Page 16 of Make Me Hunt
Still, I can’t deny his summons. I need this. Whatever it is. Whatever he’s offering. So, I walk up to him again, this time claiming the empty chair at his table.
“You don’t like to be kept waiting, do you?” he asks, his voice as rough as the edges of a rock.
“I can be patient if that’s what’s needed of me.”
“So, you’ll do whatever isneededof you, won’t you?” His tone, darker this time.
I glare at him, biting back a retort. But the truth is, I’d do anything to find Elias’s killer. “You’ve already laid your claim,” I murmur, leaning in, letting him know I realize the mark means more than just a job.
“I guess I did, didn’t I, Little Curse,” he murmurs, catching one of my loose ebony curls and winding it around his fingers. His gaze drops to my lips as his tongue brushes over his own. And I don’t want it to affect me, but it does. His gesture sparks something in my body I’ve never felt before. It’s like I’m burning from the inside, and he’s either the only thing that could keep me from combusting, or the one sent to stoke the flames.
“So, what is it that you want from me?” I press, eager to get to the bottom of whateverthisis between us. I don’t like his games. His games are dangerous. His games could draw me in, distract me from the only thing I came here to claim—revenge.
“I’m willing to give you a second chance,” he says, leaning in just to pull my chair along with me next to him. “I don’t give second chances,” he whispers against the skin of my neck, his lips brushing somewhere close to my ear. “I have a job for you. It’s a change of plan, but I think you can make it work.” His hot breath brushes against my skin, and I feel my nipples pebbling inside my bra. “But if you fuck this up, there’s no telling what I will do to you,” he murmurs in the shell of my ear, and the force of his words sends molten heat flooding my veins. I press my legs together to stop the sheer dominance radiating off him from claiming my core, but the damn thing is already anguished by it.
He suddenly leans back in his seat, knowing that his threat has landed, but surely unaware just how much of an effect it really had on me. “I need you to track down one of my hackers, 404. Rumor is he’s about to skip town. I need him alive. And I need it fast. He’s been spending his nights in Fremont, hitting the bars there.” He picks up his phone, and mine buzzes with the details. I never gave him my number, but I suspect he got it from Silver, or probably my employment file. So, I don’t ask him about it. No need to look dumb—or feed his ego because there’s enough of that already.
I’m about to get up and leave when he grabs my hand, pulling me in closer to him, the heat of his body dangerously close to mine. “Don’t. Fuck. This. Up,” he warns, ending with a groan that resounds for minutes to come… And not just in my ears.
He then releases my hand, and I pull back as he orders another whiskey, like he wasn’t ready to rip my throat out a second ago.
“I won’t,” I say, pushing back my chair, then getting the hell out of there and straight to chase the man who has just become my mission.
eight
-Brynn-
I don’t waste time, I go straight to retrieve my car, then back to my apartment to change so I can start the job Ares gave me.
I can be a bitch when I want to, look like a total homeless person if I’m not in the mood to fix up, but I can also pull off one of those mind-blowing transitions you see on TikTok lately and turn myself into a princess. That’s exactly what I’m doing, to make my next job a hell of a lot easier. A sexy woman can get under a man’s shirt …or pants… with nothing more than the snap of her fingers. And I see no point in keeping that advantage all to myself.
So, I freshen up a little, put on some makeup to enhance my already long lashes, straighten my hair, and let it slide down my back, then slip into a pair of leather tights and a golden top that puts my assets on display. And when I say assets, I mean my tits. My face usually could be mistaken for innocent, but tonight I’m doing my best not to look like that. Mostly because I can’t fake the attitude to match that. Nice boys always seem to be into bad girls. Just within limits, so I won’t draw too much attention.
I grab a purse, my leather jacket, and a pair of heels that don’t make me look like a bounty hunter, more like abodyhunter… definitely like someone who looks like she’s out for a good lay.
I take a look at the picture of the man Ares sent me again, and start working my way through the bars.
The first one’s a bust. I even showed the picture to the bartender and slipped him a twenty just to take a look, promising more if he came through. Unfortunately, the same routine plays out at three bars—before I feel the phone buzz in my pocket.
It’s a text from Ares.
?
That’s it—just a question mark. Damn this man.
Nothing yet.
I reply, keeping my eyes on the phone while I order a drink at bar number four, ready to get friendly with the barman and crack open a conversation.
Tic Toc
My screen lights up with his message, and I feel the wordsliterally.
I don’t have a lot of time to do this, so I repeat the same procedure with the barman while scanning the place. Still nothing.
I move on to the next, my hope diminishing with every new stop. At least here, the barman recognizes him but doesn’t recall seeing him around lately. I slip him at twenty along with my number—just in case the guy shows up.
I really hope I’m not getting a dick pic tonight.I internally smile, heading to the next bar. I have like fifteen more on my list, and I’m hoping to hit them all before morning.
