Page 17 of Craved

But my gut says it was Maxim.

Normally, I’d trust my gut. But I know my past has colored this mission more than it should, and I probably should have fought harder against Ryan’s assessment that I was the perfect person for this job.

But I didn’t, and now I’m here. And if Maxim really is stalking me… Well, I guess I’ll just have to hope that he doesn’t kill me before giving me the chance to tell him that I want in.

And that my skill at deception is honed enough that he believes me.

* * * *

Maxim eased back into the shadows as she turned, confident she wouldn’t see him. From the research he’d done, he knew about her career with the FBI. And he knew that her skills were sharp.

His, he was certain, were sharper.

The better to punish her with.

Slowly, he drew in a breath then fisted his hands at his sides, tighter and tighter, forcing himself back to calm. Back to canny and careful. After a moment, she continued walking, and he fell in step behind her, taking more care to stay further back as he moved through the shadows.

When she’d first started moving, he hadn’t realized where she was heading. First along 23rd, then right on Seventh until she reached Times Square. Only then was he certain that she was walking for more than the pleasure of taking an evening stroll. She had a purpose.

And he knew exactly where she was going.

He considered going ahead—how better to ensure she didn’t clock that he was following? But on the off chance his conclusion was wrong, he continued to tail her. As he’d suspected, she hadn’t come to scope out the shops or listen to theater patrons discussing the show they’d just seen while sharing cheesecake and coffee.

No, she all but ignored the hustle and bustle of the iconic area, turning instead to the west, then winding through familiar streets and alleys until she stopped in front of a well-tended brick building with potted plants lining the steps up to the entrance, and a polished brass plate with ten buzzers to ring each of the apartments.

Without thinking, he took a step forward as he recognized the place that had changed so much. He caught himself, then immediately slipped back into the shadows, shocked that he’d come so close to exposure. And even more shocked at the reason. He’d seen the way she was hugging herself, and he’d wanted to comfort her.

He’d actually wanted to comfort the bitch. The girl who’d betrayed everything they’d believed in. Who’d all but erased everything he’d done and sacrificed in order to keep them both alive.

Comfort? Not hardly.

Confront. Now, that he intended to do.

And maybe when he did, he could finally exorcise the memory of the sweet little girl who’d melted his heart the first time he’d seen her. And then he could act on the reality of the bitch who’d taken her place.

Chapter Nine

Twenty Years Ago

“Three quarters, two dimes, and a nickel,” I say, pulling myself up so I’m halfway on the checkout counter and can see into the open cash register till. I push my dollar bill toward the clerk. “Thanks so much for breaking it. “I really need the—”

“Oh, shit! Help!”

The words come from behind me and are accompanied by a metallic clatter. On the other side of the counter, the clerk jumps back, then circles the counter and hurries to where an entire metal shelving unit has fallen.

As soon as he goes, I reach into the till and pull out all the bills. I shove them down my shirt into my bra, then hop down and hightail it for the door as I hear the clerk say, “Good god. What the hell happened?”

I’m well onto the sidewalk and sprinting away before that same clerk bursts onto the sidewalk behind me, yelling for me to stop.

I don’t. Instead, I make a sharp left into an alley, sprint another two blocks, then meet up with Maxim at the McDonald’s we’d picked as our rendezvous point.

“You okay?” He looks me up and down.

I cross my arms and give him an eye roll. “Hello? I’m not the one who pulled a shelf down on myself.”

“Missed me by a mile. And I was out the back just like we’d planned before that cashier even got to me.”

I lift my hand for a high five, but he ignores it. Instead, he puts his palms on my cheeks, then kisses my forehead. When he releases me, I don’t quite meet his eyes. I’m too afraid that if I do, he’ll see the truth. And I’m terrified that the truth will mess everything up.