AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It is ridiculous,” I agree. “But you like it, anyway.”
“Maybe,” she replies before pushing her plate away. “Or maybe I’m just too enchanted by your handsome face to be objective.”
I shrug. “Works for me either way.”
“Now that’s a lie.” She calls me out, but I don’t mind. “You know you’re rich and gorgeous and smart and charming,” she begins, rolling her eyes as if extolling my virtues annoys her. “But you want someone to want you because you’re smart and funny, probably even kind. You want someone to see you, the real you, and want you despite the rest.”
“Then I guess you better get to know me. The real me.”
I wonder if she’ll like what she sees when that moment arrives.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Damien
Watching Frankie is my newest obsession. Her allure isn’t just about looks or smarts. She’s an enigma, a puzzle I need to solve with each stolen glance.
It’s a dangerous thing, this attachment. Olivia is the only one I should care about, but the pull to Frankie is powerful. Every moment we’re apart, I feel it. Her taste fades, and a physical ache takes its place. It’s alarming. Dangerous, actually.
But first, I need to break her, twist her up so she doubts everything she knows—her skills, her case, maybe even herself.
I have a job to do, several jobs, in fact. I have names to cross off The List, and a plan that will—fingers crossed—bring my sister back to the land of the living. Until I meet those goals, nothing and no one else matters.
Frankie will be mine in every way, and someday, she’ll know that the monster she’s hunting is the man who makes her feel like no other man ever has.
I smile, thinking about the moment she’ll realize we are one and the same. It will be too late, of course, but I appreciate that moment of realization more with every kill.
Like an addict, I watch her from the shadows when she doesn’t know I’m around. She hunts the monster and wants to lock him up. But the man? She wants him, too. Desires him in a way even she can’t explain. She wants us both, and knowing it only enhances this strange, magnetic pull I feel toward her.
I’d feel giddy if I were capable of such an emotion.
She’s tired and angry, but she’s also doubting herself. I know the extra time I took at the crime scene is making her doubt everything she knows about the monster she’s hunting. The lack of a dump site and the different method of evisceration is likely driving her crazy.
It’s satisfying but it’s not enough. I need to do more, I need to push Frankie a little more, which is why I make a stop at the best florist in downtown Los Angeles.
“Welcome to Bloom! How may I assist you today?” The woman behind the counter is exactly what a florist should look like, short and round with soft silver curls and a friendly smile.
I offer a friendly smile in return, careful to leave a lasting impression. “I’d like two dozen long-stem roses.”
Her blue gaze lights up. “Lucky lady. Red?”
I think about it and shake my head. “Red, pink and white. Make it beautiful. And feminine.”
With a bit of pep in her step, the florist disappears for a few minutes before returning with a tall crystal vase full of colorful roses and a baby’s breath for extra decoration. “I think this is what you’re looking for?”
I take it in and a slow smile spreads. “Yes, this is perfect. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. You’ll want to leave a note, of course,” she says and slides a small card across the counter.
I scribble a message on the card and seal the tiny envelope with a smile, paying for the delivery in cash.
“Make sure you deliver these at this exact time to Detective DeMarco.”
The florist flashes a bright smile. “And they men don’t know how to be romantic anymore. I’ll handle this myself, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Two hours, one meeting and one excruciating conference call later, I’m sitting in my home office when Frankie finally arrives home.
