Or maybe as ugly as she feels herself.
If I could feel empathy for someone, I might have stopped her. But I don’t. I’m fucked up in my own special way and the tears of rich men are my opiates of choice.
When it’s all said and done, I feel nothing when I look at him.
There is nothing but emptiness when Storm cleans up and packs her bag. She walks to the door, and I think she’s going to leave. But first, she drops a bomb.
“Your name is Tenly. Tenly Albright.”
I flinch, and it’s involuntary.
Storm smiles.
“How…”
“Don’t worry,” she says. “Your secret’s safe with me. But word on the street is there’s a cop with a hard on for you, sweetheart. So maybe you should do all the rest of us a favor and stay the fuck out of the way.”
With that parting gift, she leaves me. And I’m still staring at the door, wondering if it was all a hallucination. Wondering if she drugged me too.
That’s when the client chooses to mumble a coherent thought.
“That guy.”
“What guy?”
“The picture,” he groans. “You showed me a picture of the guy once.”
I’m firing on all cylinders now. Up and off the bed and moving towards him. He recoils, but there’s nowhere for him to go.
“Please,” he begs. “I’m trying to give you what you want.”
“What the fuck is his name?” I demand.
“I don’t know,” he spews. “I’ve never known. But I think he is a cop. I’ve been seeing him around.”
“Where specifically?”
“That bar downstairs,” he says. “He’s been scoping the place out. But not until late. He’s always there after ten when I see him. I heard him asking about you. He had a drawing of you, telling people this is what you might look like now.”
I mull over his words as my eyes burn into his face. This feels too easy. And it doesn’t make sense. There’s no fucking way Alexander’s a cop.
“If you’re lying to me…”
“I swear,” he says. “I’m not lying. I just want you and that other psycho to leave me alone. Please.”
I toss him a smile before I pivot on my heel and head to the door. Looks like the creep finally learned his lesson.
And for once, I’m happy to oblige.
Three
Scarlett
Idon't wantto be a fool. Even a beautiful one.
The clockon the stove glares at me with neon green numbers when I drag myself out of bed. It’s after ten. And I’ve officially become a vampire, though I’m not sure when it happened. I hunt all night and nap during the day, only coming alive when the sun sets all over again.
The silence is pervasive as I sit at the counter and drink my coffee. Quiet. Always quiet. No television. No music. Just silence.
