Page 25 of Quinlan

For fuck’s sake, please say yes.

“No.” Damien’s somber. Resolute. “We stick to the timeline. First, fuck with her head, fuck with it harder in the meeting. Take her. I won’t go anywhere near her without checking in with you two again. Won’t go anywhere near her again this week, period. You two are up next.”

It’s cute how he pretends he’s stopped loving her. How his feelings for her are purely sexual, how this is nothing more than a fixation. How she’s another pawn we move around the board of our revenge plan.

I let him have that anyway.

He’s being honest about what matters. And I forgive him.

There will be consequences for his stunt, however. He’s opened the dam by sneaking around, and I intend on monopolizing on that.

“What did you talk about?” Liam flips his Zippo between his fingers, sounding curious. “Our future roommate.”

“Our future captive.” The corner of Damien’s lips hikes to the side. This isn’t his signature smirk. He’s genuinely amused. “She tried to punch me.”

Punching? Violence? From her? “Why?”

“For stalking her.”

Ha. This won’t be the last punch she throws, then. When she finds out we’ve been stalking her for years. When Liam and I make our moves on her this coming week.

“Did he see you?” I ask.

Rex is smart. He would’ve recognized Damien’s face if he saw him around her. He’d send her into hiding. Get her on a Greyhound to fuck knows where. Our personal investigators would take forever to find her.

“No.”

“So you rattled her. Good start, Dame.” Liam snaps the Zippo open. Looks down at it. Slams it shut and gazes at Damien. “What else?”

“Pretty sure we’ll need to lock her up when we get her here. She’ll use a knife on us. I could sense that.” Damien raises an eyebrow. “Fuck, she’s so fucking pretty when she’s mad.”

Even prettier when he’s up close and touches her, I’m sure.

“I guess we’re going to find out soon enough.” I narrow my eyes at him.

Tomorrow evening is the perfect time. I won’t be getting back at Damien. I’ll have her.

Tomorrow evening, I’ll be the one to get punched by Quinlan.

CHAPTER FIVE

Quinlan

“Morning, Quinlan.” Ray, myneighbor, greets me as I step into the elevator.

“Hey.” I stand taller, pretending I’m not here in my pajamas while Ray’s in a skirt suit and her slick black hair is pulled into the most perfect chignon I’ve ever seen.

My neighbor and only friend doesn’t care that I look like a mess with my bun hanging to the side, either. We’ve done this before, me going to get the mail, looking like this while she’s on her way to conquer the world.

She smiles at my fluffy slippers. “How have you been?”

Swamped with work. Dreamed about a stranger with sapphire blue eyes in the few hours I got to sleep. He might be stalking me, could be here, waiting outside the building. I don’t want to see him, but I do.

I need him.

Heat rushes up my cheeks and I groan inwardly. No fucking way am I telling her any of it.

“I’m great.” I slip inside the elevator. “Love your outfit.”

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