Page 35 of Targeted By Desire

She wasn’t home much during the daytime, but during the night, she was often prancing around her house in oversized sweatshirts. Her evening routine was pretty mundane: shower, cook dinner, and read or watch television until she fell asleep. Her couch was one of her favorite places to lay. Rarely did she make it back to her bed.

If she did, she’d toss and turn, unable to get comfortable.

On nights like tonight, I wondered what was disturbing her rest.

Maria was spending the night with her boyfriend tonight, so I had the safe house to myself. I could watch Simone sleep without worrying about her walking in and jabbering me with questions. Finally alone, I could do more than just watch.

I grabbed one of our burner phones with an untraceable signal and dialed the number in her personal file.

Simone’s head popped up immediately at the sound of her phone buzzing on her nightstand. Her brows pinched together as she picked it up and read “Unknown” at the top of the Caller ID.

Through the camera, I saw her chest hitch for a moment, her breath pausing. For a brief moment, the fear I’d seen the other night flashed in her eyes. But like before, she quickly pushed it behind the curtain and let courage replace it. Straightening her shoulders, she answered the call and held the phone to her ear. “Hello,” she said, annoyance tinting her voice.

“Good evening, Agent Nichols,” I replied.

A tremble ran down her spine at the sound of my voice. She tried to shake it off, jerking her shoulders as if a bug had landed on them. “What do you want?”

“Did you like the flowers?” Surprisingly, she hasn’t thrown them in the trash. Instead, she put them on her kitchen table and watered them every morning before work.

She smiled, tightening her grip on the phone. “Mhm. They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

My brow twitched at the absence of sarcasm in her voice. She really liked them?

Her grin grew as she leaned back against the mattress, sinking back into her pillow. “What took you so long to call? It’s rude to give a girl the night of her life and ghost her afterwards.”

She can’t be serious. This has to be some type of game. Luckily for her, I didn’t mind playing. “My apologies. I’ve been busy.”

“Off terrorizing some other beautiful woman?”

“No; you’re the only woman worth my time.”

“Hm. Then, what have you been doing?”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I countered. “It’s late.”

“I’ve been anxious, waiting to speak to you again.”

The smug smile on her face was starting to piss me off. She thought she was winning, and I couldn’t have that. Not again.

“I like that Howard sweatshirt,” I commented on her choice of pajamas. “It accentuates your legs.”

And just like that, her smile disappeared. Sitting up, she glanced around the room, shooting daggers wherever she looked. “Where are you?”

“The bonnet is cute too. Makes you look like Rapunzel.”

She hopped out of bed and tugged open a drawer on her nightstand. She pulled a gun out from inside. “Where are you?” She repeated, holding it out in front of her.

“Gun-play? Oh, Agent, you sure know how to turn a guy on.”

“When I catch you, I swear to God-”

“Mmm, yes, tell me what you’re going to do to me. Starting with those pretty silver bracelets you keep talking about.”

“You keep it up and you won’t be breathing long enough to see the bracelets.”

“But weren’t you just telling me the other night that murder is bad?” I tsked my teeth. “Such a hypocrite.”

She started slowly walking around the room, checking her closet and windows. “This is harassment and trespassing. Shooting you is well within my rights.”