It was astonishing how much relief I felt to have Gray back. I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge how terrified I was that he was gone. I’d never been the type to grow strong feelings for anyone. Sometimes I tried, but outside of my family, connecting with others was hard. Conversations were often fluff and meaningless. The only person I’d really felt myself with other than Gray was my sister-in-law, Sybil. Both of them had an uncanny ability to see right through my bullshit. My usually thick armor hadn’t scared either of them off. If anything, it made Gray work even harder, a challenge he seemed to relish.
Having had a front-row seat to the slow devastation of losing my mother to cancer, it wasn’t easy to open up again. I wouldn’t survive losing someone else I cared about so soon. Gray led a dangerous life, and here I was, walking blindly into another possible heartbreak.
I nuzzled the kitten’s perfect little powder-black face. He let out a littlemewof protest.
“What are we going to name you?” The perfect name came to mind immediately.“How about Villainy?” I asked.“You are my little villain, after all. I mean, look at you! You’re dressed for wicked and terrible things already!”
He meowed again, and I took it as an agreement.
The shackles of fear I’d been strapped with slid away, the kitten’s rumbling little body a calming salve. Though Gray wasn’t responding to my message, I had faith he was somewhere nearby. That alone made everything feel hopeful again. I wouldn’t have to navigate this pit alone because I’d found a bridge across it.
Gray had finally come for me.
Chapter 9
Gray
Wrapped in my cozy sleeping bag on Betty’s roof, I replayed the day’s best moments from surveillance. A wicked smile spread across my face as I replayed the clip where she wrote‘fuck you’in red lipstick across Ron’s windshield.
I knew he was incredibly fond of that terrible car. It was amazing he didn’t lash out at her right then and there for what she’d done. Betty was, well, Betty, and that’s what I loved about her. She was spunky and quick-tempered, always taking matters into her own hands. While the CCTV footage wasn’t the clearest, it still deserved a spot in the‘Best-of-Buttercup’file I had saved on my desktop.
After tucking away that clip, I replayed the footage of her crossing the street with confidence, her pencil skirt and towering black heels in perfect sync. She had her brown locks pulled back in a severe ponytail; not a single hair was out of line, the tail swooshing behind her.
That clip also ended up in the“archive.” It produced fantasies of her as a schoolteacher, and I couldn’t wait for detention. She was so full of sharp attitude and bravado—I wanted so badly to wrap her in my arms, caress her skin, and fuck it right out of her. I wanted nothing more than to spend all her energy until she lay lax in my arms with a grin on her beautiful face.
I clicked and reviewed the camera footage from her house this evening, catching the moment she discovered her new kitten, Villainy. Her initial reaction wasn’t what I’d planned. She was panicked, and if I’d thought ahead, I would have attached the notetothe tied bow. That way, she would have seen it right away and not assumed the mafia had broken in and rummaged through her underwear.
But her reaction when she realized it was me? It still hit hard, just as I’d hoped. My heart swelled in that moment, seeing just how much she’d missed me—and wanted me. I kept replaying the way she’d grabbed my note; her flushed face a mixture of relief and disbelief as she yelled my name.
Damn.
It brought back a memory of her screaming the same thing in the throes of ecstasy. Hearing her say my name now? It felt like a punch to the gut because I couldn’t go to her, not yet. My hands were itching to repeat that moment, to bury myself in her tight heat and never let her go again. She was mine to have, and mine to hold, but first I needed to get her out of this mess.
The proximity scanner beeped, and I turned to check the red light on the remote—the fifth one from the right. It was the backyard sensor. I shoved the computer aside, shook off the sleeping bag, and crept to the roof’s edge to peer over.
I scanned the bushes along the fence, trying to find what had tripped the sensor. It didn’t take long to spot the problem: two men in black, lumbering through the flowerbeds. I couldn’t see their faces, hidden by their hat brims, but one was probably Ronny. This was likely his way of enacting his revenge for the car.He was going to break in.
Betty had every light on in the house. I didn’t blame her; I was actually glad she did. It made it easier to follow Ron and his partner to the back door, leaving no place for them to hide.
Betty was already asleep, having passed out about an hour ago. She’d burrowed under her blankets to escape the light of the house, much to my annoyance. Usually, I’d crank up her thermostat, hoping she’d kick off the covers so I could see her while she slept, but I let it go tonight.She needed the sleep in case something like this happened.
I crept back to my computer, pulling up the backyard’s live feed. They were coming in full force, hammer in hand, heading straight for the back door. Knowing their style, they were planning for it to be a smash-and-grab: break the glass, get inside, take Betty. My fingers danced across the keyboard, disabling Betty’s alarm; I didn’t want the police arriving while I was dealing with this.
I grabbed the gear I needed from my bag, hurried to the skylight hatch, and flipped it open to rest on its hinges. With solid grace, I tied the rope and jumped down, just as the sound of the back door glass shattering echoed through my computer speakers from above.
They hadn’t hesitated, so I had to act fast. I was glad to be ready. Since she’d revealed her hand tonight and let them know she was aware of their tail, they wouldn’t give her a chance to escape or bring in backup.
I tiptoed down the spiral staircase from the office to her bedroom, my bare feet silent on the steps. Reaching the bottom, I peered into her brightly lit bedroom. My eyes landed on her still form in the middle of the bed. She hadn’t stirred, lost in sleep.
Both cats were curled up beside her. I made a clicking noise with my tongue, and Mr. Beans looked up, noticing me. His ears perked, and he yawned, but didn’t bother to stand. Villainy didn’t even bother to open his eyes.
The old stairs groaned from a floor below—they were almost here.
I slipped into the room and crossed toward the door, my back brushing the bookshelves as I moved. There wasn’t much cover other than to hug the wall. When Nash lived here, there were more chairs and tables to duck behind, and I wished it were still like that. Betty preferred things simple, though, and I couldn’t fault her.
I drew a knife from my belt, gripping it at the ready.
I wasn’t a fan of violence. I did my best to avoid it. Killing was something I never wanted to do unless there was no other way, though fighting, hurting, and even dismemberment weren’t off the table.
