Of course,nothing ever really went according to plan for me. There was always something to get in the way.Like when Bastian called to say he was in town, and I’d been dodging Bryan for days. He kept popping up everywhere. I didn’t even know when he got into town. I just knew I really didn’t feel like dealing with him.
But I knew better than to ignore Bastian. He was not a man to be ignored. So it shouldn’t have surprised me when the six-twomuscle-boundasshole sat next to me. “Keep ignoring me, and I might get a complex,” he deadpanned.
“I’ve told you before, Bastian. I’m just not that into you. You’ll have to find someone else to break your ass in.”
“Fucking little shit,” he chuckled under his breath.
“Why are you stalking me anyway?”
“Who said anything about stalking? I just happened to walk in, and here you were.”
“Sure, that’s what happened,” I smirked, “because you love restaurants where you have to actually eat food instead of women.”
He shrugged, not bothering to deny that he prefers strip clubs over restaurants any day. He gestured to the bartender for a drink, thenlooked over at mine. “Need a refill?” he raised an eyebrow. It was his not-so-subtle way of asking me if I was drinking.
“Not drinking, Bastian. Just soda. I haven’t touched a thing, I swear.”
“Says every addict everywhere.”
“Trust me, if I go back to it, everyone will know,” I told him honestly. “No sense in more secrets,” I muttered under my breath.
“So,are we watching the man or the woman?” He nodded toward O’Dell and his date. “You the jealous lover or something?”
I scoffed in disgust, then silently cursed myself for my slip when he gave me a curious look. “I’m not a jealous anything. I don’t even know them. They just caught my attention, is all,” I lied and prayed like fucking hell that it was believable because Bastian wasn’t the type to just let it go.
“Looking to join then,” he grinned widely, and I exhaled a breath that he seemed to buy my story.
“Maybe,” I replied.
He stood from his seat with a shake of his head. He tossed a couple of bills onto the bar with a laugh. “When you get done with whatever weird shit this is, come find me. I’ll be here for a few days.”
I nodded with a wave of a finger as he left.
I continued to sit there, waiting and watching. The longer I saw O’Dell and whoever this unsuspecting woman was enjoying their night, the more anxious and irritated I became. The woman had no idea she was in the company of a vile predator. And O’Dell turned on the charm. He wasn’t an attractive man, but he had a certain charismatic way about him. It was always a trap to make you feel comfortable before he struck like the snake he was.
I turned in my seat when they got up to leave, not wanting to be spotted. When they stepped out the door, I got up to follow, only to run into Bryan. He stood in front of me with his usual sardonic grin, wanting to be acknowledged, but I didn’t have time for his games, so I sidestepped him and went out the door.
Of course, the asshole never knew when to take a hint. I got it. I’d been giving him the brush off for days, but I had more important things to do. I started to follow O’Dell from a safe distance, hoping he was taking his date home, when Bryan grabbed my arm, distracting me from my target.
“I’m starting to get the feeling you don’t want me around,” he half-joked.
“I’m just busy right now.” I tried to keep walking, but he wasn’t letting up.
“Why don’t we go up the street to the club and have some fun,” he waggles his brows with a jerk of his head.
“I said I’m busy.” I watched as O’Dell seemed to get further away. I started walking faster, Bryanlagging behind, trying to catch up.
“Come on, man. We haven’t hung out in months, and I want to get laid.”
“Son of a bitch,” I yelled out as O’Dell and the woman got into a cab. “I fucking lost him. Are you satisfied?”
“Lost who? The child rapist? Is that who you’re after?”
I draggedmy hand down my face, exasperated that he just said it so loudly. “Maybe a little quieter next time.”
“Why don’t we just go wait at his apartment?” he suggested with a devious grin. “If you’re gonna finally off the bastard, may as well scare him a bit before you do it. Tie him up in a chair,maybe. Better yet, hang him from the ceiling. Carve him up, then show him what it’s like to have something shoved up his ass.”
Nausea filled my stomach with every word he uttered. I didn’t want to do any of that. I couldn’t stand the thought of being in a room with him that long. I just wanted to end him. But it did make more sense to wait him out at his own apartment rather than spend another day tracking his every move.
