Page 5 of Cruel Proposal
"It's just drugs." Robert looks over his shoulder at me, rolling his eyes and stopping while he waits for me to catch up to him.
"You think it's just drugs, but this is about more. This is about what's to be won, and the fact that you can't see that is more than a little troubling."
"I can see a lot of things, but what I don't understand is whythisparticular dealer is one you had to deal with instead of just sending one of the enforcers to hunt him down."
"It's not your concern why I choose to do the things I do." I catch sight of a familiar brunette in the crowd, her hair the color of a sparrow's wing and tied into a ponytail that would look great wrapped around my fist. "Get lost. I have other business to take care of while we're here."
Robert shoots me a questioning look before pulling out his phone. "I have a meeting with a contact for heroin in an hour. You're going to be there, aren't you?"
"Nope." I take off, heading down the street, pretending I'm not followingherwhile Robert is still watching.
As I round a corner at the end of the block, going left when she went right, I look over my shoulder, checking for Robert.
He's long gone, but I don't trust him not to be following me. It wouldn't be the first time he's done so in the last month if he is.
The sun is beating down from above as I take a couple more turns, walking around for the better part of an hour before checking the tracking app I have on my phone.
Injecting her with the tracker was no easy feat. I had to do it while she was out partying with some of her friends, cross-faded enough that she wouldn't recognize me. After that, getting her to come with me to another room, slipping the needle into her neck, implanting the small chip may as well have been child's play.
And now, I know her every move.
She's heading for the beach.
I turn down another street, following after her.
She's too far ahead for me to see, but not for long.
When I get close to her location, I start scanning the area, keeping my head down and the brim of my baseball cap pulled low. If she recognizes me now, the game is going to be over before it starts.
Taking a page out of Ezra's book might just be working in my favor, even if he is a fucking traitor.
There she at the edge of the water in a tiny black bikini, the water rushing over her feet, splashing against her shins.
I weave through some of the gyrating bodies, the bass pounding. Cheers go up as beers and blunts are passed around.
It's been nearly twenty-two years since I last bothered spending any time around students on vacation. Forty-four is a little old to be trying to blend in with them, especially at eight in the morning when they're all sober enough to remember seeing me.
But she's worth the risk.
At least, she will be if my plan pays off the way I want it to.
She wraps her arms around herself like she's trying to hold it together, and then she turns and joins the rest of the party with a bright smile. She's so good at pretending she's fine when she's not. I've seen it in the last couple of weeks I've been following her.
Nobody around her can see that she's dying inside, and that's going to be the key to my plan: showing her the things about herself that none of the others understand, making her reliant on me, and then turning her against them in the end.
She's going to want me more than she's ever wanted anyone else. I'm going to make sure of it.
I head to the bar and order a drink, bobbing my head to the music while the throng of people around me starts to dance with each other.
She smiles at her friend as she comes to join the dancing.
She and the friend get close to each other, their bodies moving, drinks flowing. Then the shots start flowing.
I find a spot near the bar, getting comfortable, even with the sound of a shitty band performing cover songs blaring across the beach.
She looks like she's having a good time, and that's the part that matters as I move into the next part of my plan.
This needs to hurt her as much as possible.
