“You know how much your tears make me hard, love.”
* * * *
Adrian felt like a damn stalker. Here he sat, in his truck, staring at Brea’s house like if he watched it long enough he could magically make her come out. The sun had already set so he could easily see that her living room light was on. When he had found himself driving over to her house he thought for sure she would have left town, but when he saw her car in the driveway and her lights on a relieved sigh had left him.
With his head resting on the back of his seat, he did nothing but stare at her front door. The sound of a car door shutting had him looking to his right. The man that got out of the dark car looked like he belonged in this part of the city. He was rough looking, and there was no better way to put it. He hated that Brea lived here, and eventually he had wanted to talk to her about moving to a safer part of the city, but then the shit had hit the fan and she was running from him. He expected the guy to go into one of the other run-down houses in the neighborhood, but when he started making his way up to Brea’s front door everything inside of him went on high alert.
Did Brea know that man? Was that Cameron? Adrian remembered her saying Cameron was a psychologist or something similar, but the man making long strides up her driveway certainly didn’t look like someone that should be giving professional advice. The urge to confront him was strong, but he didn’t want to make a scene, especially since Brea had told him she wanted him to leave her alone. Of course that wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to let the best thing that had happened to him since losing Addie just run away from what they had. He knew she felt it, too, because there was no way something that strong between the two of them was only felt by him.
The man in question held a large black duffle bag and when he banged on the door Adrian immediately climbed out of his car and stalked toward him. Just as he made his way to the driveway the front door opened and the guy went inside. Adrian hadn’t seen Brea when she opened the door, but the thought that she would let that man inside had his blood racing. What the hell? Brea just let a scumbag like that walk inside? Jealously was a bitch, and he was feeling it now. Before he could take another step the man left her house, minus the duffle bag.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Adrian stood there, arms crossed over his chest. The asshole in question stopped suddenly and gave a startled look at him. “I said. What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing?” He enunciated each word, because it was clear whoever this joker was just didn’t get it.
The guy looked behind him, almost panicked, and took a step back, closer to the black car Adrian had seen him exit. “Listen.” The guy looked like a badass, but the way he held himself said he was a lowlife piece of shit with no balls. “You should get out of here, okay? The girl doesn’t want anything to do with you.” A low rumble filled the air and Adrian realized it was coming from him. He would have laughed at the balls this guy seemed to grow in the few seconds they stood here, but this was regarding Brea and there was nothing funny about it.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Adrian took a step closer. The prick reeked like cigarette smoke and booze. “You’re going to answer my question.” He took another step closer. He was twitchy, and it was clear he was also a junkie. Why in the hell was Brea associating with someone like this?
“Listen, dude. I don’t want no trouble. I was just told to watch the girl. I just did my last deed by dropping off that bag.” He held his hands up, as if they would save him.
“What the hell are you talking about?” They stared at each other for a moment. “You’ve been watching Brea?” None of this made sense, but he had no doubts that he would get all the answers he needed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I have to say, love,” Cameron said as he wiped his face off with a rag, his grin satisfied. “You have gotten stronger since our time apart.” Wrists achingly sore from straining against her bonds, she prayed for an escape, but wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would come. He had since taken the gag out of her mouth because he liked to hear her beg for mercy, but this time she refused to give him the satisfaction. Finding all of her strength and bringing it forward, she kept her mouth shut, gritted her teeth, and took whatever he gave her.
“Hearing you scream my name will be my number-one priority.” Blood had gotten on his shirt and he had since taken it off. Cameron’s enigmatic personality and good looks were what had snagged her from the beginning, but there was so much evil underneath that façade. He had slapped her so many times her lip was split and her left eye was swelling shut. When she had spit on him and blood sprayed all over his oxford, the rage that had been reflected in his gaze had her breath stalling. That darkness had vanished almost as quickly as it had come, and in its place was excitement.