Page 24 of Savage Stalkers
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to live with the consequences.”
“Don’t I?” He steps closer, near enough I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to disappoint people? To choose between who you are and who they want you to be?”
I can feel his body heat against my skin, and our eyes stay locked as neither of us looks away.
“Who does your mother want you to be?” he asks, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Perfect,” I whisper. “Compliant. Someone who fits into her world without asking questions or causing problems.”
“And who do you want to be?”
The question hangs in the air, and I realize I don’t have an answer.
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“Then maybe it’s time to find out.” He reaches out and touches my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear. “You’re stronger than you think, cashmere. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”
Before I can respond, we hear Mom’s voice calling from downstairs.
“Mr. Lawson? Where did you go?”
Kain steps back. “Duty calls,” he says with a crooked smile. “Try not to let her get under your skin. People like her only have the power you give them.” He turns to go, then pauses. “And cashmere? The dress looks incredible on you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Then he’s gone.
Chapter Eleven
Kain
I thought Skye was a spoiled little rich girl, hence the nickname cashmere. Yet after watching her at her mother’s house, I see her for who she really is—someone trapped in a world where she doesn’t belong.
I never take on jobs like this, but Silas looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes, and he’s hard to fucking resist. I’m a sucker for them.
He’s standing beside me now, a cigarette dangling from his lips like he’s in some fucking movie. “You’re watching her again,” he says.
I don’t answer because he’s right; I am watching her on the screen of my phone. She is nothing like I expected, and ever since seeing her at her mom’s, I feel an overwhelming need to protect her, the same as I do with him and Zay. We left a note on her bed tonight, knowing she might need the distraction.
“What if she doesn’t come?” Silas asks.
“She’ll come.” He didn’t see how upset she was, how much she needs this in her life.
“She has to,” Zay adds. He is as hooked on her now as Silas, and if I’m being honest, I have no plans to let her go either, not after seeing how vulnerable she is.
“Get into position. She’ll be here any minute now.”
They both head off and find a place to hide. We plan to chase her to an old cemetery, one that is never used anymore, the relatives of the dead long gone.
It’s 12:15 a.m. She is late.
I bring up the tracking app on my phone. Silas was tracking her car earlier, and I see she is now almost here. I parked off the road so she wouldn’t see my truck, and we hiked the short distance here. As I slide my phone away, I watch her car pull in.
She climbs out of her car, clutching her phone, the dim light illuminating her face. Her hair is braided tight, and she is wearing workout gear. Smart girl, she is here to run.
Zay’s low whistle echoes from somewhere above. He’s most likely sitting on a tree branch waiting for her to walk by.
I stay still. Watching her.
Skye spots the gift box sitting at the start of the path.
