Page 25 of No Control
“Maybe I read too much into him,” I mumble to Duke but mostly to myself as I peer into the coffee shop. Henry’s not chasing me out or blowing up my phone. In fact, as I sit there in my car, staring through the coffee shop windows, I see him walk to the counter and order a coffee, giving the barista a warm smile.
He never smiles like that at me.
A pang of jealousy hits me, and I shake my head. How stupid. Everything about him feels dangerous. There’s nothing to be jealous of. I’m probably dodging a bullet…
And I have enough on my plate as it is.
I don’t think I can take on someone as intense as Henry… and not lose my mind.
ten
Henry
This is a fucking mess.
Lydia should have said yes. Why the hell did she not say yes? She’s still under the assumption her arrogant dipshit of an ex is still living and breathing. Why would she stay with the creep lurking around? Is she just trying to be brave? Stubborn?
What. The. Fuck.
My jaw is cramping from how tense it’s been since she left. I didn’t follow her out, because if I did, I know I would’ve shoved her and her dog into my car and taken her against her will.
But I don’t want that.
I want to lie my way into her heart and mind, consume her, and then break her with the truth when I think she can handle the repair of what I’ve done. I’m a fucking snake, is what I am.
And she will accept that. Eventually.
My fingers grip the edge of the table as I stand to my feet. Lydia’s probably almost home by now, but I didn’t chase her, because I know she’s safe. Mason is nothing but a pile of ashes by now. The only person she has to fear is right here.
And damn, if the dark monster in me isn’t trying to rear its ugly head. Lydia clearly needs some encouragement to change her mind and make the right decision.
Let the games begin.
I grab the contract she left on the table and shove it into my backpack. Part of me would like to show up and shove it down her throat for having the audacity to hand it back—but that’s not the right thing to do. I know that.
My phone vibrates in my pocket as I exit the coffee shop, my mind trying to formulate the next move. I don’t have a lot of time before the assignment will come due, and the Big Man doesn’t like it when we accept a hit and run late.
I squint across the parking lot as I walk. It’s overcast and gloomy outside. Quite fitting for how defeated and enraged I’m feeling in the moment. The black Tahoe stands out like a sore thumb, covered in a white dust from the gravel roads I’ve been frequenting—and will continue to frequent.
Guess I need to extend the rental.
I slide into the driver’s seat and only then do I retrieve my phone from my jacket pocket. I open the message from one of my cleanup crew contacts. The mess I made is taken care of, and the truck is off to a chop shop.
Brilliant. Now Jude will just have to take care of the digital details. But besides that, everything is ready for our departure.
“Well, except her.” I scroll to Jude’s number and hit the call button as I pull out of the parking lot. It feels a lot like de ja vu right now. Agonizing de ja vu. Back to Lydia’s I go.
Three rings in, Jude growls over the speakers. “What the hell did you do?”
“Nice to hear from you, too,” I say flatly.
“I just got the invoice for a cleanup—and there was a vehicle disposal? Please tell me you didn’t kill the woman.”
“Of course, I didn’t,” I snap. “You know I don’t do that.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think you stalked and seduced women either, yet here we are, and now you’re apparently mixing some murder—”
“He had it coming.”
