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Me: It’s been hard for me to stay away. I think about you all the time. I swear.

Blush: Don’t lie to me. I don’t need that shit.

Me: Not lying. I was just giving us both a little space. I wasn’t done with you. I’m still not done. Why do you think I’m sitting in the Segreto parking lot right now?

He doesn’t answer for long enough that I start the van, ready to head back to my original destination. But then a text comes through.

Blush: Everything is fine. I’m out with some friends. Now go away.

Me: Is that really what you want?

The dots pop up again and stay on the screen for so long I’m expecting a paragraph, but what I get is one sentence.

Blush: I don’t know.

I can work with that.

Me: I’d like to see you again. Let me know when I can and I’ll be there.

Blush: Ok

I tuck my phone away and drive off, trying to get my head back where it needs to be. I knew getting involved with Blush or anyone else would be a distraction, and as much as I should want this thing between us to be over, I don’t. Not even close. There’s something about him that keeps me hooked.

Heading back towards downtown, I turn on some music to distract me from thoughts of Blush, but it’s useless. I approach an intersection where a lot of sex workers and dealers hang out and stop at the red light.

While I wait, I glance around and then in a convenience store lot I spot a swatch of pink hair and a familiar build I could never forget. That’s Blush. It has to be. Why would he be in this area? Could he live around here?

I watch as he slides into a dark sedan, the one I saw him in last time. He slams back an energy drink then pulls out onto the street. I follow from a distance, keeping several cars between us since it’s a little harder to blend in with my van.

I get close enough to see his license plate, and sure enough, it’s got a cover over it blurring the digits. The only people who do that are people afraid of being identified.

My interest is piqued.

I follow Blush through town and over to the west side, where he slows in front of a church. Fortunately, it’s still a busy part of town, and there’s plenty of activity at the church, so I can stay back and keep an eye on him.

Blush waits for over twenty minutes as cars leave the church lot, only starting his car when a green luxury SUV leaves too. He’s following someone.

And now I’m following him.

Blush navigates traffic like a man on a mission, never losing sight of the SUV as it makes its way to a part of town that definitely has me suspicious. Me and my brothers frequent this area when we’re hunting our targets. It’s prime real estate for predators. Unfortunately, it’s a hub of vulnerable people, unhoused kids, addicts, and the mentally ill. There are several abandoned buildings where they can squat and the cops are never over here. Unless there’s a body, which is often supplied by me and my brothers.

So what’s a guy who just left church doing over here and why is Blush following him?

I’m very interested in the answer. Unfortunately, green SUV must be on to Blush, because he takes off, his tires squealing loudly as he speeds down Broadway.

Blush takes off too and I’m right behind him, but I get left behind at a stop light. When the light changes, I try to catch up, glancing up and down the street for any sign of either of them.

When I find Blush’s car, it’s in front of a small park. Then I spot the SUV pulled over on the street ahead, still running. I slow to a crawl beside Blush’s car, but it’s empty. I decide to get out too. He’s on foot.

Could he be in the SUV with the driver? Could this be a planned meeting? Was he serious when he said he was fucking someone else? That’s not the vibe I’m getting though.

I shut off the van and slip out, creeping through the silent streets, dipping down an alley between two apartment buildings. Then I spot movement.

I catch up, my hand on the gun in my waistband, just in case it’s not Blush. I follow where I think the person went, and when I turn the corner and step into the park, my jaw drops.

My feet move before my brain makes the connection, and I catch up just as he puts a gun to the head of the SUV driver and pulls the trigger, leaving him dead, hanging halfway out of his vehicle.

Blush—I can see that it’s definitely him now that he’s facing me—turns to leave but makes eye contact with me. His face turns red as panic spreads across his features and he tries to pull the hoodie close to hide his features. Too late.