Slick as Ides (19 page)

“He’s fine,” I say, my tone harsh. “I don’t wanna talk about him, though.”

“Fine—whatta ya wanna talk about then? It seems like you’ve already laid it all out for me.” He looks away and rolls his eyes.

“You’re going to give her this chip. Tell her it’s your way of saying sorry, and you can say you stole it from her a long time ago and want to give it back.”

“Why would I do that?” He scratches his right arm and picks at a scab that’s old, brown and crusty.

I want to gag for Ides. She’d be almost puking if she saw this.

“Because if you don’t, then that money will never be yours.” I shift my eyes to his.

He barks a laugh. “Whatever the fuck happened to you wasn’t a small thing. Let me guess . . . Mom dropped you off on the side of the road and never came back?” He chuckles. “Or maybe she put a helmet on your head when you were an infant, and it was too tight, cutting off the circulation. Either way—couldn’t’ve been good, pal.”

“Nope. Worse. I kissed a girl and fell in love with her. And then her deranged father ruined her life and she was taken away from me because of it. My family moved not long after, making it even more difficult.”

He shifts away from me.

“Not a day goes by I don’t want to exact revenge and suck the life out of him, but I can’t because for some inexplicable reason, she still loves the lousy fucker. I searched for her for years, and finally found her. Now, listen up, you decrepit old fart—she needs to swallow this thing. If you don’t wanna go with this story I made up of how you got this chip, then put it in some food and give it to her that way, but you have to make sure she ingests it or I might forget all about how she likes the fact you’re still breathing, since I doubt you’re worth using up the oxygen on this planet.”

His eyes go wide and his breath catches. “How’m I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t fucking care how—just do it.” I push myself up to standing and hope to God that Paco guy, Ides likes to tease me about, actually exists, resides here and that he loves old men in orange suits with a penchant for harming his daughter. “And I’ll know the second she swallows it. If you try to give it to someone else, I’ll know that as well. It’s encrypted to her DNA.”

I pat him on the shoulder and give him a patronizing smile.

“Who the hell did you say you were?”

“Vapor, because I’m gone before you even realize I was here,” I say and then saunter out of the room.

* * *

Three more damn weeks pass by without hearing from her or seeing her, and my remote sits idle, collecting dust.

I’ve got to figure out a way to see her, but she’s become even more of a recluse as of late.

“Hi, Vapor,” Riot says, walking into the room as I sit on his couch, his gun on the coffee table in front of me. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Where is she?”

“Jesus, not this again. She doesn’t want to see you.” He whistles out a huff and sets his keys down on the table, then sits in the seat across from me.

“She does want to see me—she just doesn’t realize it yet,” I retort.

“Will you listen to yourself? You sound like a stalker or serial killer or some shit.” He grips the back of his neck. “Stop this. You have to stop. It’s creepy as hell and not good for your prostate—it’ll make your dick fall off.”

“No,
you
have to stop! You never told me Jason knew her father,” I say, pointing at him, stabbing my finger in the air with each word.

“Look—you asked me to reach out to her and take care of her. I’ve done that.” His eyes turn dark and are filled with turmoil.

“I did not. I didn’t know it was her until . . .”

“Well, your father did, then, and I figured if he planted me into her life, he’d have told you. I thought you knew.” He exhales with a grating sound. “I love her, man. I’m not gonna let you hurt her.”

“It’s too late for that. And if you ever say you have feelings for her again, you’ll be scraping my boot print off the inside of your esophagus. She’s mine!” I growl.

“You scared her, and I can see why. You think she wants to be around a criminal that threatens people, steals her stuff and acts like she’s his sexual slave?”

His shoulders are practically wired up to his ears. I can barely see the prick’s neck. Oh well, I guess I don’t have to see it when I crush my fingers around his throat.

“She’s sensitive and skittish, and damned near scared of everything around her—including
you
.” He scowls.

“Shit, I . . . What exactly did she tell you about me?” My face goes cold as it drains of blood. She told him all
this
—that I’ve scared her with my aggressive sexual appetite?

“You tell me. I know you monitor every little thing she does.” He leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “She’s not amused by your infantile antics.”

I stare at him, unblinking.

“No one is. It’s sickening.” He brushes some lint off his pants, or pretends to.

“Well, I’m going out of my fucking mind. I need to see her!”

“I don’t care. I’m not doing this for you or your father anymore. I don’t care if you pay me three times as much as she does. I work for her now. I’m loyal to
her
. She’s sweet, and vulnerable, and smarter than anyone I’ve ever known. It means a lot to me that she trusts me—now, get out. She’s going to see this anyway, since she has surveillance on my place.” His eyes cut to what must be a hidden camera in the room.

I smile. “I know she does.”

“You sick mother fucker! That’s why you’re here? You knew she’d see this and be so enraged she’d come after you?” His voice breaks like a pimply teenager.

I smirk.

“I hope she does worse to you than she did to her father. You disgust me.” He grips the cushion on his couch.

“C’mon. You know she won’t. She’s in love with me. She could’ve turned me in so many times already, and she hasn’t,” I say, taunting him.

“Leave.”

I look up at where his camera is, or where he was looking, and give her an air kiss. “I’ll thank you to keep your fucking hands off my girl. If you don’t—”

“You’ll what?” He pauses and glares at me, his eyes tortured beyond words. “Besides, I’ve never touched her no matter how much I’ve wanted to. If there’s ever any contact, it’s because she’s initiated it. She’s shy, but you wouldn’t know it since you force yourself on her every chance you get.” A guilty look swims in his eyes.

He’s lying? Or not telling me all of it?

A knot slips down my throat and chokes at my stomach, making me a little sick.

“Just keep away.” I echo my earlier warning.

“I’m sure you’ve already made certain that happens simply by being here,” he replies and then flips me off.

“And next time, if I need to break into your house to steal something she gives you, at least try to hide it better. Any fucker could’ve come in here, broken into your safe and taken it. This isn’t a joke.” My eyes narrow at him.

“
No
—but you
are
,” he says, fists clenching the seat beneath him.

I grab my remote, glide out his front door and look through my phone messages like I’ve got all the time in the world. With my back leaning up against his wall next to his front door, I imagine her on her way over, to scream at me until her face turns red.

She stays away, and I wait for nothing, hanging out far too long in front of his place.

It’s fine.

Eventually, she’ll find me.

She can’t stay away. Not possible.

I take my time, wandering around the city, hitting a bar on the way home, finally having a drink, even though I know it’ll piss her off.

Good. I like seeing her all frothy at the mouth with her eyes blazing at me. It makes her horny as fuck, and that cunt goes super snug as I shove my dick inside her. Not to mention she finally says what she thinks and how she feels about me when she gets mad.

My mind drifts on the way home. Most of my thoughts center on how Dad’s really fucked this all up by keeping these things from me.

I’m done with him.

I’m done with Jason.

I’ll let my roommate continue to think I’m in the dark and have him keep control over the fund for Gregory Winters, but that’s it.

He’s not messing with any of my inventions or Ides anymore.

Fucking Ides. God, I miss her so bad, my entire body is breaking down for her, and I die inside over wanting to at least hear her voice.

When I get home, Jason’s gone, and though I’m on guard, I don’t fucking care he’s out.

He could be giving my dad a blow job, and I wouldn’t give a fuck.

I thought I knew him and Dad, but apparently not.

They mean shit to me.

I lock my door, and I grab the razor in my side table drawer. In a moment, I’ve got my suture tape ready I invented for her, and I’ve cleaned the area where it’ll go. I make a small nick with the blade in my inner arm, beneath my elbow. The pain is bearable when I breathe in and out real slow and try not to think about it. I set the chip in place and then tape it back up.

Now I’m chipped. She can find me some day if she wants to.

“Lights out,” I tell the chip to test it, making sure I rigged it correctly to my specifications for my house and hers.

The lights blink off.

Oh, how I want her to find me.

I want her to
know
me . . .

God, I hurt.

Riot’s fucking hideous words drift through my mind, and I fall asleep, with images of her cowering away from me and crying in a corner as I try to approach her.

* * *

It’s been two weeks since I confronted Riot, and still nothing from her or him.

He’s gone.

I’ve been told he’s left, and I can barely breathe when I consider her fleeing and disappearing as well. It’s been seven weeks of hell already without her.

I’m tempted to go visit her father again, but Jason assures me Gregory has sent her the letter.

Do I believe him?

I’m not sure, but I’m running out of options.

I still can’t break into her place, so I’ve taken to following her around any time she leaves her home, which isn’t very often.

Today’s her grocery shopping day, and now with Riot out of her life, she has to run all these errands herself.

I park closer than usual, needing to be near her.

It’s risky, but I don’t give a fuck. I need this.

She grabs a cart, rushes toward the entrance, her eyes darting around, her shoulders hunched and her hood up, covering her long dark hair.

She’s spooked by every little thing, and this time, I follow her inside, taking the chance she’ll catch me, rather than sitting out in the parking lot, merely watching her get in and out of her car.

With shifting eyes, she creeps along the produce section, grabbing the things she needs. Every so often, she pulls out her sanitizer and cleans her hands off.

I smile at the way she frowns when somebody touches a piece of fruit and sets it back down.

She fights off a shiver and roams around, grabbing some more ingredients for what looks to be a massive salad.

When she’s done here, she heads down the aisles one at a time. I keep a distance, but she probably knows she’s being followed.

I wait for her to ask an employee to send security to keep at her side, but she doesn’t.

She goes to pay for her food, and I follow her out, still maintaining a distance.

I wonder if she’s a vegan. She didn’t buy any dairy or meat.

Another mystery about her I want to unravel.

I head over to my motorcycle as she disappears, but right before she exits the parking lot, I swear she pauses and looks over her shoulder and glances at me.

My heart freezes, but then she leaves.

I tip my head back and a growl rips out of my chest.

Why? Why won’t she come to me?

She felt our connection. I know she did.

Is Riot correct? Am I a psycho stalker?

I don’t want to hurt her though. I just want her to be happy, so I’m maintaining my distance, but I can’t seem to let go.

Fuck. What’s my problem?

I sit on my motorcycle, and stare, unseeing at the asphalt.

What now? What am I supposed to do? She clearly doesn’t want anything to do with me.

I have no idea how long I sit and brood, but after a certain amount of time, I look up, and there she is, walking back inside the grocery store.

What the fuck is this about?

I stroll right back in, and this time she’s buying meat and dairy.

I smirk and release a laugh of adoration. Too fucking cute, this woman.

Once more, I stay back—cautious and wary she might call the cops on me. Not that I couldn’t lose them if I wanted to, but still . . .