Page 87 of Savage

But since when had I ever followed orders?

King couldn’t just dangle a plan in front of me and then tell me to sit and wait while the rest of them worked out the details. I was the security guy, for fuck’s sake. The one sentinto execute the plan. So this sidelining of me felt fucking petty, even for him.

As I turned back onto one of the main thoroughfares, I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye, someone making the same move, out of the side street and back onto the main, and while I wasn’t deliberately trying to stay hidden, if I found out King had set a tail on me, I couldn’t be held responsible for what I would do.

I quickened my pace, deciding to see if my sixth sense was on point—and sure enough, when I crossed the street, so did my new shadow. This had to be some kind of joke, right? King wasn’t dumb enough to think I wouldn’t notice someone following me. That was literally what I’d trained for, to follow people and know whenIwas being followed. That was the only way to be effective in my line of work.

When I spotted several stores with glass fronts, I decided to see who he’d sent to do his dirty work. Maybe I’d even snap a selfie with his guy so poorly trailing my ass over my shoulder, and send it as a reminder of my actual skills. But when I caught sight of a gorgeous face I’d recently committed to memory, I almost lost my footing.

Fucking Cooper.

Of course he’d followed me.

Which meant he’d not only ignored the rule about staying inside Libertine, but he’d also walked out the front door withouta goddamn blindfold, meaning he now knew the exact location of the place.

Well, if King had been sidelining me for my previous transgressions, he just might kill me for this one.

What the hell did Cooper think he was doing? Following me? It was almost laughable, really, considering how the two of us had begun. The only difference was, I knew he was there behind me. In the coffee shop, he’d been absolutely clueless I’d been trailing him for days, thatIwas his masked man in the alley, on his fire escape…in his bedroom that night.

So maybe it was time to teach him a lesson.

I continued on, not alerting him to the fact I knew he was there. Going to the warehouse now was out of the question, because there was no way I was letting him get close to that place.

At the next corner I made a right, walked a block, then took another right. If he wanted to be nosy and get his steps in, I’d work his ass out. It was bitterly cold today, not the kind most people could handle for too long, but Cooper kept pace, following me through all the twists and turns.

He was persistent, I’d give him that. Usually that was something I admired in a person, but at this moment I wanted to tie him up and take all my frustration out on that hot, rebellious body.

At the next side street, I made a left, moved into the alcove of a storefront, and waited. A few seconds later, Cooper followed, but confusion crossed his face when he didn’t see me up ahead. He walked faster, and that was when I made my move—I darted out of the shadows, grabbed him from behind, and covered his mouth to keep him quiet.

His entire body seized, going rigid, and a muffled sound came out of him as I shoved him toward the brick wall.

Cooper was breathing hard, and I hoped for one goddamn second this made him think twice about putting himself in such reckless situations in the future. I didn’t have high hopes for that, considering his penchant for trouble, but maybe he’d surprise me.

“Did you really think you could follow me and I wouldn’t know?”

Instantly, his shoulders relaxed, and I wanted to curse at the fact that I had that effect on him. Did I like it? Yeah, I fucking did. And I didn’t need to.

Irritation had me spinning him around to face me. Those blue eyes met mine, and it was a good thing he was still showing some alarm or I would’ve considered getting his head examined.

“What the fuck are you doing, Cooper?”

“I… You didn’t answer me before you left.”

“I didn’tansweryou?” I lowered my head, shoving my face in close to his. “You’re here, sneaking around in the shadows, because I didn’tansweryou?”

He licked at his lip nervously. “Well, yes. So much happened tonight, and instead of talking to me you just left.”

“So you decided to follow me.”

“I wanted to make sure that you were all right. That nothing bad happened to you.”

He had to be joking, right? He was out here followingmearound in case I got into trouble? Now that was a laugh.

“And what exactly did you plan to do if something baddidhappen? I’m supposed to be looking after you, remember?” I gritted my teeth, frustration riding me as the image of Cooper with a gun to his head flashed before my eyes. “You’re the one whose apartment was tossed, the one who stumbled on a drug deal gone wrong. Your self-preservation instincts suck.”

“Yeah?” Cooper shocked the hell out of me, shoving me hard in the chest. “Well, I’m sorry I give a shit.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just sorry you got caught.” I shoved a hand through my hair and turned away from him. “And now you’ve fucked up my plans.”

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