Page 15 of Vendetta

“Wow, you really made her out to be the devil in your head, didn't you?”

“You don'tknowher,” I tell her in the calmest voice I can muster. I'm being unreasonable, but I don't trust her not to hurt Hayley, and I can't have that on my conscience. What would she do to get out? Would she kill? I think she would.

“Well, you don't know her, either,” Hayley says, folding her arms against her chest.

“I knowwhoshe is. That's enough for me.”

“Does she know about any of this, Devon?” Hayley asks after a beat.

“No.”

“I thought so.” Hayley sighs dramatically and stands up, straightening imaginary wrinkles from her shirt. She fishes out the keys to Leighton's room and throws them on the sofa next to me. “I'm not coming back tomorrow.”

I want to argue, but that would be unfair as well. She spent close to a week with the girl. I don't know why I didn't expect they'd at least form some sort of friendship.

“Just for a week or two,” she assures me, and I relax, thankful she's not abandoning me after all. “I need to distance myself. I know what must be done,” she finishes, determination lacing her voice.

She walks to the door and stands there for a second, contemplating something. “She's been asking about you,” she says, and exits the library, closing the door behind her.

“Fuck,” I mutter as I get up and start pacing the room. Of course she's been asking about me because why the hell would she miss an opportunity to play with my head? At least when she wasn't here I could avoid her, and focus on things that were important. But knowing that she's just three flights of stairs above me makes it impossible for me to think straight.

I should kill her now. I stop dead in my tracks, seriously considering it. I can't let her live anyway, so what's the point of all this torture? A hollow laugh rips out of my throat, because I know I won't do it until I absolutely have to. So I'll continue to fucking torture myself.

My eyes land on the keys, and I make a snap decision. I grab them and stride with purpose out of the library. I consider stopping at the guest room to get my gun, just in case I decide I should do it, but dismiss that idea after only a few seconds. I climb up to the third floor and unlock her door.

She's asleep on the bed, the sheets twisted around her legs. And she's only wearing her underwear. Of course.

I look at her, and really take in her every curve, her smooth skin, her parted lips. My fingers itch to run through her hair, and I clench my fists. Asleep like this, she almost looks innocent.Almost.

I watch her sleeping, allowing myself another moment of weakness. At least this time she's not awake to witness it. I match my breathing to hers, following the rise and fall of her breasts, calming myself down. I walk over to my chair and sit down.

And wait.

5

LEIGHTON

A ray of sunshine streams into my eyes, causing me to flip over onto my stomach. I grunt with the effort, before stretching my arms over my head, moaning softly.

Another day of doing nothing. Great.

Some people might enjoy having nothing to do all day, but not me. I’d rather be useful than laze around doing nothing productive. I’m one of those people who is usually never home because I’m always out doing something.

I push up onto my knees and then turn my head, squealing in surprise when I see Devon sitting in a chair across from my bed, eyes trained on me. I pull the sheet up, being caught off guard, suddenly feeling vulnerable in my panties and cami.

“'Bout time you woke up,” he says, his lips pursing.

“How long have you been sitting there?” I ask him. He shrugs. “It’s a little creepy.”

“You snore,” he says, an amused grin tracing his lips.

“I do not,” I say adamantly. I so don’t.

“Yeah you do, like an old man,” he says, imitating a sound similar to what I imagine a cat sounds like when it’s being strangled.

“What do you want, Devon?” I demand through narrowed eyes. I regret my question instantly, because his playful demeanor slips, his expression losing any warmth it possessed.

“I wanted to talk, thought you deserved to know what’s going to happen to you,” he says in a controlled voice.

---