Page 19 of Blackmailed to the Altar

“Well, Silas is helping me do a takeover. I’m a little out of my depth, especially since I had that issue with the government a while ago.” He lowered his voice.

Silas was an idiot. World’s worst stalker.

I threw a napkin at his head. “Wait, you aren’t supposed to be hacking, right?”

“Yeah, that was the deal, but sometimes you can’t honor every promise.” He shot me a smirk.

I grinned in understanding.

“If it works, then it works, man. Who am I to tell you differently? Just don’t get caught; I don’t have bail money.”

“Liar.” Samuel let out a bark of a laugh.

I tried to focus on Samuel’s voice, but it was like trying to hold onto smoke. My surroundings blurred, and the cafe sounds became muffled and distant. My vision tunneled, and I felt the familiar pull, like the floor was dropping out from underneathme. I dug my nails into the table, trying to anchor myself, but my grip was slipping fast.

“Seb, you good?” The informal tone of Samuel’s voice barely penetrated.

“Yeah,” I groaned, even though I wasn’t good, not even close. I was trapped in the space between awareness and the oncoming storm. Samuel started speaking again, but I couldn’t discern the words coming out of his mouth.

I let my head hit the booth. I was exhausted. I hadn’t been sleeping right. Not since I woke up in bed with no recollection of how I got there. These instances were growing more frequent.

Samuel groaned and gulped down more of his now lukewarm coffee. “Don’t look now, but the finest woman on Earth just walked in here.” It sounded like he was underwater.

Of course I did what every red-blooded man would, and looked behind me. I almost broke my neck, and then slumped in my seat, when I saw it was just two young women looking to party.

I didn’t know why I’d expected Mya. She was probably holed up in a room with Eden, talking about their feelings.

“What? You don’t want to play?”

I shrugged. “I guess I don’t.”

Samuel choked and spluttered. “Are you alright, man?”

I smirked. “Yeah, I’ve caught myself a little mouse.”

Samuel was shaking his head. “Naw, man. I don’t want no rodent pussy.”

“Don’t yuck my yum. It’s a recent development.” I ignored his irritating vernacular. When Samuel got too excited, his roots showed in his words. I thought I saw a rippling underneath my skin. My eye twitched as I focused on it, tuning Samuel out as he spoke about what he was going to do.

I could feel something lurking just beneath my skin, a presence dark and eager to take the reins. My heartbeatthundered in my ears as my consciousness flickered, my control cracking like fragile glass.

Samuel’s voice came back into focus.

“So, you’re over Amelia, then?”

I frowned. “I was never into her, man. She was crazy.” There was a buzzing sound near my ear, and I swatted the wasp, or whatever it was, away.

“Yeah, wild in bed.”

I shook my head no. “I mean literally crazy, man. She tried to kill me multiple times.”

“How many times do I need to tell you, if a bitch wants to hit like a man, she can get hit like a man?”

I scoffed. “I’ve practically got it memorized at this point since you say it so often.”

“Not like you learned anything from it, though.”

I pulled my wallet out and tossed some bills on the table. It was time to see my little mouse. I was sick of being away from her, even though it hadn’t been long. She intrigued me more than she should, and I wanted to have her.

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