A moment later, she clocked a black van, watching it for half a block once she reached the sidewalk before she continued down the street, away from me.
I turned back to that woman, casually walking down the path into the park, pausing at another person and asking for directions, I assumed.
I turned back to the vendor, handing him a 10. Poor girl wasso desperate to feel what I had given her, that she went to the park and waited for me like a pup waiting for her master, her collar only haphazardly covered by a black scarf, as if she were getting tired of trying to cover it up.
“I’ll be your master, little writer, but you’ll have to beg me for it first.”
I almost felt inclined to show her how bad an idea that had been, but I held back. While my cock was in desperate need for release, I had my own tail today, and while getting a payment in front of him was seen as normal in our world, I had a feeling what he wanted to discuss was important.
“No bike today?”
I took my coffee, nodding a thanks. “I’m not following her.” Not today. I had other issues to deal with, although dropping in hadn’t been a bad idea. I had to make sure she wasn’t doing anything stupid like waiting for a masked stalker in the middle of a park to come take her again, but now I had to get back to work.
“She’s the one paying off Mr. Pelgard’s debt, right? The one you said was useless because her mind was broken.”
I took a drink of my coffee and joined him as we slowly made our way down the sidewalk. “She has money, if that’s what you’re asking. Pelgard will still pay us half the debt while she will paymeusing her body. Malachi should have told you about it, he’s the one that suggested it.” In more words, I suppose.
Beckett took a drink of his own coffee. “He did.” He was quiet a moment. “You couldn’t find pussy any other way?”
I shrugged. “This is more fun.”
Beckett went silent, and I took the time to watch her. It was the third time she glanced back. Something about that girl set her on edge. Perhaps she just wasn’t used to people approaching her in this city. She played the part of ‘nobody’ so well that she had forgotten what it was like to live with that silver spoon in hermouth.
“The last time one of you boys started having fun with a target, you claimed and married them.”
Luckily for me, I wasn’t an idiot. “I won’t make the same mistake.” Besides, this was all on Malachi’s orders, not by my choice. Not completely, anyway.
“Then pay for a whore and get over it.”
“She’s my whore,” I replied coldly, finding his bright blue eyes, “and she’s paying me. Besides, I still haven’t put together why there was someone else following her the other day.” I turned back to her, taking another drink. “I want to solve that before this ends.” I had talked to the other people in this city who offer loans with a stipulation like ours. None had any debts with Mr. Pelgard, so I was back to square one.
Evelyn was scouring over Olivia’s website, her social media, but so far, that was a dead end too. There was no overly obsessed fan of Abigail Ross or ex of Olivia Lemont who was trying to connect with her, but Evie hadn’t given up yet. Whoever was following her, we’d take care of it, get the rest of our payments collected, and finish this.
“A coincidence?”
“Or someone going after Malachi,” I replied with a shrug. “Sees a young female meeting with him over dinner, assumes he cares for her, or she has money on hand.” I thought about it. “Maybe I should have let him get to her. I would’ve solved the riddle a lot faster.”
“But you would have lost your toy,” he half-teased.
I could hear the bitterness in his voice. He never liked the idea of the Claim. He never liked the idea of having civilians sitting pretty in the family, which one of them was.
Emily was a civilian. Rae not so much, but Emily? She was useless without Greyson, who was planning on settling down in their city anyway, but even so, there would come a day when hewouldn’t have a choice but leave on assignment, no matter what Malachi did, and he would have to leave Emily all alone.
Jeremy was strong, smart, but he wasn’t a Shadow, just an Initiate. The Claims would always be in danger. The moment they were tied to us, they were in danger. One day, Emily would get into the kind of trouble she wouldn’t survive, and Greyson wouldn’t be able to make it to her in time.
Despite that, Beckett couldn’t stop it from happening. Jack made his Claim, Greyson made his, but rest assured, Azrael and I would never cross that line.
“Oh well, she’s a means to an end, Becks, nothing more.”
“I heard she’s got millions. Why don’t you just take his payments and go?”
My brows furrowed and I finally turned to face him, coming to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. I looked him over, the confusion only growing. “What’s the problem, Beckett? We’ve done this before. We don’t absolutely need the money, so why not use it for some fun while it lasts?”
He shrugged. “Like I said, getting attached seems to be a running theme these last three years. I’d hate to lose you to decent pussy too.”
I searched his eyes. I suppose his fear was valid. Since meeting Rae, Jack had grown softer, and Greyson? Well, as far as I knew, he hadn’t been completely set on settling in one city until meeting Emily, but this was different. It was wholly different. “In six months, if her boyfriend hasn’t paid up, then I’ll kill them both,” I compromised.
He looked less than convinced, but that was his problem. I wasn’t going to stand here and try and convince him that I wasn’t falling for this girl. It was ridiculous that what Jack and Greyson had done caused him to doubtmyintentions. I honestly would have punched him if I held any less respect for him.
