Page 131 of Stalker

Me:I can see perfectly fine, brother.

His laugh emoji reminded me that my brother had a twisted sense of humor. I guess we all did. Over the last few years, various situations had confirmed that the three of us were more alike than we often cared to admit.

While we all had unique talents, our collective strength was formidable.

And in this case, deadly.

A rumble of thunder from miles away drew my attention away from reminiscing. It was almost cathartic there was a storm outside that fueled certain memories. Images and voices I’d become very good at suppressing over the years.

No longer.

They needed to be remembered.

“There must be a connection with the women your father chose and murdered all those years ago.” My lovely butterfly had her prosecuting attorney voice down. I adored hearing it and the way she stood with one leg slightly positioned in front of the other with her arms crossed.

As I turned, I was allowed a moment where she simply took my breath away. I suddenly noticed behavioral tics that I hadn’t before. Like the way she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear when she was nervous, the subtle action exposing the graceful line of her neck. Or the slight flutter of her eyelashes against her flushed cheeks.

Even the stark contrast in what she was wearing now instead of the simple skirt and blouse I’d captured her in reminded me we were still playing a game.

A dangerous one.

A championship that could only have one winner. In the process, her entire world would be destroyed no matter the outcome.

Perhaps she’d believed I’d carelessly tossed clothes into the duffle I’d brought with me, but she’d be wrong. Wearing black jeans and a tight black shirt, she was sleek and ready for covert action. I’d wanted her by my side during the hunt, adding her talents to mine.

But that had been a goddamn wargame pipedream. Ruining her life wasn’t acceptable under any circumstances.

A war. She had no idea that was exactly what she was involved in. At that moment, all I could think about was protecting her against the evils of the world. My brother’s words had somehow managed to have a powerful influence over me.

I’d debated for almost a full hour on whether to call the Scorekeeper’s bluff, but as of right now, there was no other choice. Only we would control the hunt. Placing her in danger wasn’t anything I’d intended, quite the opposite in fact, but her utter determination to fight the good fight had already become an issue.

There were at least five women entrapped by the madman, the dangerous game about to spin out of control. I’d also thought about my beautiful attorney’s life in the future. Was she like me in so many ways? Yes, she was. More so than I’d initially believed. However, she had a light inside her that I didn’t. That was something I needed to remember.

Not just for now, but for the future.

“And why would that matter?” I asked, curious as to her answer.

“It could lead us to details and clues about the type of women he chooses.”

“I thought we’d already established that.”

She laughed. “A lesser attorney would only look at face value. It’s not just about pointing a cursor and selecting one of the Sugar Babies members. It’s about the real reason behind the game. Who are they and what damage will be done by their murders?”

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were saying this is political.” I’d debated telling her the Scorekeeper had struck again. What purpose would it serve at this point? Until we knew for certain he’d swallow the bait, churning her mind full of ideas would likely not be in my best interest.

Or hers for that matter.

She laughed and swaggered closer. “Not political as much as based in wealth and power, but in an entirely different way.”

I had to think about what she was suggesting. “You’re talking about men of extreme wealth and influence who have dirty little secrets. If those secrets were exposed, their entire kingdoms would crumble to dust.”

Cassandra grinned as she walked even closer. When she placed both palms on my shaft, I took a deep inhale of her intoxicating perfume.

It was another addition to my bag of goodies.

“Very good. I think you might make an excellent attorney,” she cooed.

“Then the key is to find the men involved with the scheme.” The idea was a good one, but this time, I wasn’t certain the same would apply. Unless… I’d need to check on the identities of the women who’d been abducted recently.

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