze, scrutinizing his face. “And why were you going out so late?”
His jaw ticks, and his own eyes alight with a challenge. “I wanted a drink, and bars are allowed to keep their doors open twenty-four-seven—but I’m sure you know that with all your late-night wanderings, don’t you?”
I bite down on my lip. “So you think you saw me?”
His lip curls up into a smirk. “I hate to break it to you, but the wig and dog are a pretty defining feature, among other things.”
A pang of panic threatens to take over, and I grip the edge of the counter to keep my hands from shaking. Jude and Henry have been here less than a day, and I’ve already been caught.
I have to be more careful.
“I like to be discreet when I go out. This city is full of creeps.”
“I think I know a drug deal when I see one,” Jude snorts, rolling his eyes. “And Henry is going to kill you when he finds out you’re—”
“ No, ” I cut him off and take a step around the island to close some of the distance between us. “You can’t tell Henry about anything you saw. It’s not what you think.”
Jude laughs. “Right. So, you meeting up with someone in a sketchy ass alley, and exchanging a package is not what I think? Dare I ask what you’re doing then?”
I blink a couple of times, and then it hits me, the realization almost as shocking as it is suffocating. “You were following me.”
“Hardly,” he scoffs, tipping his head back. “Like I said, I stayed up all night getting set up, and I wanted a drink. It’s not my fucking fault you parade around in a costume at odd hours in the morning. It drew my attention seeing you morph into Lady Gaga style costumes.”
I’m silent for a few moments, my mind conjuring up how the hell to get around what he just saw. “I work with Sarah,” I tell him her alias. “She works at the bar with me, and she had just gotten off work. I left my book that I ordered at work last night.”
“Cool story,” Jude snaps at me, his eyes boring into mine. “As if it’s the truth.”
I raise a brow. “Would you like proof?”
He drums his fingers on the granite countertop. “ Sure. ”
I reach for my bag and pull out the package. My heart thumps in my chest as I toss it toward Jude, hoping like hell she didn’t load it with any surprises. “Open it. Go through it. Do whatever you want.”
“It’s still sealed,” he comments as he rips it open.
I hold my breath as he pulls out a hardcover popular romance book. Sarah always brings me a book as a part of our deal, and the tiny bag of product is attached to the front of it. I separate them as I cram them into my purse as a safety measure.
“Hmm.” Jude pours over the book, shakes the pages out, and takes off the dust jacket. I fold my arms across my chest and continue to wait. Finally, he tosses it down on the counter. “Strange.”
Relief floods through my body. “Happy now?”
“I don’t think my happiness relies on whether or not you’re dealing drugs,” Jude snorts, shaking his head. “But whatever. Sure. You picked up a book in a creepy ass alley.” He’s clearly disgruntled by the revelation.
“Hate to break it to you, but my life is not that exciting,” I tell him, feigning a weak, embarrassed smile. “The alleyway leads to the bar I work at, too. So, it’s not even all that creepy. We all use it.”
He nods, though his expression is difficult to discern as he scoots the book toward me. “Well, sorry for assuming the worst.”
“It’s okay,” I reply with a smile that I, once again, don’t mean. “Just maybe find someone else to stalk through the streets of Vegas. There are a lot more interesting women out there to follow. Trust me.” He stays silent, staring at the book, and I can visibly picture the wheels turning in his head. “I won’t tell my brother what happened.”
Jude looks up at me then, his lips pursed. “Probably best not to.”
I nod, and then find myself suddenly dissecting his eyes with my own, feeling the urge to squirm as I realize how stunning the light green hues are. His irises are indiscriminately jade, rather than brown. Yet somehow they appear more caramel colored under normal observation with his strawberry blonde hair. Now, I realize they’re fucking breathtaking, paired with his masculine nose and slender jawline.
He's secretly beautiful.
A surge of discomfort and fear pulses through my veins in that moment, and I can’t put my finger on why I’m suddenly feeling so disturbed in Jude’s presence. I surround myself with handsome men all the time. But still, I rip my eyes away from him and stare at my bare feet. I feel like a mouse about to be lured into a trap.
“I’m going to bed now,” Jude drawls at my silence. “Enjoy your book.” He taps on the hard cover as he passes by me. I inhale a whiff of sandalwood mixed with smoke and bourbon, but I don’t lift my eyes or say anything to him as he passes. Everything in me shifts from the encounter—and I feel myself begin to spiral.
No, no, no...
My ears begin to ring and my stomach churns as I listen for his door to close, my knees feeling weak and body shaky... And then, as if right on cue, the voices start.
‘You’re so fucking tight, aren’t you, Cher?’
‘You asked for this, didn’t you? You wanted me to touch you.’
‘You’re such a good little girl.’
Tears brim my eyes as I fight the urge to scream at my demons to shut up, but I’m not here alone. Henry is here. Jude is here.
And this is all his fucking fault.
I grit my teeth and stifle a sob as I slide down to the kitchen floor. I fucking hate Henry’s friend. I hate him. I hate him for triggering me with his pretty fucking face. And hate him for following me.
‘Then kill him.’
I shake my head, and place my hands over my ears, like I can somehow block out the noise from the outside-in . I can’t kill Jude.
‘You can.’
“I can’t,” I argue, dropping my hands. I wipe the tears onto the sleeve of my dress. This is the same dress I wore on my last escapade, but it doesn’t make me feel powerful like before.
He recognized me.
And if my brother’s best friend who has known me in person for a whopping eight hours can recognize me, then that means other people can, too.
Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought.
‘You were never the smartest.’
“ Shut. Up, ” I growl through my teeth. “That’s enough .” I push my dark hair from my face and stand to my feet, swooping up my blonde wig and purse. The ringing in my ears drowns out the voices, and I pad uneasily across the tile floors, making my way back to my bedroom.
Bleary eyed, I glance at Jude’s door across from mine, and hesitate as I see the light glowing from underneath. Is he still awake? Is he searching for information on me? Is he going to tell Henry?
Ugh. Fuck you, Jude. FUCK. YOU.
I swallow the knot in my throat and take a deep breath. I will not let this puppy of a man drag me down to my own personal fucking hell. Besides, he showed his cards tonight; his draw to follow me, his ability to cover up with a quick trip to the bar, and his boldness in confrontation. He might still be suspicious of my activity.
But at least now I know what I’m up against.
That gives me momentary relief and I sniffle as I step into my bedroom, my eyes landing on Cash, sleeping soundly on his dog bed in the corner. “Come on,” I tell him as I shut the door behind me. “You can sleep in my bed tonight.”
I wipe my eyes and jerk the covers back as he bounds onto my comforter and settles in. Quickly, I strip out of my dress and pull on an oversized black T-shirt. I feel exposed, my ass not fully covered, and so I grab a pair of knit shorts to pull on as well.
My heart pounds uneasily as I climb into bed, snuggling up next to Cash, who’s laying on top of the covers. I know I’m not going to get much sleep. I know he is going to visit me tonight in my nightmares.
And it’s Jude’s fault for just fucking existing.
I wrap my arm around Cash, burying my face into the fur of his neck. There are so many things that no one knows about me; so many things my own fucking brother doesn’t know. He’s spent his whole life under the belief that he’s protecting me—that he has protected me. And he did. Initially.
But he never knew the good life he gave me introduced me to a monster far greater than any that were in the past. My stepfather never claimed to love me. He never claimed to love my mother either. The monster who haunts me lured me in with praise and adoration, making me feel special .
Then, he took what he wanted from me.
Fuck him. Fuck them all.
‘Just open them a little wider, Cher. Let me feel how bad you want me.’
I squeeze Cash tighter. Stop. Please make it stop.
‘You think I didn’t notice how low-cut that shirt is? Let me show you what a man’s attention is supposed to feel like.’
‘Don’t you want that recommendation? Bend over.’
‘You don’t really want me to stop. You’re only crying because it feels so good.’
‘It’s probably best you keep this between us. You don’t want me to get fired, do you? That would ruin my life—and yours. What would your brother think?’
I gasp for ragged breaths, muffled by Cash. There’s only one way to silence the taunting in my head...
And I’ll have to figure out how to make it work.