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Myhead of security informed me the moment he landed onUSsoil.IsedatedPoppyto make the excursion, but at leastIdidn’t have to trick her again.Ipromised to letPoppyout of the house in a month if she willingly took the sleeping pill.Iwas positivePoppywould break by then, andPoppywanted to guarantee her freedom in case she couldn’t find an escape.Iwatched her through the cameras on my phone and had a guard on standby in case of emergencies such as fires.
Iplanned on a staycation withPoppyfor the upcoming month.Myuncle was pissed about the unprecedented time off, butIhad worked like a dog for my damn family for years.Theycould fuck off whileIenjoyed my secret honeymoon.
Thisunfinished business dragged me away from my new bride.Mysecurity team was not only discreet but wicked smart.Theytailed the schedules of the residents on this floor and those downstairs.Thiswas the only window when everyone was either at work or school, sans a ninety-year-old grandmother who lived down the hall.Luckily, her hearing was impaired, and she had no idea what was about to occur.Thesurveillance cameras in the hallways and around the building were switched off five minutes ago.Isnuck in while the doorman was away on break, and he'd be lured out by a commotion whenIwas ready to leave.
Inother words, there’d be no traces of me being here as long asItook care of this problem within the next thirty minutes.Myteam was on standby during the allocated time, so nothing could go wrong.Thiswasn't their first rodeo.They'ddone this for years whileIfollowedPoppy.Someof them thoughtIwas keeping an eye on my biggest rival, though most were smart enough to figure out my real motives.
Raisingmy fist,Ibanged on the door twice.
Elijahopened the door, a hand rubbing sleep-heavy eyes.Hehadn't expected company.
"Hello," he said, confused. "MayIhelp you?"
Hestared at me, trying to place me.Myteam confirmedElijahwas none the wiser about whatIlooked like, having only heard of me by name since he had been out of the country for the last two years.
Icouldn’t help the shit-eating grin to grace my face. "Yes.MindifIcome in?"
Thiswas one of the instances where my frame worked against me.Noone wanted to let a terrifyingly huge man into their home.Icould crush him like a puny twig, and he knew it, too.
"Um"
Ibrushed past him, forcing the door to open wider with my larger body that towered over his.Itook in the eggshell walls, the living room, and the adjoining kitchen.Theapartment was untidy, with two black suitcases sprawled open in the living room and dirty dishes in the sink.
"Hey, hey, hey," he cried, following behind. "Whatthe hell do you think you're doing?Getout, orI'mcalling the cops,” he said with a bravado he didn't own.
Dankworthwas in pajamas and a wrinkled whiteT-shirt, clearly jet-lagged and sleeping through the day.Ihighly doubt he had his phone on him.
"Callthem,"Isaid easily, only increasing his fear.
Wewere at a standstill, and he wondered if he should run for the exit to find the doorman or run to his bedroom, whereIpresumed he left his phone.
Irolled my eyes whenDankworthlunged for the door.
Whenwill people learn they can't escape their fates?
Grabbinghis shirt,Idragged him back with ease and threw him on the ground.Iwalked to the door and closed it.
"No.Ah," he cried out, long copper hair falling over his eyes upon hitting the ground. "Pleasedon't hurt me," he howled.
Anothercliche reaction: people begging despite knowing someone intended to cause them harm.
Faintwhite noise drifted from theAlexain the living room, and unpacked clothes were haphazardly spread on the coffee table.Onewas aCornellsweatshirt, whichDankworthattended during his undergraduate.Thatwas where he met my lovely wife during her freshman-year winter internship.
Idiscovered this tidbit two weeks ago.Itpropelled my haste to solidify things withPoppyand force this fucker back to the country.Hehad to face the consequences of his actions.
"Hey,Alexa, turn up the music,"Icalled out.
"Whatare you doing?" he asked, petrified.
Thebackground music intensified until it could no longer be considered white noise.Theroom wasn't lit, with only the afternoon sun scarcely spilling through the gaps in the blackout curtain.Istill caught the fear in his eyes.Itinvigorated me, andIhummed, circling him while he lay on the floor.Asingle droplet of water dripped from the kitchen faucet steadily with a three-second intermission, intermingling with my footsteps.Drip.Step.Drip.Step.Drip.Step.
Theominous threat of what might happen was worse than the actual action.Ihad a feelingDankworthfelt the same and was ready to piss his pants.
"Whatdo you want?Pleasetake whatever you want.Justdon't hurt me."Hisvoice quivered.
Iraised an eyebrow. "That'sinteresting coming from you since you like to hurt little girls."
Thecomment startled him. "Whoare you talking about?"Hestared at me, trying to make out any sparks of recognition.
