Page 34 of Savagely Scarred

Closer…

I launch myself at my stalker, grabbing them by the throat and pinning them against the grungy brick wall.

“Why the fuck are you following me?” I snarl.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Jax Teller?” She grins up at me in pure elation.

I scan over the freckles on her cheeks, her light blue eyes surrounded by black makeup, and dark hair. She’s the woman I passed on the street.

“What? You wanted an autograph or something?” I sneer at her in disgust and squeeze her throat before letting go and stepping away from her.

“No, silly. I know you’re not him. But you are hot.”

“Does this work for you? Stalking men?” I step closer to her again. “Do you get a lot of first dates this way?”

She twists her lips before replying, “Rarely. But I couldn’t pass up the chance with you.”

Grabbing her throat again, I place my other hand on the wall above her head and crowd her space until her back is pressed up against it. My mouth grazes her ear, and I can feel her pulse race under my touch.

“Do yourself a favor and stay—the fuck—away from me.” I release her and walk away. Without glancing back I warn, “It’s for your own safety.”

Back in my apartment, I kick off my boots at the door and then pull my shirt over my head. I toss it on the bed and then grab a beer from the fridge. A shower and the dirt caked under my fingernails can wait.

This woman is nagging the fuck out of my brain. My pulse pounds at my temples as I flop onto the computer chair and start scrolling through previous footage of where I was tonight. I begin with the street cameras near the alley and work my way backwards.

Her entering the alley after me.

Bumping into her on the street.

On a bench in the park.

At the coffee shop I passed.

Passing me at another crosswalk.

What the fuck.

I click out of today’s footage and go back to another day. And there she is again. And again. And again.

My eyes are frantic as I scour through weeks’ worth of recordings.

This girl has been stalking me this whole time and I never once noticed her.

Pausing the footage, I zoom in on her face. The image distorts and blurs. The black and white picture flickers across the monitor, taunting me.

The hunter… has become the prey.

Chapter Nine

Sage

“Liv! We’re going to be late!” I yell up the steps, buttoning the sleeve of my black dress shirt.

“Five more minutes!”

Shaking my head, I tuck my shirt into my black slacks and walk into the kitchen.

She would have been ready twenty minutes ago if it wasn’t for Ava’s strict dress code. I’ll admit I love seeing her all glammed up. But I enjoy her natural, minimalist style just as much. No nail or hair appointments other than the two haircuts she gets a year. She barely ever wears any makeup. I wouldn’t be able to count her freckles while she sleeps if she hid them away.