Page 7 of Hunted Innocence
His lips curl up into a smile as he lets out a chuckle. “I will take a lifetime of prison as punishment for avenging the shit that motherfucker did to my sister.”
“Why now?” I ask.
He leans forward, his eyes focused on mine, and if I were a different person, I would be alarmed by the black gaze that meets mine.
The soullessness behind those eyes.
I’ve seen a lot of dead eyes, but this man gives no fucks what happens to him, which makes me think that Nadine has not told me everything there is to know about Landon Tate.
“Ain’t my shit to tell. But just know that he’s walked free for far too fucking long.”
And with that, he walks out of my condo. I don’t know when and where I’m going to see Brody Ashford again. Still, what I do know is that if we don’t get Landon Tate taken care of, he’s going to get in the middle of it and possibly intentionally or unintentionally fuck us over completely.
NADINE
Vaughn doesn’t stick aroundfor too long after he drops me off at my apartment. This is my place. I paid for everything here, and yet, it feels like I’m a stranger in my own home, although it doesn’t feel like what I think a home should. It doesn’t feel warm and cozy. It doesn’t feel safe.
Setting my bag down next to the front door, I move farther into the living room and close my eyes before I inhale deeply. It smells like me still. And dust. Coughing, I open my eyes and shake my head.
My air conditioner is on, but that doesn’t make up for the stagnant dust that’s collected during the months I was away. I need to clean.
It’s better than sitting around and feeling anything, because I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to be feeling in this moment. I’m alone, in my own place. I know that it’s well secured, but that doesn’t mean I’m not frightened. That doesn’t mean I feel snug and safe.
I know that Landon has been watching me, that he’s out there somewhere. I have been able to feel his eyes on me. Theyfeel like he’s actually touching my skin with his fingertips, and it causes my stomach to clench every single time.
Trying to keep myself from focusing on the fact that I’m alone and that Landon is close, I turn on some music, toss my hair up in a messy bun, and begin to clean.
Not only is my apartment dusty, but it feelsdirty. I’m not sure how it ended up this way, but once I start, I can’t stop. I deep clean everything. The fridge, the bathrooms, the baseboards, and even the washer and dryer. Nothing goes untouched, and by the time I’m finished, I spin around slowly to take in my handiwork—magnificent.
I also have a whole bag of trash next to the front door that needs to go to the chute, but the thought of going out into the hallway alone paralyzes me. Standing in the middle of my living room, I face the door, my gaze flicking from the trash to the door, then back again, as I try to work up enough courage to take it out, when the knob begins to spin.
Sucking in a breath, I now become paralyzed for a different reason. Someone is at the door, and my heart stops beating. My lungs refuse to inhale or exhale—they stay frozen inside my chest.
But when the door swings open, I exhale a breath of relief. Then the butterflies begin again in my belly.
It’s Grayson Calloway in the flesh.
I know he doesn’t feel the way I do about him. He is kind to me, he smiles easily, and he protects me in a way that nobody else ever has, not even my own brother, not that I always let him try.
As much as I want Grayson to rip my clothes off and fuck me, I’m fairly positive he absolutely doesn’t see me in that way at all whatsoever, so I would never even bring it up. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make my whole body feel things—all the things.
Chapter Three
GRAYSON
Stepping into Nadine’s apartment,I stop. My spine straightens at the sight of a figure standing in front of me. It’s her, but it takes my brain a moment to register that it’s Nadine and not a threat. Not that she looks bad, but I wasn’t expecting her.
She lets out a whoosh of air, then smiles. “I’m glad it’s you,” she states.
“If it weren’t, an alarm would be sounding,” I say.
Her eyes widen before her lips part. “Really?” she asks. “You wired my place for an actual alarm, not just cameras?”
I snort and shake my head once as I step inside, closing and locking the door behind me. “I’ll put the app on your phone and show you how to work it and everything, but yeah. I didn’t come here to fuck around.”
Her tongue slides out and glides across her bottom lip, leaving it shiny and bitable. I want her lip in my mouth. I want to suck on her flesh, on every single inch of it. I want to slideinside of her cunt and fuck her. I’m not sure how much longer I can last.
When her gaze flicks down to my feet, I follow it and notice a bag of trash next to the door. “I was trying to work up the courage to take it to the chute,” she says.
