Page 7 of Monsters Wear Crowns
I should’ve killed him.
But that text I sent her that morning? That was enough fornow. A little reminder that she wasn’t alone. That even when she thought she was free, she was being watched.
Now, the streets were alive with the usual early morning activity. Business doors unlocked, the scent of coffee thick in the air, office workers spilling onto sidewalks as they rushed to start their day. I moved through the crowd with ease, no hood today, no need for the shadows. My target had officially noticed me. She even seemed intrigued. And I knew why.
I knew exactly the kind of woman she was.
The second I cracked into her system, I saw everything. The things she searched for, the kind of filth she read in her spare time–things that told me she wasn’t like most women. Adela Sinclair wasn’t just strong. She wasstarving. For power. For control. For things that were darker than the world around her could ever give her.
And that made her mine.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I answered without looking.
“Did you meet with the girl yet?” Vincent’s voice was impatient. The prick.
“Not yet,” I said, my eyes scanning the street ahead. “But soon.”
Vincent sighed through the receiver. “We don’t have time for you to play house, Rafe. You already pissed Moreau off by taking on Galetti as a client. You’ve officially drawn the battle lines.”
I grinned, licking my teeth. “And?”
“And that means the bastard is coming for you. Hard, man. He’s a killer.”
“Let him.” I chuckled, shifting my weight as I glanced at my reflection in one of the glass storefronts. “I’m not worried about Moreau.”
The man had power. Connections. A reputation that made men shake when they heard his name. But I wasn’t like the men he had steamrolled in the past.
I was worse.
I was bloodthirsty. I was fucking untouchable. And I didn’t mind getting rough.
Vincent sighed again, probably pinching the bridge of his nose like he always did when I pissed him off. “Just don’t let her become a distraction.”
“She won’t be.”We both knew that was a lie.I enjoyed having my fun.
Vincent hung up, and I slid my phone back into my pocket, stepping off the curb. I shoved my hand up, tousling my black hair and smiling at a kind-looking elderly woman walking by. When I turned back, I saw her.
My little doe.
She stepped out of her building, sleek and powerful in a fitted black skirt, her red-bottom heels clicking against the pavement. A woman of luxury, she was. She smoothed her black hair back with a manicured hand, piercing blue eyes sharp as ever, shoulders squared as she moved through the crowd like she owned the fucking world.
I inhaled a deep breath, feeling my heart suddenly pick up its pace. She had no idea that I was the predator. And that soon, she’d be beneath my teeth.
I slid my hands deeper into my pockets, my lips curling.
This was going to be fun.
***
ADELA
The glass doors of Sinclair Solutions slid open with a soft hiss, and the familiar scent of fresh coffee filled my senses. The low hum of servers, the distant chatter of my employees–my kingdom, running like clockwork.
I moved through the lobby, my heels clicking sharplyagainst polished floors. The towering glass windows mirrored the Manhattan skyline–a reflection of my success. Yet, I felt...off. The text from this morning still burned beneath my skin, an itch I couldn’t scratch.
“Good morning, Ms. Sinclair,” my assistant, Marcus, greeted, falling into step beside me. “The reports you requested are on your desk, and you have a meeting at ten with the cybersecurity team.”
I nodded, barely hearing him. “Thank you, Marcus.” My mind was elsewhere–on a pair of unseen eyes and the heat they left in their wake. The elevator doors opened to my private floor, and a familiar voice sliced through my thoughts.
