CHAPTER 1
My fingers tingle as her pale blue eyes turn in my direction, watching me through the rearview mirror. Reflexively, I grip the steering wheel tighter until the numbness I’m accustomed to returns. Now is not the time to let anticipation distract me, even if the occurrence of emotion is rare.
The detachment I’m familiar with falls over me like a well-worn mask. Her head lifts, and I realize she’s tilted herself up on her toes, yet her eyes are still trained on my car. The rented silver Toyota Corolla is nothing special. In fact, it’s one of the most common vehicles on the road, which is why I chose it. My goal is to be forgettable, to blend in with everyone else—a valuable lesson I learned to execute long ago.
She drops down, losing the few extra inches of height, and hastily veers in my direction. I grip the steering wheel again, causing the leather to creak under my hold. My heart actually starts to pound a little harder. It takes me the precious seconds she spends walking toward the car to understand the feeling of exhilaration. It’s been a long while since even a killing blow has given me such pleasure. In fact, chasing this exact feelingis what brought me here today, and she seems to be the only living creature on earth that can provide it.
Helpless not to, I turn my face toward the window to address her. At least I have the presence of mind to tuck my chin down a little so the bill of my hat shields part of my face, not that she would know it.At least I hope she doesn’t. Is that strange feeling at the base of my throat fear?
“Billy?” she asks, looking all too sweet and unsure.
I nod mechanically. “Yeah.” I’ll be anyone she wants me to be.
She tugs on the door handle, and her nose wrinkles when she finds it locked.
“In the back, if you don’t mind, for safety and all that,” I drawl, making it seem as if I think the practice is stupid because it’s clear she thinks I’m the car she ordered.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. This is my first time doing this.” Her face flushes a soft pink, and my eyes drop to her lips. I wish they were purple or even a soft gray, as if I’d already strangled her. The flush alone is enough to make my dick hard. I drop my finger to the door to unlock the car and welcome her inside.
It’s so fucking stupid and risky, but I can’t help myself. It’s as if she was destined to find me today. I glance around the street, noting all the places there could be cameras, but I can’t keep my eyes off her long enough to truly take account of possible witnesses.
Her perfume, light and sweet, wafts through the car when she opens the door. I’ve seen the bottle on her dresser and smelled the cloying scent from the source and lingering in her room, but never radiating from her skin like this. My hand hovers over the lock on the door as I will myself to engage it as if it might keep her out. I need to put a stop to this before I lose control. She’s ruining my plans, but I’m powerless to prevent her from entering the car.
She huffs as she clings to her oversized bag then drops into the rear seat. My finger snaps forward, tapping the lock the moment the door closes.
Every breath I take seems to be charged with her. I should have known better than to trap us both in the small car. I feel sweat beading on my forehead, even while cool air blows over my face from the vents.
This has to be some sort of test, or maybe it’s a sign I should just kill her now. Forget all my plans for our future. “Where to?” The question seems easy enough, yet I can’t seem to answer where I’m being led. I’ll let her decide… for now.
“Oh, let me look again.” She leans to the side and retrieves her phone before muttering under her breath. “I thought I put it into the destination on the app.” I watch her through the mirror as her eyes scan her phone screen. At any moment, she could realize she isn’t in the right car, and that I’m not the driver she ordered. What will I do if she comprehends it and wants out?
“32059 Idlewild.” Her eyes meet my reflection in the rearview mirror, and I pull away from the curb without even glancing at the road. If we both die now in a fiery crash, I’ll accept it was fate. There’s no way I’m risking her trying to get away from me before I get the chance to explore this new development.
Just before I turn my gaze toward the road, I see her eyes widen as shock registers on her face when she realizes what I did. Thankfully, her phone rings in the next second, offering her the perfect distraction.
While listening to her answer the call, I enter the address into my navigation app. I might as well pretend I’ll take her to the destination while I’m thinking about what to actually do next.
“Hey, Livy, yeah… I’m on my way to the rental now. I think it’s about a twenty-minute ride from the airport. Yes, I’m safe.”I can almost hear the eye roll in her indulgent tone. Little does she know…
Even if she told her friend she was in a car with a killer right now, there is nothing she or anyone else could do about it. I’m the only one with the power.
I readjust in my seat, sitting up taller as the realization sinks in. I am the only one with the power. A long, heavy breath slips from my chest, allowing some of the tension in my shoulders to ease. Even the thrum of my heart slows considerably. This is the calm, confident dispassion I’m used to.
I don’t need to kill Harlyn Wade right now. I can grant her the gift of living, even if it will only be for a short time, because we both have things we still need to do. Killing her now could put an unnecessary target on my back, one that might keep me from my work indefinitely.
“It’s a gated community, Liv, which you already know because you helped me pick it out. I know, I wish you could have come with me too, but I need to do this.” She emphasizes the final words, but there’s a note of sadness in her dulcet tone. I almost miss my turn as I wonder why she’s wistful. Is it because she really wants her friend with her, or is it because she’s worried about being alone when she’s never truly alone? I’m always with her whether she acknowledges it or not.
I know all the secrets she tries to hide from everyone. I see her for who and what she really is. If I didn’t, she would already be dead, just like her sister.
“Your destination is on your left.” I slow as we approach a small guard shack with a flimsy plastic stick blocking the entrance. It could be a deterrent, but it isn’t going to stop anyone with a purpose from entering the small community of waterside condos.
This isn’t a place I would usually target. There are too many variables and too much potential for things to go wrong, butfor Harlyn, I will make an exception. Unfortunately, for both of us, our little game will have to end soon. This may be where she dies, even if it isn’t today.
I didn’t want our time together to end this soon, but she’s getting too close to figuring out the truth, and I can’t risk her ruining everything. I must make a sacrifice and give her up. If fate hadn’t intervened to give us these moments together, I would have killed her tonight and made it look like a botched robbery attempt, but I can’t risk it now—not when she’s been this close to me. I’ve left too many loose ends that could be traced back to me, so we both get to go to bed tonight knowing she’s still breathing.
“I have a code,” she tells me while the phone is still pressed to her ear. I reach over my shoulder and take the slip of paper from her fingers. Our skin never touches, but my body reacts as if it does. Goosebumps erupt on my arms like her tender warm breath is blowing across my skin. Exquisite.
I look down at the four digits to distract myself from my unusual reaction to her and commit the code to memory. I doubt I will ever need it. It’s not like I will be announcing myself at the gate when I return, but it would be stupid to ignore it. The back window rolls down, and I watch the male guard’s expression change when he gets a better look at my passenger. Does he recognize the same thing in her that I do, or is it just her unique beauty? My eyes rake over his chest, searching for a nametag or any other detail to tell me who he is, because he just landed himself on my list of things to do. There’s no way I will tolerate him coveting what is mine. If we were alone, I would slit his throat in front of her and make her watch him die. It would be a fitting punishment for not dismissing his attention immediately.
