Prey Drive by Jen Stevens
Chapter 16
the wolf
last contract is hardly dry before I'm driving back to Styx, officially marking my collaboration with Power Tech and nearly tripling my company's worth. I'm in the mood to celebrate, and what better way to do that than to spill the blood of my enemies and have some fun with my darling little prey?
Styx is quickly morphing into more of a reprieve from my normal life than the nuisance it's always been. I'm not too proud to admit the shift started with one annoying roadblock.
Stardust has become an oasis in my otherwise barren life. A refreshing drink of water to quench the thirst I’ve been living with for longer than I’d like to admit.
Now, I’m hooked.
Her drive, her tenacity… her sheer will to live when every sign points to just giving up.
Every time I allow myself to soak in the memory of her pleasuring herself, I'm instantly hard.
I'm sitting in my car outside the coffee shop she works at, gazing at her through the large windows as she prepares the hundredth coffee order of the day for whatever asshole stomps his way through those doors. My attention flickers between her and my laptop, where I'm gathering information on my next victim. Though, it's remained more on her in the past hour than anything else.
I'm simultaneously pissed and jealous, my nerves grated down to nothing as I watch each interaction she has unfold.
Jealous, because they get to interact with her during normal waking hours without freaking her the fuck out—which, thanks to my impulsively, I can't do yet. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm not real.
And pissed, because every time I watch one of them treat her with an ounce of disrespect, and that little crease between her eyebrows forms as she swallows down her smartass retorts, forcing a tight smile instead, I want to walk in there and strangle the person who put it there.
I found her leaving the cottage when I arrived early this morning and decided on the spot that whatever plans she had for the day were far more important than anything I was going to do. So, I followed her.
She appears to be finishing up with the coffee shop, hanging up her apron and rounding the counter with a small goodbye wave toward the pink-haired girl. I'm parked right against the curb in front of the tiny building, sitting in plain view. I don't bother to cower or hide as she passes, either. There's a thrill in knowing she's so close to becoming aware that I'm watching her. How will she react? All she has to do is lift her gaze from her feet, and she'll see me here.
Of course, she doesn't.
Instead, she strolls right around the front of my vehicle and back to her own pile of rust directly across the street from me. Once she fights the lock and falls onto the driver's seat, the dilapidated car sputters to start, filling the street with the sound of its low rumble as she prepares to drive. I'm so close to buying her a new vehicle for the simple fact that this one belongs in a junkyard.
Pulling away from the curb, she leaves a cloud of black smoke behind for me to follow.
“She's boring,” Sienna comments from my passenger seat, and I resist the urge to swerve as I jump from the sudden interruption.
“She is not,” I argue, recovering before she can notice.
“Yes, she is. I don't understand your sudden interest in the charity case. You should be focusing on the next victim. Who is it, by the way? The lawyer?”
A hungry look crosses her eyes, and I’m reminded that this thing with her has already gone too far. She’s getting too fixated on revenge for a ghost who should be off frolicking in the clouds or having orgies or some shit.
I blow out a breath. She's not wrong. Killing the judge gave me a ton of information I didn't have before. I should be following that trail of breadcrumbs before someone realizes I'm onto it and cleans it up. But like I've had to remind her a million times before, Sienna is dead. She doesn't realize how consuming this whole chase has been for me. Every move needs to be calculated. Every kill is precise.
I need an escape. One that has no connection to this clusterfuck. That's why I've clung so tightly to Stardust.
She flicks on her blinker and takes the next left turn and I follow close behind.
“I've got a plan for that. Why else would I be here?” I ask Sienna, my voice tight. I hate explaining myself.
“You haven’t done anything to prepare for the next kill,” she points out. Her lips turn up in a smug, knowing smirk.
She's right again. I've been so busy with signing the deal with Power Tech and following Stardust, I haven't had time to look into our lawyer. Even today, I hardly gathered much outside of his address and some bullshit Facebook photos. My plan was to drive back to New York and work on it at my apartment tonight, but seeing Stardust this morning threw me off. She's so much more interesting.
“I have a good idea of his schedule. I’ll set aside some time tomorrow to confirm it,” I promise. Sienna rolls her eyes as I take the next turn with Stardust.
“She's probably just going to another one of her million jobs. Are you really going to sit here and watch her all day?”
“I have to tread lightly with her. I don't have the luxury of moving around unnoticed like you.” I cut my eyes toward her pointedly, then back to the road.
“Don't pretend this isn't anything but another odd obsession you've formed,” she admonishes.
Stardust pulls up to a dumpy sports bar and parks her car in the back of the nearly full lot. I drive a loop around as she gets out and runs toward the front door, presumably late, if I know her at all.
She was late to the coffee shop too.
I hate people who can't delegate their time efficiently enough to respect others. It's another skill I'll have to teach her when I finally get my hands on her.
“What are you doing, Bash?” Sienna asks, reminding me of her presence again as I grab my laptop bag and push the button to turn off my ignition.
Swinging the door open, I don't bother looking back as I say, “I'm going to have a drink while I gather some more intel on the lawyer.” I turn to face her with my hand on the corner of the door. “Is that okay with you, Boss?”
Her lip lifts in disgust, and I slam the door before she has a chance to make another smartass comeback. It's pointless, really. She can always just appear beside me again, but I like the effect it has on her inflated ego to be cut off. She's always needed more discipline when it came to running her mouth.
Entering the bar, I'm immediately hit with the pungent smell of stale beer, burning oil, and piss. The fucking things I do for this girl, I swear…
She needs a new job.
Tossing that idea around, I take a spot in the far, dimly lit corner and work on my computer while Stardust tirelessly works the bar.
Yeah, my girl needs a career change. Preferably one with less of a stench.