Page 39 of Lethal Weakness

All I want to do is keep her free spirit soaring.

Linden moves in front of the window suddenly, adding dishes to the sink after sneaking her midnight snack, and I stand motionless… Watching. Pretending I’m right beside her as she does.

She’s a beautiful woman.

Dangerously beautiful.

When she kissed me on the cheek, and her palm brushed my chest, I felt more emotion inside of me than I have in two decades. I wanted her. In more ways than one.

I know the definition of obsession… The domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, or desire.

And on all counts, I’m obsessed.

Her head tips, smiling peacefully to herself before her eyes lift to the window. With her kitchen light on and it being dark outside, I know she can’t see me, but a part of me hopes that she can.

Her eyes search the shadows, gliding over me, and I breathe it in. When they track across the yard to my house, I watch her soft smile fall.

I did that.

Acting cold towards her is what is best for her, but it doesn’t make it easy.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I’ve worked, eaten, and slept in front of my monitors all week just to get every glimpse of her that I can.

If I’m lucky, I’ll make it home in time to watch her sleep before dawn approaches.

At a pace that conserves my energy, it takes me 24 minutes to get to the mansion on foot.

When I scale the wall to the terrace, Edmund Scott is in his office drinking scotch. Without any other entry point lined up, all I can do is wait him out, or come back another night.

I’ve trained myself to stay still for nearly 12 hours at a time, but I don’t want to be away from home that long. Away from Linden and Avery.

Edmund’s head jerks as a tap on his inner door sounds. “Come in.”

One of the housekeepers comes into the room carrying a wooden box, but instead of handing it to him or laying it on a table, she lowers herself to her knees at his feet.

She’s young, probably barely legal to work.

He pops the box open and removes a cigar and a small metal tin before she places the wooden box on the ground to her right.

The young housekeeper fidgets in front of him as he opens the tin and situates a small mirror on his thigh, depositing two lines of white powder.

She leans forward, but he tsks at her, halting her progress. She seems to know what he wants because without another word, she’s unbuttoning the top of her maid uniform and exposing her bare breasts.

Jesus Christ. He’s probably got 40 years on this girl.

He finally lets her snort the cocaine on his lap, and he watches her with a mix of predatory hunger and haughty satisfaction.

If he’s doing this in here, that means there is a chance that Merrill isn’t home. They might violate human rights to sell organs on the black market, but I don’t think Edmund would be bold enough to cheat on his wife in front of her face.

They keep all of their indiscretions behind closed doors.

That means I might be able to slip into her office undetected after all.

Just as the girl wipes the excess powder from her nose, Edmund unzips his pants and pulls out his half-erection. He flops it towards her, and she takes it into her mouth without any objection.

I’ve seen a lot of vile things in my day, and this isn’t anything that I need to watch, but just as I move to descend back down the wall beside the terrace, Edmund’s door swings open.