Page 101 of Eternal
No reply, but then I watch her open the app and read a message from Vik she already read. A location.
Interesting.
And a date.
In three days, she’ll be there.
But why the hell am I not going with her?
Is she going as Voron, or asmy partner?
That’s what she’s doing on her own. That cold trail of bodies she leaves in her wake.
But why there? I need to get in, check the place, make sure I can slip in unnoticed, wait until she shows up, and then, watch who she really is.
The excitement that pulses through me is almost unbearable. Then I receive a selfie. Her in pajamas, flipping me off at what looks like a dinner table with a text attached to the pic: “You need to fucking stop harassing me, you creepy old man.”
I laugh, but it dies in my throat as I zoom in. My eyes trace the curve of her lips, the scar on her cheek. I’m studying every inch of her face, and it pisses me off how beautiful she is.
“She’s beautiful,” I mutter under my breath. “Fucking annoying.”
I pull my other phone out and text my client.
Me
Preparing to report in three days. I’ll stay close, don’t worry.
I send it and lean back in my chair and glance over the giant board in front of me, photos of her from every angle, every moment I’ve managed to capture, pinned neatly along with theories, details, and information.
Each string, each note, connects her to a bigger picture I’m building to finally know why she does all that and who she truly is.
I run my fingers over the edges of the pins.She’s not just a job.
I take a long, slow breath, stopping the thought of her face everywhere in my mind because I’m going insane. And then I sit in silence, watching the walls of my obsession close in around me.
30
DAMIR
“Glory Box” by Portishead
Present
The day has come, and I'm here, hidden, watching for her, waiting for her.
I’ve never seen her like I’ll see her tonight, never fully unleashed. And fuck, I’m excited.
Almost three weeks since I’ve seen her, and I almost miss it.
It’s 1 a.m. The party has already started and she’s still not here, but I think that’s what her plan consists of. Let them be all happy and have fun before catching them by surprise.
I sit on the casino high walls hidden behind a column. I see everything, but they can’t see me. Too busy with their own shitty attraction. My mask is tight against my face, and my eyes flick to the tracker, a red dot appears, and it’s really close from here.
She’s close, super close. My partner is coming to cause chaos, and the simple thought of seeing her when I’ve only been watching her from her balcony is making me smile.
I did miss my partner.
Does she know I’ve had this tracker on her since the last mission? Am I too invasive? Do I care enough to stop invading her privacy?
