Page 2 of Stalker's Toy

I catch a glimpse of her fiery red hair fifty feet ahead, a beacon in the gloomy London night.

Mia Cohen.

My new house maid.

My unexpected muse.

She's been working for me for barely a month, yet she's awakened something primal within me.

I adjust my hat, pulling it lower over my eyes as I follow her lithe form down the street.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Henrik," I mutter to myself, my breath visible in the cold air.

Mia wraps her arms tighter around her curvy frame, her silvery scars catching the dim streetlight.

Even from this distance, I can sense her unease, her hyper-awareness of her surroundings.

It's part of what draws me to her—that constant, simmering tension.

The need to discover what makes the woman tick beneath the surface.

I watch as she navigates the cobblestone streets, her heavy boots echoing in the quiet night.

My mind wanders to the charcoal sketches I've seen her working on during her breaks.

Dark, haunting pieces that speak of a soul as tormented as my own.

"What demons chase you, little Mia?" I whisper, my eyes never leaving her form.

Suddenly, a figure approaches her from the right.

I tense, my hand instinctively reaching for the knife concealed in my coat.

But I force myself to remain still, observing.

This is her battle to fight, for now.

My heart races, a mix of concern and perverse excitement coursing through my veins.

Show me your fire, Mia.

Show this fucker he doesn’t get to antagonize you.

It’s not yet time for me to reveal myself, so I need to play my cards right.

I strain my ears to catch their conversation, the London night air carrying fragments of their words to me.

"Lovely evening for a stroll, isn't it?" The man's voice is thick with a local accent. "Perhaps you'dfancy a drink?"

Mia's response is clipped, tense. "I'm busy. Not interested."

I smirk, imagining the fire in her eyes.

The man, however, doesn't take kindly to her rejection.

"Bloody hell," he mutters, loud enough for me to hear. "American women are such bitches."

My smile widens, a surge of pride swelling in my chest.

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