Page 113 of Pure Vengeance

CHAPTER THREE

Schemer

Mark

Mark watched her for a while. He noticed each fidgety gesture as she checked her phone, then her watch, before she glanced around the restaurant. His table, at the far end of the dining room, was obscured by two enormous indoor plants and a multi-colored aquarium. Hannah never saw his furtive stares or had the chance to acknowledge his pleasure at her clear disquiet.

Just like old times…

He grinned. It almost was except the gorgeous woman, heavy-breathing at the other end of the establishment, was fully clothed and wondering where her date was.

Saul was late, and unfortunately for Hannah, Mark knew he wouldn’t be coming. He ought to know, after all. He’d been playing the cat-and-mouse game with her for weeks. It had been fun, too. For a while, at least—knowing she was out there, hanging on to his every word. He’d hardly believed his luck.

Since his early release from prison forgood behavior,the hours had been hard to fill, though his lawyer assured him Mark was lucky to get early release at all. His numerous counts of kidnapping should have seen him behind bars for many more years, but as it transpired, he’d gone to prep school with the guy running the prison, and the two had formed an alliance of sorts, facilitating his departure from the hell that had been incarceration. He hoped Brandon Fuller had the same luck at his prison, though Mark hadn’t been able to confirm what had happened to his old friend and partner.

Being free had led to the question of what to do next. Sadly, returning to dentistry after prison had been a definite no-go. He and Fuller had been struck off the medical register, and instead, he’d found himself on one designed for sexual offenders.

There was only one thing on Mark’s mind as he sat, night after night, in his tiny hostel room. One thing that drove him and kept him up at night.

Revenge.

He didn’t deserve his current situation. He’d once lived in a gorgeous five-bedroom townhouse, and now he was reduced to this… for what? So, he and Fuller had helped a few women express their sexuality—so what? He didn’t merit this kind of fall from grace. A number of his old captives had collaborated on the stand to take him down, but only one had been the true perpetrator of the revolt, triggering the spiral of defiance and disobedience among the others.

Hannah Bowman.

Hannah with her soft hair and tight body. Hannah with her long limbs and smart mouth. Whether she realized it or not, and he accepted she might not, the woman had become his nemesis. The one who’d riled the others into revolution, who’d stood up to him and failed to break.

In the darkness of his cell, and later his hostel, and the small, crappy house he moved to, the idea of finding her and getting her back had become the air he’d breathed, a consuming dream that had dominated most of his waking hours, as well as the hot dreams he enjoyed at night. But the reality was little more than a distant dream. That was until he’d decided to Google her. Right then and there, he’d spotted her account on the ridiculous dating app, and a plan had formed in his mind.

He’d be Saul, a façade who could lure and cajole her. After all, he already knew the things that got Hannah’s hot little pussy wet. She, for her part, would be none the wiser, naively playing along with his suggestions, night after night. His plan had escalated when she’d suggested they meet. That’s how he came to find himself sitting in the restaurant on this fateful evening, his hard dick straining against his pants as his hand skimmed over the full syringe in his pocket.

Suppressing his smile at the thought of what awaited her, he sipped his beer. He ought not to be indulging in alcohol, not with all the things he had in mind to do, but he’d allowed himself one—one lubricant to wet his whistle and ease him into the evening. He’d earned that much during his time inside—all those months sitting in a dingy cell with the lowest forms of pond life. He warranted one drink and all the dehumanizing things he was going to do to Hannah—just as soon as she was his again.

His gaze flitted back to her, his heart hammering faster as she caught her lip between her white teeth. One thing was for sure… her teeth looked better than he remembered. Maybe she’d had them seen to in his absence?

I doubt it. He gripped his glass tighter.We put her off dentists for life.

“Shame.” He lifted the glass to his face, allowing it to hover in front of his lips as he eyed her. “She has such a pretty mouth, too.”

She was on her phone again, her brows knitting as her focus flitted from the device to the door for at least the hundredth time since she’d arrived.

“He’s not coming, darling.” Draining the remainder of his glass, Mark watched as she called over the waitress. “Time to give up on Saul.”

Adrenaline flooded his system as she explained her predicament. Presumably, she’d been stood up and wanted to pay for her glass of wine before leaving. Her dejected expression was scintillating, but it was nothing compared to the way she’d look as soon as he had her where he wanted her. He’d seen all of her hot, imploring looks before, and he couldn’t wait to relive them all over again.

Fishing his wallet from the pocket not housing the syringe, he slid out a note that more than paid for his drink and waved it at the nearby server. The blonde, who turned to acknowledge him with a feigned smile, might have been tempting had he not known a better, kinkier proposition awaited him.

“Can I get you anything else, sir?” She eyed his empty glass hopefully, no doubt counting on a larger tip if he said yes.

“No.” He pushed his wallet away, his attention reflexively returning to Hannah, who seemed to be counting money from her purse to cover the cost of her glass of wine. “Just this, please. Keep the change.”

“Thanks.” The blonde’s brow rose as she took the note from him, though whether it was surprise or disappointment at his generosity, he couldn’t say.

She’d never know how long it had taken him to save for the events he planned for that night. How many long nights he’d spent plotting. Her only part in his perversity was to serve him, then forget him the moment he walked out of the door.

He watched Hannah rise from her seat and yank at the short skirt she’d selected. The chosen attire suggested she definitelywanted to make an impression on Saul, and Mark was pleased to report it had worked. Even crawling in her cage hadn’t looked so good on little Hannah Bowman.

Grabbing her purse, she headed for the exit without so much as a glance back.

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