Page 58 of Rugger: The Huntress

Her eyes were on me. My eyes were on him. His eyes were on me. And, it felt as though all eyes were on us. If no one else’s, Gideon’s was. I cut my eyes in his direction. His gaze faltered. He rejoined the conversation amongst his party.

The waitress pulled away from the table, leaving us alone. In silence, I sat. the unsettling feeling I was waiting to overwhelm me avoided me altogether.

“Holster your weapon. You’ll need your hands for your utensils.”

His voice.

His face.

His features.

His cologne.

His pearly white teeth.

His confidence.

His sureness.

His lack of fear.

His effort.

His skin.

His eyes.

His lips.

My mind was moving four miles a minute. This man had been carved to perfection. There wasn’t a detail of his makeup that had been misplaced.

Bad. Real fucking bad. I reminded myself, trying to save myself from the ledge.

“I won’t give you a reason to kill me, Rugger.”

“You’ve given me at least three. I only needed one.”

“The early bird gets the worm. Hadn’t you heard?”

I didn’t respond. The effects of Psalms had begun consuming me. My eyelids grew tired. My movements were slower, more exaggerated. His toxins left me feeling inebriated.

Snap. Snap.

I searched for Chemistry’s voice in the midst of my crapulence.

“Earth to Rugger,” Psalms called out, snapping his left thumb and index finger together.

I straightened my posture and widened my eyes.

“I’ll lower mine when you lower yours,” he promised.

“Why are you here and what is it that you want? Stalking is not becoming. It will get you killed.”

I could see the hollow hole in his head, but my intuition kept my trigger finger at bay.

Not him. It coaxed me.

Not yet, at least.

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