“I’ve been . . . working.”
“Bullshit. I stopped by your job.”
“Did you stop by my house?” I asked, recalling what jolted me from my sleep.
“Kannon, you know I don’t know where you live. You always make me meet youata room like I’m a fucking escort.”
“Well, you show up to drop off dick. It shouldn’t matter where you deliver it.” I slammed my back into a nest of pillows. “Trent, I’m tired and cranky. I don’t want to take it out on you, so I’m going to hang up.”
“Don’t dismiss me, Kannon. At least let me come over to keep you company.”
I growled then ended the call. Trent was harmless, but he was a headache. Six months ago, he came up to my job to visit his grandmother, and he sparked up a conversation on his way out. We went on a few dates, not enough to make him cross a boundary I set for us. Out the gate, I was frank about not committing to a man with kids, but the more I let the mail carrier eat my pussy, the more I had to remind him we would never be more than that.
I was back in dreamland for what felt like a second before my phone went off again. This time, I smashed my finger on theanswerbutton with no hesitation.
“What the hell did I say?”
“Calm down, Kitty Kat.”
I almost choked on my spit hearing the name. “Who is this?”
Like an idiot, the caller started barking like he had done in Junior’s guest room. Now that he was no longer tied to a chair, I wasn’t confident that Neptune couldn’t touch me. There wasn’t anything keeping him from beating my door down and fulfilling his promise to take my life.
“You’re playing on my phone. Were you playing on my porch?”
“This ain’t a fucking game,Kannon.” He emphasized my name. “I left something on your doorstep. I’ve never had to kill a bitch before, so I thought I should get you a parting gift.”
With my gun in hand, I slowly journeyed to the front of my house. On the porch was a bouquet of black roses. Flowers weren’t something I received often, but I thought the color was an interesting choice. I didn’t reach for the arrangement, but I used the tip of my toe to spin the vase around.
“Are these supposed to be a threat?” I spoke into my phone.
“Not at all. I’m a man of my word, and I promised you I would kill you or fuck you. I just wanted you to know how easily I can find you.”
Chapter 4
Neptune
From the moment I woke up propped against my car, I thought about how I would handle Kannon. The first day we were together, I swore I would kill her. Day two, I thought about fucking her, then slicing her throat. Now, I was stuck between the two. As strange as it may have been, I had more flashbacks of Kannon licking and biting her lips than of her talking to me like she had lost her mind. I had been back home for twenty-four hours, and though I had taken three showers, none of them felt like they’d cleansed my skin. Forty-eight hours in a damp room, in damp threads, left a stain on more than just my clothes. Arrogance may have played a part in how shit went down, but I had a reason to be chill when I was in the streets. My family’s name held weight in Slyde City, so the idea of someone shooting me with a fucking sedative never crossed my mind.
Boom!
The bathroom door slammed against the wall.
“Look who came home.” Chrissy’s heels crashed against the floor as she marched toward the shower. “That’s what we’re doing now, Neptune? Staying out for days at a time with no communication?”
“You haven’t beenthatworried. You only called me twice.” I turned off the shower water and yanked the door open. “Move, woman.”
“Where have you been, Neptune?” she asked, gripping her nonexistent hips.
“I wasn’t somewhere I wanted to be. Know that.”
I wrapped a dry towel around my waist and went to my room with Chrissy on my heels. She complained and tossed out accusations while I oiled my skin and put on a pair of sweats. I surveyed the room as she went off, and I spotted shopping bags she must have brought in while I was in the shower.
“Neptune!” She slapped my shoulder. “Why are you ignoring me like I’m the one who went missing for days?”
“We’ve been together for a year, and unless I’m out of town for business, I’m in bed before you get out of it. Instead of accusing me of the worst, think about that.” I mugged her from the edge of the bed. “Since you want to press me, where the hell did you sleep while I was gone?”
Her eyes chased the floor. “I was here the entire time. Don’t turn this around on me! I thought you left me.”
