Page 47 of Seducer

Sweet.

Innocent.

Seductive.

She was far too vulnerable for a man like me. Discovering her real name had been easy. I’d known Tom Willis for years. I wouldn’t consider him a friend, but someone I could count on if and when a favor was required. He’d told me her name, although he knew very little about her as well. Her address was in a decent enough part of town, but certainly nothing to write home about.

I’d spent the better part of an afternoon attempting to discover more about her life.

That had been frustrating as fuck.

What I’d found most interesting about my wild kitty was that while learning her name had been easy, she had almost no social media footprint. She’d set up a Facebook page almost eight years before, but hadn’t posted anything for six. She’d posted a few pictures, but they hadn’t told a single story about her.

I’d finally resorted to using a program designed to allow my brothers and me to hack into almost any computer and discover just about anything about any human alive. We often used the information for blackmail purposes when necessary.

What it couldn’t do was dig past the firewalls of security. That needed to change. However, I had Walker for that if necessary. She was hiding something. I could feel it in my bones. She was also a very cautious young woman.

She’d insisted arrangements be made to pick up her car where it had been towed from. Walker had taken it to her personally. I’d gone against my better judgment and had watched thetransaction as it had occurred. I’d been there long enough waiting for her arrival that I’d witnessed the fact she’d taken a cab to the location. She hadn’t even asked a friend to drop her off at the club, which meant no one knew about her extracurricular activities.

I’d also noticed she’d tried to pay the man. Walker had refused or I would have hunted him down myself. She certainly didn’t like handouts. I’d wanted to follow her home, but had convinced myself otherwise. I’d had a meeting that needed my attention anyway. Now, nothing would hold me back from learning every scrap of information about her.

My sweet, wild kitty had almost no money, her small savings account holding a pittance, the girl living from paycheck to paycheck. From what I could tell, she wasn’t extravagant. There was no new car loan, three credit cards that had low balances, but she was tapped out of credit.

It had taken me a little while to discover the reason. She was paying her brother’s way through college. There was no mention why and I could find nothing on her parents. I found that fascinating, but it also raised a red flag.

Although not nearly as much as discovering where she worked for her daytime job.

In the administrative department of the Blackwell Group.

As soon as the discovery had been made, I’d craved the woman even more. She had a darker side, pretending she hadn’t known who I was when in fact, I was her boss. So to speak. The fact she’d kept a portion of her mask in position meant she’d been trying to keep her identity from me. Why?

I was more curious than ever.

My curiosity almost continued to have thoughts on why Jerry had changed his usual behavior. In my experience, he’d either been paid well to threaten her or had been blackmailed to. I’d need to keep an eye on him. No one would ever touch her again.

I’d almost been gleeful in learning the tidbit of information. Her employment record was spotless in the sense she was on paper a very good employee. She’d worked for the company for a little over a year, recently receiving a shitty raise. It barely covered the cost of living.

We paid our people well. I made a mental note to have a discussion with her boss.

I was fucking thrilled at the discovery, now eager to learn even more about Sara and what made her tick. Why the charade other than perhaps she was fearful her second job might get her fired? That was ridiculous. There were several employees who worked two jobs even though we paid very well. Living in Chicago was expensive. With a family in tow, it was difficult to keep food on the table and get ahead in life.

The single photograph held on file was of her driver’s license and it certainly told me nothing. She could be anyone walking the floor. I was more than eager to determine who she was. And what other mask she was hiding under.

My cock was twitching, my balls tightening. Was the sexy dancer playing a game? The rumors were flying about the yearly game. I’d heard a couple myself. It was impossible to keep dark and dangerous news from anyone these days. Everyone wanted their fifteen minutes of fame and after the news article had appeared on the possibility of the Obsidian Society’s existence, it had taken weeks for the gossip to quiet down. Was there a chance she was vying for an invitation? Absolutely.

How devious.

I pulled the Charger down the street, cutting the lights before rolling to a stop over a block away. Her apartment building was a typical brownstone like so many others lining the street. The area was quaint, having been popular in the nineteen twenties. With a few corner bars and other commercial establishments, people often walked to work and to play using the cracked but tree-lined sidewalks.

I took my time climbing out. I’d already cased the building by looking over the blueprints. There was a back entrance. That was perfect for remaining in the shadows. It was late, after three in the morning, very few people on the street given it was a weekday.

Wearing all black, I crossed the street, not worried in the least someone would look out their window and see a man approaching the building. I glanced up at the third-floor window overlooking the street. Her window. My wild kitty was home, leaving the club around midnight. I could already sense her presence. Besides, she wasn’t a party girl. All the lights were off, which meant she was safely tucked away for a short slumber.

I headed down the alleyway, making my way to the back door. There was a single security camera located inside the front main door. But nothing around back. I should warn her that the building she lived in wasn’t secure.

The lock itself was state of the art, but I’d learned a long time ago how to pick any lock and was damn good at doing so. Once inside, I grabbed my leather gloves, slipping into them as I peered down the short corridor to the laundry room. The older building creaked and cracked, but there was no other sound.

After tugging the mask from my back pocket, I grinned. I’d rather be wearing something more garish, but tonight was about blending in with the shadows. If my wild kitty was interested in the game, there would be plenty of time to share my dark world with her.

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