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“What’s your name?”
His lips twitch slightly, a dimple appearing on his right cheek while he gives me one last searing gaze.
“Byzantine.”
He doesn’t wait for my response before walking out of the bar. It’s only when the door slams shut again that I let out a shaky breath, unclench my jaw and allow myself to relax. I grab the money he left on the bar, realizing he left me two crisp hundred dollar bills.
“Gee, thanks for the tip and not killing me, I guess?” I mumble under my breath. My sarcasm sounds flat even to my own ears. I reluctantly finish my shift on unsteady limbs. Lenix shooting me worried looks every half hour while I continue to tell her that I’m fine.
But I’m far from fine, and my torment now has a name.
Chapter 11
Byzantine
She’llbetheendof me.
Just like I’ve been her demise before. Long ago. Somewhere else.
I stand across the street from Sammies, waiting and scowling at the air, trying to shake off the sticky memories of lives lived long ago. Before her name was Sunny. Before tonight, when I sat in front of her trembling body in a busy bar. The fear in her eyes scratched at a bleeding wound I didn’t remember having so deep inside.
I’m a stranger to Sunny. Worse—I’m a killer. She might have not witnessed it but I have blood on my hands, nonetheless. The same hands that yearn to wrap around her neck and squeeze while I chase the gasp from her lips. That crave to undress her, and slowly part her naked thighs, watching her cunt unfurl beneath me.
I knew I couldn’t stay away. Or won’t. At least I have an excuse to visit her. Little does she know I’ll be doing much more than just visiting Sammies in the very near future.
Following her this week has only left me hungry for more. I’m ravenous for her attention. For her eyes to be on me and only me. Even if her gaze is laced with disgust, I can smell the shame like perfume on her skin. She’s attracted to me, nonetheless. And oh, do I know that feeling quite intimately.
I once looked at Gabriel the same way. Before I was Byzantine. Before I watched him fall to his death. Before, when Sunny was Gabriel and I was Anthony.
Before. Before. Before.
I fall back into the shadows of the building behind me, hearing Sunny’s voice pierce the night. It’s only been a few hours since I left her dumbstruck behind the bar. She’s changed into a pair of tight jeans shorts that make me groan aloud. Her loose black t-shirt trailing across her ass and my fingers flex, the hot need to touch her squeezing my chest tight.
I continue to study her when I notice a man trailing behind her. He catches up to Sunny on the sidewalk and wraps his arm around her shoulders, prompting her to look up at him with a smile.
What the fuck?Who the hell is this guy?
His hand hangs loose on the edge of her shoulder, like a stranger masquerading as a lover. Was he inside the bar this whole time? Watching her work just like I was? I’ve never seen him with Sunny before tonight.
I would’ve noticed. Stepping out of the shadows, I peer over to take a better look. Where are they heading? This leaves me no choice but to trail behind them. Partly because I care for Sunny’s safety, but mostly to further stoke the raging jealousy barrelling through my veins.
Ten minutes later, they finally come to a stop in front of Cloakroom, a busy nightclub in the heart of Old Town. They take a spot in the winding cue full of party-goers eager to get in. This doesn’t quench my curiosity one fucking bit.
It only fuels it further.
Pulling my hoodie over my head, I cross my arms, shoulders hunched while I wait.
Opposite desires curl up inside while I watch Sunny dish out coy smiles to the man she’s with. The desire for her to notice me watching her. And the desire to stay invisible, free to steal small sips from her life unencumbered. I clench my jaw, unwilling to walk away.
Unable to let her live a life without me in it.
Chapter 12
Sunny
Iknowthisisa mistake.
I knew this was a mistake when he asked what I was doing after my shift and I gave him my best fuck me eyes, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. I knew it was a mistake when he slipped his arm over my shoulder and I felt myself tense up under his touch.
