Page 23 of Devour

“If you can findandcatch me before I make it back to this spot; otherwise, you’ll be sleeping on the couch.”

He licks his lips and raises his brows at me. “You’re bold. Standing there nude and threatening to put me on the couch in my own home. You know there’s another bedroom, right?”

“Couch. Unless you’re scared you’ll lose.”

“Bet,” he growls.

I give him a single nod and rush to the bedroom to put on some clothes. No surprise when I check the closet and drawers – no underwear. But he did get me a bra. Yay, for small luxuries. When I step out in a pair of leggings, a beige sweater, and my red flats, I find Nicholas has changed. He’s wearing black sweatpants and a black hoodie. His eyes shine even brighter against all the darkness covering him. It’s a sinister and frightening look. The tiniest smirk appears on his handsome face as he speaks one word. “Run.”

I hurry to the door and press the call button. Nicholas crosses his arms and penetrates me with his gaze. “One hundred. Ninety-Nine. Ninety-Eight.” The elevator opens and he continues to count down in an eerily calm foreboding voice. He’s giving me a little over a minute to run and hide. Not much of a head start, but I’m up for the challenge.

As soon as the doors open to the lobby, I hurry out and run straight. My main goal is to put distance between me and him, then I’ll find my hiding spot. Or wait –

That’s what he’s going to expect. I spin around and search an area from the opposite direction of walking off the elevator. There’s a restaurant a few feet away.Bingo.I sprint over.

“My friends are already seated,” I tell the hostess as I pass. Do I sit like a customer and hide behind a menu? No. I weave through the tables searching for a place. There’s the restroom and the kitchen. I’m going for the kitchen. If I walk back here with confidence as though I belong, maybe nobody will sayanything. Servers rush about. Some glance at me, but most are too busy to stop and bother with me. The cooks don’t even glance my way. It’s loud in here with the sounds of the grill sizzling, plates clattering, and glasses clinking. Everyone is too distracted or busy to care about me. I don’t linger. I don’t want to push my luck. Nicholas is on the hunt by now. The back of my neck tingles with paranoia or my fight or flight instincts are kicking in. There’s a giant walk-in cooler, a freezer, and a storage room with all the dry products. It’s going to be cold, but the cooler might be my best bet.

Twelve

Nicholas

The idea of hunting her down and fucking her has me pacing like a caged animal. I need hernow.Even as fucked up as I am, I can see the signs of an unhealthy obsession forming. Which is ridiculous because she’s going to leave after the weekend. She’ll return to Arkansas with her cousins – who would gladly chop my balls off and shove them down my throat for me to choke on if I seriously pursued her. My face is still sore from Mark’s warning.Fucker.He won’t be a threat for too much longer. The Greek mafia is here to return him to Greece. Actually, the Goodman brothers will be preoccupied as well. No doubt they’ll want to get Mark back.Interesting.That’s definitely something to think about. That also means I’ll need to get plans moving for my new casino.

I check my phone.Five. Four. Three. Two. One.“Ready or not, here I come,” I say aloud as I press the call button for the elevator. I hope she’s ready for what’s about to happen. She’s feisty but also gentle-natured, I wonder which way she’ll be while pinned beneath me. Does that smart mouth of herssuck dick as well as it gives retorts? Going back to my previous thought, there’s only one way to find out.

As I step off the elevator, my instincts are screaming for me not to do the obvious. Maeve is going to try and trick me.Trybeing the key word. There’s cameras everywhere and it would only take a second to track her down through security footage. But I want the chase. Which is why I won’t even ask for help from my employees as if they saw her. Nope. I won’t give Maeve any reason to dispute my upcoming victory.

Surrounding me are the typical casino sounds: laughter, upbeat music, slots ringing, and dealers calling for hopeful victims to place their bets. For a decade I was trained and molded into a vicious, ruthless henchman. There was nobody I couldn’t find, and once they were found, it was up to Cleric if I was to show mercy or carry out his judgment. I’m also well informed on human anatomy, where the major and minor arteries are. It’s helpful to know when I want to prolong the torture and ensure a slow death. And I was fucking good at it. That little skill isn’t needed for now, but I am using all my years of experience and training to find my little prey. This might be my favorite chase. My adrenaline is pumping so hard I can barely contain myself.

The restaurant.

Nobody stops me or says a word as I stalk through. I narrow my eyes and scan the patrons sitting inside. Too easy. She’d go deeper. Once in the kitchen all the staff halts and addresses me with fear and respect. I give a wave of my hand to try to put them at ease and get back to work. She’s here. I know she is. The freezer would be the most miserable place to hide. She’d have to have given up by now, but the cooler would be bearable.

No doubt the opening of the door has alerted her that someone is here. The shelves on the left are lined with boxes of fresh vegetables. On the right there’s shelves with dairy productsand eggs. My eyes travel down to a stack of boxes pushed out on the floor. I can’t stop my shit-eating grin when I spot the tiniest hint of red behind a box.Her shoe.

“Red really is my favorite color. It shows up so well.”

At the sound of my voice, she hisses ashit.The boxes are shoved hard against me and topple over. I take a step back, not because they actually hurt or are heavy enough to do anything, but to allow her the space to run. Her feet only slide a bit as she hurries out of the cooler. The door eases closed, but I shove it hard back open in time to see her run out the back to the loading docks where the food trucks drop off our supplies.

She’s running toward the garden where we hold outdoor events, mostly weddings. This is working out better than I could’ve hoped. There’s lots of trees and hedges. Not only will the hunt be even more fun, but taking her on the ground outside is triggering my darkest and depraved desires. Maeve Goodman is about to be at my mercy and that sends a thrill straight to my dick. I barely know the woman, but she’s managed to get under my skin; and for that, she’ll be punished. I want her writhing and consumed with need for me.

I press the button at my ear and speak. “This area is closed off. Make sure nobody disturbs us.” My guards aren’t far behind me. They know to keep a safe distance.

Just to make this more fun and to further fuck with her, I press the button again. “Switch off all the lights.”

“Boss. We won’t have a good visual for your safety.”

“If it’ll ease your mind keep the perimeter lights. All others switch off immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

And just like that, we’re engulfed in darkness. Of course it’s not pitch black. There’s a soft glow from the city lights, but it’s not enough to provide clear visuals.

“Ready or not, here I come, Little Bit.” My low voice is clear in the quiet night air. I pause my steps and wait. Looking in both directions, my eyes strain to see any hints of movement or signs of recent disruption on the ground. I take a few cautious steps. The prospect that she could dart out any minute in a run has my heart hammering in my chest. I wonder if she’s afraid of being caught, or does the idea excite her as much as it does me?

Looks like I’m about to get my answer. I hear leaves crunching and then a slight gasp. I bolt in that direction. Her heavy footfalls on the other side of the hedge are followed by my steady pace. There’s a slight fear she might wear herself out before she can try to fight me off. That thought drives my legs to move faster, run harder. I push my body forward to the upcoming opening between the hedges and leap through. She’s as good as mine now.

I slam into her and tackle her. My hand cups her head to prevent it from hitting the ground. Her eyes flash wide as she looks up at me and then…I’ll be damned.She’s as fucked up as I am. The lust burning in her eyes matches my own. Maybe Maeve is the wolf in sheep’s clothing. She wears the mask of a good girl, but I can see the illicit desires swirling behind her eyes.

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