Page 51 of Obsessions of the Heart

She tried to hide a wince, an audible sigh came out hard and fast. Shoulders hunched, she gave in to my guilt trip and turned away, waving her hand above her shoulder. “Fine. Come find me when you have what you want me to try.”

Not wanting her to have a moment to take it back, I scrambled into the racks of clothes. There were a million things I would love to see her try on, having my own Rin fashion show, but I had a hunch she wouldn’t be down for that. I grabbed a handful of things I felt like she would need—some dresses, pants, shorts, tanks, and shirts.

I knew it was a lot once my hands started to overflow, but I was going to see how much this face she seemed to like could get me.

As I got closer, a snooty, bitchy voice said, the low tone loud enough for everyone to hear, “Did you see her back? It's obvious she shouldn't wear that shirt. Does she have no shame?”

Curious as to who they were talking about, I peeked around the corner. Rin. Her door was cracked, eyes staring down at the floor, listening to the two ladies. Her mouth was set in a hard line, and her eyes squeezed shut before she carefully closed the door.

They’re talking about Rin? What did they mean about her back?

My veins popped out as I scrunched the clothes in my hand. My vision was clouded in anger, but I kept my eyes on the bitch that had made Rin’s face fall like that. This was supposed to be a good outing, a stepping stone to rebuilding our relationship, and this bitch was fucking it up.

Taking a breath, barely able to control myself, I went to her door and knocked.

“Yes?” Rin’s voice was cautious and cold. I’ll make that bitch pay, but first I need to get rid of these clothes in my hands.

I pasted a bright and sweet smile across my face, one I usually used when my anger was getting the best of me. “I picked up a few things that I think might look good on you.”

She opened the door, her normal clothes already back on, and her eyes widened like an owl at the amount of clothes in my hand. Joke was on her, though. This was only a quarter of what I wanted to bring.

“Ravi!” She poked her head out and looked back and forth like someone was going to tell us no or something. It just made her even more cute to me. “That's too much—”

I wiggled my way in, hanging up the clothes on the wall. “Come on. It's the weekend. We have a little time, and I want to see if you like any of these.” Reminding myself she didn't like to be pressured, I added, “Just finger through them first and pick out the ones you want to try on. I’ll put back the ones you don’t want to try, okay?”

Making my way out of the room, I winked, giving her an encouraging nod before closing the door on her stunned face. “Call out for me when you pick the ones you want to try. I want to see if I did a good job.” She mumbled her agreement from behind the door, and my face fell as I switched into hunt mode.

Pulling out my phone, I pressed one number. He picked up on the first ring. “Take care of the cameras.”

Rion’s voice came out clipped, always watching, always ready. “Got you covered. You bring it with you?”

“Always.”

I hung up the phone when I spied the bitch sorting clothes in the clearance section. I needed to do this quickly. I grabbed a shirt off the rack closest to me as I made my way over to her.

“Miss?” She turned my way, and I gave her a bashful smile. “I was wondering if you could tell me if this shirt matches some pants I just tried on?”

Her eyes traveled up and down, interest lighting up her face in a way that made my insides squirm, but I kept going. She had to pay.

I could see the moment she decided this was her lucky day. I led her back into the dressing area and pointed to the room at the end with the open door. Rin was mumbling about “too many damn clothes,” so I knew I was running out of time.

The woman went into the stall, and I closed the door. Before she could turn around, I slipped one arm around her neck and the other around her legs, constricting her so she couldn't make much sound as I choked her out. Her eyes began to droop, her limbs becoming heavy just as Rin called out, “Rav? I think I need some help.”

Setting the woman on the bench, I called back, “Coming!” A few seconds later, I maneuvered the body into a seated position with her legs up. Using my shirt, not wanting my fingerprints on the bottle, I pulled out a pill bottle from my pocket and slipped into hers, the word “Oxycodone” inscribed on it.

“You put shit out into the world, then expect shit to come back to you. You fucked with the wrong girl.”

I left the room, giving the camera a thumbs up to let Rion know it was time to do his magic. He would make it look like she had gone in there on her own and since she was knocked out, whoever found her would think she had taken too many pills. One anonymous notification from Rion to her manager, and she would be fired.

Knocking on Rin’s door, I looked both ways, making sure there was no other evidence. When Rin opened the door, she was holding up the front of an emerald green dress that I’d expected her to eliminate immediately. It was one of the more conservative dresses I’d picked up, with long sleeves that went up to the collarbone and a big, fat zipper down the back that went from the hem of the dress to the top.

“I can’t…” She looked away, her face pale, then continued in a whisper. “I can’t zip it all the way in the back. Can you?”

I gulped, my mouth so dry I couldn't do anything but nod, my eyes locked on the hip-hugging curves of the dress. The way this woman made me succumb to my basic urges should be illegal. Even with it being a very classy look, her body was on display in the best of ways. I wanted to touch her, to run my hands along the fabric while I whispered filthy things until her cheeks turned red. Looking at her crestfallen face, I realized something was wrong.

“Hey…” I cupped her cheek, tilting her head up. “What's wrong? It's just clothes. Promise.”

She released a wobbly laugh. Her lips parted, her eyes floating back up to me as she pleaded in a quiet, broken voice, “Please don't think bad of me.”

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