Page 8 of Ride with the Devil

“And we have Devil to thank for it.” Fade lifts his drink, leaning forward in his seat. I move my head, acting as though I might’ve seen who I was looking for off to my left just in time for Fade to clink his glass with the other man. “Cheers, Kill.”

“Damn right?—”

“Hey. This seat taken?”

Swallowing my annoyance at the interruption, I glance up.

The voice belongs to a guy my age, maybe a little older. He’s decent-looking enough. Dark brown hair cut in an expensive style, hazel eyes a little bit glassy. He’s not wearing a suit like the guys behind me, but his button-down shirt looks pricy. His top button is undone, giving me a peek at his chest.

He runs his fingers through his hair, lips quirked in a ‘I’m harmless’ grin. Like he doesn’t want to spook me before he gets a chance to actually hit on me.

Normally, I’d let him try. But this is my shot to at least get the closest to my target as I have since arriving in Springfield and, what the hell, why not take it?

And, you never know, maybe I can takehim.

I’ve been so bored lately. A bored Kylie inevitably leads to a horny Kylie, and while I have no problem taking care of business myself, it’ll be so much easier to borrow a dick for a couple of minutes to get off.

I have some time, though after a second glance, I realize that I’d be wasting it. Considering I can smell the booze on his breath, and those glassy eyes are one of the tell-tale signs he’s on Breeze, it’s not worth it. The alcohol could leave him with a limp dick, and while Breeze makes you horny, it also turns guys into two-minute men. To satisfy my insatiable lusts, I need more than that.

But it never hurts to have an alibi—or have fun fucking with people.

So instead of telling him to get lost, I shake my head.

Without waiting for an express invitation, he slides into the seat opposite me. His ‘harmless’ grin becomes a little more predatory as I shift again, moving so that we’re facing each other. It gives him a chance to look down my sweater, and he takes it.

Men.

“Hey. Name’s Ronnie.”

“Beth,” I lie.

“I saw you looking around. Thought maybe you were looking for me.”

“Maybe I was,” I say, twirling the straw in my glass.

When his chest seems to puff up, I know I already have him hook, line, and sinker. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around,” he says. “This your first time at the Playground?”

“Yup.” Another lie. “I’m from out of town and thought I’d check it out. You?”

“Me? Born and bred in Springfield. As for the Devil’s Playground…” Lifting his hand, he rubs the sleeve of his shirt, gesturing to his forearm without ever lifting the fabric up to reveal the flesh beneath. “You could say it’s my home away from home.”

I’d bet that those other two would be inked with Lincoln ‘Devil’ Crewes’s trademark devil tat. This guy? A Sinner? Not a chance.

But that doesn’t mean he can’t help me.

Squeezing my arms together, plumping up my cleavage as I lean toward him, I grin. “Really? I’d love to hear more…”

After leavingthe Devil’s Playground, I make a quick stop back to my hotel to ditch my phone and change up my appearance.

Rule number one as a hitwoman? Never bring your phone with you. The way it pings off of the towers tracks you. If I ever got caught and I had my phone with me? They could prove I was nearby when the body went down.

I’ll update Winter when I’m done. Until then, I’m off the grid. Just so it’s not suspicious, though, I grab the fake ID I sourced for just this hit, plus a couple of bucks in case I need cash. Everything else is hidden in my ‘go’ bag, including my phone, locked in the hotel room’s safe. I left the hotel key behind ‘accidentally’, knowing I’ll just get the front desk to issue me a new one.

I still have the strychnine. The knife. If this goes well, that’s all I’ll need; if it doesn’t end the way I hope it does, at least I should get a little more intel about my target.

Ronnie was no help there. Just like I expected, he didn’t know jack shit about the Sinners Syndicate or the politics of Springfield past what I’ve already figured out for myself. When I would steer the conversation in that direction, I could see right through his lies. Even I knew that Vice Mayor Collins usually meets with Royce ‘Rolls’ McIntyre—Devil’s second, and the manager of the Playground—in order to get his monthly pay-off, while Devil and Damien Libellula have monthly dinners with the actual mayor of Springfield, Hogan Harrison.

So for the Devil of Springfield to be having a quiet meet with the vice mayor? That’s unusual, but Ronnie didn’t evenknowthat the city has a vice mayor.

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