He fought like a girl, trying to scratch me, and whined like a fucking baby, too. The pussy. Too bad he didn't grow up learning how to properly fight, like I did. I wouldn't have minded a challenge. It would've been an excuse to do more damage. One punch and he sagged, and when the second came, he dropped like the dead. I left him lying there, crying like a little girl, the greasy-headed douche.
I'd made sure it was dark, so he couldn't see my face. Kept my mouth shut the whole time, too, though I didn't want to. I wanted to tell him it was all for Vivi, but I didn't. If he ever so much as tries to get near her again, I'll castrate the little prick.
She didn't leave her place for days, but when she finally did she went job searching. This woman. I was a little stunned by her.
The guys keep a close watch on her while I work. I can't slack off in that regard. But tonight, I decided to drop by and see what she's up to. I come up to her apartment building and that's when I spot her.
She's talking to some guy with a damn limo, who clearly doesn't belong in this neighborhood. Then I see her exchanging-what is that? Drugs?-for an envelope. There can only be money inside.
Holy fuck it all. This woman is going to be the death of me.
So I do something kinda stupid. I grab her. Scare the shit out of her, too, which I hate.
She sinks her teeth into my finger and now it's me who wants to scream.
Putting my mouth next to her ear, I say, "Hush, Vivi. It's me, Prescott. I'll let you go if you promise not to yell." I shift her body so she can see my face. Large, frightened eyes stare back at mine. "Okay?"
She gives her assent with a slight bob.
The demure, terror-stricken doe quickly morphs into the growling little wolf cub. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You scared me to death."
"Me? What the hell are you doing? Selling drugs now?"
"What are you talking about?"
Her heaving chest distracts me momentarily and I don't answer.
"Are you going to stand and stare or will you answer me?"
Grabbing her arm, I pull her inside the building.
"What are you doing?" she asks.
"Going inside. We're not going to discuss this on the street."
"I didn't invite you in." She tries to snatch her arm away, but I don't let go.
I decided to check on her tonight, because I was concerned about the recent accounts I've been receiving since the near rape. She is jobless, close to being penniless, and seeking employment. She's never called, of course, and her activity outside the apartment has been minimal until yesterday. Then I show up to see this interaction with some high-class dude and all I can think of to explain it is that she's gotten so desperate, she's resorted to selling drugs.
We get to her apartment door and I say, "You can unlock it, or I can break it down. Your choice."
"What's wrong with you?"
"Not a damn thing. Your choice, Vivi."
She takes out a key and turns the lock. When we walk inside, I'm utterly appalled she lives in a place like this. I knew it would be bad, given the location, but I never expected it to be this bad.
"You live here?"
Her eyes narrow. "What kind of a stupid question is that?"
A quick scan of the tiny apartment tells me everything I need to know. She needs to get the hell out of here. "Pack your things. You're moving."
"Oh? And exactly where would I be moving to?"
"I own a building. You can rent one of the units in it."
"I can barely afford this one."
"You won't have to pay me until you find a job." I dare her to say she can't afford it now.
"I have a job. I still can't afford it. Besides, what makes you think you can push me around?"
"I'm not. I'm trying to help, to make your life better."
She laughs. "Right." She drags the word out. "Then you'd have me exactly where you'd want me. I'd owe you, Prescott, and I refuse to be dangling from your hook."
Pointing to the only piece of furniture in the room, which is an old shabby chair, I say, "Sit."
"I'm not your damn dog, either."
"Please."
We fight a battle through our glares. She's tough. Most people would shrivel beneath my unrelenting gaze, but not Vivi Renard. She's grown quite a pair since Crestview. She has somehow managed to fill her spine with steel.
"Fine, don't sit. Would you please tell me what I witnessed on the street tonight?"
"Not until you tell me why the fuck you're stalking me. It's pretty creepy, Prescott."
She has me cornered. Vivi must be one hell of a chess player. Scraping my teeth over my lower lip, I think over how I'm going to handle this. "You'll probably find this hard to believe, but I've been worried about you."
There, that is part of the truth, after all.
Her eyes widen ever so slightly, just long enough for me to catch it. "Why would you, of all people, be worried about me?"
"You're my friend. I worry about my friends," I answer with a shrug.
"Prescott, we are not friends. You used me. Yeah, you compensated me nicely, but nevertheless, if I hadn't been smart, you would've never spoken to me at Crestview. That wasn't a friendship. So for the life of me, I can't understand why you want anything to do with me now."
I run a hand through my hair, because she's right. Yeah, I sort of had a soft spot for her, but if her brains hadn't been a part of the picture back then, I would've never noticed her to begin with. Her brilliance isn't what interests me now. She's fucking gorgeous and I want her. But it's become more than that. I've become obsessed with Vivi Renard. My desire for her has surpassed the level of fanatical … it's damned obscene.
"You haven't answered my question. Were you selling drugs to that guy?"
She puffs out a breath. "Do you honestly think I'd do something like that?"
Flinging my arm out, I say, "Look at this place. I wouldn't blame you. I'm pretty fucking sure you'd do anything to get out of here. You don't even have a stove. Or a proper bed to sleep on. It's only November and it's fucking freezing in here. Does your landlord even turn on the heat? What's it going to be like in the dead of winter when it's really cold outside?"
Her lips press together in a hard line. Man, have I hit a nerve.
"You know what? You're right. I don't have the luxury of living in a fancy place, which I'm sure you do. I wasn't lucky like you are. The reason I was meeting that guy tonight was to sell a piece of jewelry I inherited from my mom. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. The check I received will enable me to keep this lowdown apartment and will save me from financial ruin until I can find another job-not that it's any of your damn business."
Jesus. The fuck. Now I feel like the world's biggest douche. I hold out my hand to her … for what? So she can tell me to stick it up my ass, where it belongs?
Deciding to switch tactics, I ask, "Have you eaten yet?"
"No. I was going to make some Ramen noodles after my transaction. I don't suppose you'd want some?" she asks sarcastically.
"I actually love Ramen. How about we go find the real thing?"
Vivi cocks her head and drills me with her gaze. "On one condition."
"What's that?"
"You don't go batshit possessive on me."
"Deal."
We head out of her apartment, she locks up behind her, and we go to the car that awaits me.
"You have a car? You're so spoiled."
"I have no comment for that." I check my phone for the closest restaurant that sells the best Ramen and locate a place in Manhattan. Then I instruct the driver to take us there.
"Manhattan?" Vivi asks. "There isn't one in Brooklyn?"
"Not the best. I want the best."
After another huff from her, she settles into the seat.
"Tell me why you had to sell that piece of jewelry." I want the specifics.
"I already told you."
"I mean, why are you in such financial straits? You weren't that way at Crestview. Well, I knew you needed money, but I thought it was for spending, you know, fun."
"How would you know?" She sits up and angles her body toward me. "You never paid attention to me."
"Nobody went to Crestview who had serious financial issues. Crestview gave very little aid and never gave scholarships."
"Why are you so nosy?"
"I'm not. I'm trying to figure you out. You came from a well-to-do family, went to an upper crust school, graduated from MIT, for fuck's sake, and now you're practically slumming. No, you are slumming by anyone's definition, even yours. What gives, Vivi?"
"It's none of your damn business, Prescott."
"I'm making it my business. Your family obviously doesn't give a fuck. Somebody has to."
Her hand snakes out to slap me, but I catch her wrist before she has a chance. "What the hell?"