“Hey...” His deep voice comes from behind me, adorably oblivious that I’m one bad decision away from tasing him. “Are you—”
I retch before spilling the contents of my dinner, perfectly nailing a soggy chainsaw note.
The footsteps halt.
Bent over with my back to him, cap and hair hiding my face, I slip a hand into my hoodie’s pocket and grip my taser, in case I misjudged Atlas.
Leave already, for fuck’s sake!
“Do you . . .”
Persistent chivalrous prick.
I try again, pushing the grossness to one-Latin-phrase-away-from-sounding-possessed. Only a truly kind and considerate man would come closer despite his disgust.
“Nope. Hell no!” comes from behind me, the echo of retreating footsteps telling me I was right. Atlas isnotthat man.
“Asshole,” I mutter.
Straightening up, I wipe my mouth on my sleeve, regretting Ididn’t tase his sexy ass. He should thank my moral compass.
The moment the door closes behind him, I dart back inside the car, ready to get the hell out of here, when the distant roar of a bike forces me to sink to the bottom of my seat like a snail in its shell, concealing myself from the one man who could topple my house of cards if I’m not careful. Dean Malik—sole heir of a blood diamond empire. What lies beyond a black hole is less of a mystery than him. He gives the impression of someone who’d closely observe every move I make against Atlas.
The revving of the bike dies out, and I steal a peek at the black-clad enigma’s location. He’s parked in the garage and heading for the house. There’s a predatory streak in the way he scans everything nearby. Usually, I’m never close enough to raise suspicion, and I change rentals on a regular basis. I shouldn’t be on his radar.
Dean entering the house is my cue to straighten up in my seat.
Starting the car with a disgruntled huff, I head down the street I came from. Atlas’s place has cameras, and this car can’t show up on them.
I’m not eager to get to my dorm, but to leave the confines of this stinking car that somehow managed to contaminate my DNA with its grossness.
It’s only when I park on campus and get outside that I realize the stench is coming from me, as there’s semi-digested pizza in my soon-to-be-not-black hair. Atlas’s eyes shamelessly linger on redheads. Guess that’s what my hair color will switch to. Hopefully, I won’t end up looking like Pennywise, or worse—Ronald McDonald.
Grabbing my backpack from the passenger seat, I haul it over my shoulder, but instead of moving for my dorm, I stay there like I lack direction, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The late-August air carries the crisp sadness of the passing summer, but those seasons no longer hold meaning for me, because time revolves solely around my purpose now.
The loud voices of a drunken group passing by pull myattention. I bet they’re returning from one of Veridian University’s start-of-school parties. What better way to kick off the new year than with a hangover?
I glance back at my rental, which looks like it’s been in a fight with Wolverine, then at the swaying, inebriated group of five.
The wallet in the back pocket of Mr. Loud Peacock—the one barely keeping up—reads like an invitation. He looks too rich to mourn it.
I shouldn’t... but I also shouldn’t dip into my barely-there runaway fund.
No cameras around. I’ve checked.
Okay. Just this once . . .maybe.
Pulling the visor of my cap down, I move straight for his crowd. One soft shoulder-on-shoulder collision, and five seconds later, the wallet arcs into a nearby bush as I stuff a decent stack of bills into my pocket. Thanks for covering the car repair!
And they say chivalry is dead.
I stride up the stairs without slowing until I’m back inside my dorm, tossing the backpack down and heading for the bed of my nonexistent roommate, where the oversized sweater I’ll have to hide under lies waiting.
“How can you be so fucking ugly? I’m breaking out in hives just by looking at you.”
Great! I’m talking to a sweater now.
I set aside the gray eyesore before lifting the mattress enough to pull out my pretty little board. Laying it down on the bed, I take a good look at thecollagethat months of recon have given me.
