Page 13 of The Thief
So, I ran to the corner of the street, and then, when I saw her walking up ahead, I fell back in step, staying close to the walls and hedges for cover as I trailed behind her. Part of me assumed she’d sense me following and turn around to argue with me, but she didn’t. Instead, she stomped as she walked and flexed her fists as she mumbled incoherently to herself. I guess she was so lost in her world of bitterness and hatred, she was oblivious to what was going on around her. That made stalking her easier. It also made me smile, seeing how pissed off she was. She was cute when she was angry.
Her purse burned a hole in my pocket as my feet kept in time with hers,trailing behind her through the streets of Brinton Manor. My mind buzzed, thinking of what I’d say to her when I was ready to confront her.
Would I be condescending, superior, angry, threatening?
No.
Not threatening.
I might be an asshole, but I wasn’t that kind of asshole.
I wanted the last word, but I wanted to do it with style.
I watched her turn a corner, and I held back for a moment, then I continued walking, moving slowly, peering around the hedge to find her standing in the street with her arms folded over her chest, her face bright red, and her eyes boring into mine.
“Why are you following me?” she barked, tapping her foot impatiently. “Do I need to add stalker to your list of accomplishments?”
“You can add whatever the fuck you want to your list,” I growled back. “I already told you; I don’t care what you think.”
She huffed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “Yeah, right. That’s why you’re skulking through the streets like this. You don’t care.”
She was right. I did care. And I didn’t know why I found it so hard to admit that out loud. But I never would.
“You need to be careful,” I told her, lifting my chin to give myself an air of importance in a situation where I felt like the control was slipping from my grasp. “Watch what you say about people. That mouth of yours could get you into trouble one day.”
She furrowed her brow, eyes narrowed on me as she took a step forward. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m telling you to get your facts straight. I don’t hurt anyone, unless they deserve it.”
“Great,” she snapped, flinging her arms out to the side. “Cool. You hurt people, but only if you think they deserve it. Glad we got that cleared up. Would you leave me the fuck alone now?”
“And I don’t scam people,” I added, watching the anger on her face morph into faked astonishment.
“Wow,” she gasped. “No scamming. Got it. I’m sure I’ll sleep better tonight for hearing that. You’re obviously a man of your word. Actions mean nothing. But what do I know?”
“Actions are everything,” I spat back.
“Yeah?” she challenged.
“Yeah!” I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, “And when you get home, you’ll find out exactly how much.”
She took one more step closer to me. “The last thing I’m going to be doing when I walk through my front door is thinking about you and youractions.”
“So, no phone call to the police then?” I teased, knowing my actions were all she was thinking about right now. I know it was all I was thinking of.
Maybe later, she’d sit in her room, going through every little detail of what’d happened today. Of what she’d said, and how I’d responded.
Why did that make me feel a certain way?
“Trust me, there’ll be no calls. I don’t want to have anything to do with you, your friends, and whatever shit you’re into. Stay away from me. Stay away from my dad. And stop following me. I don’t want to see you on my street ever again.” She spun around and left me standing there, watching her walk away.
But I didn’t move.
She’d said this was her street.
Shewalked a few steps, then stopped and pushed a small wooden gate open. She didn’t even give me a backwards glance as she looked up the path and said sweetly, “What are you doing? You’ve been at work all day. You should have your feet up.” It was like I wasn’t even there. Like she’d blanked me from her mind completely. I didn’t exist.
But I was still here.
