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2
Pasha
“Oh, darling… A little security system like this isn’t enough to keep out the big bad wolf,” I mutter under my breath as I place a keycard against the reader.
The latch on the door clicks open, and I enter the apartment complex. I own every building in this city, minus the ones positioned on the south side. I’m working on those, but not everyone is willing to sell. They have to be convinced, persuaded in ways that would make the devil shy, and that takes time.
What doesn’t take time is getting into one of the buildings I own and taking the elevator up to Valerie’s little studio apartment while she sleeps. Every name has a record, and when you own the city, you have access to those records.
Names, numbers, credit scores… anything I want is mine.
And what I want right now more than anything is to put a baby in Valerie Castor Morgan.
Valerie lives on the top floor, indicating that she’s making a great deal of money for someone her age. I know she’s a model, but that’s where my understanding of her work stops. I just hope she’s not the type to do sexual favors for promotions, or I’m going to have to kill a few people to quell my jealous nature.
When I reach the top floor, I can smell Valerie’s perfume in the hallway. It’s sweet and floral, with a hint of something woody. Perhaps cedar.
And of course, there’s the stringent scent of cigarette smoke. I prefer cigars for a reason. They don’t leave that cheap smell behind, and you can smoke for much longer, allowing your mind and body to relax slowly. Anything that comes too quick is never worthwhile.
Which is why I don’t expect Valerie to fall in love with me immediately. I understand that while I easily draw in the materialistic and desperate types, Valerie isn’t so easily impressed. She’s a suspicious person, unwilling to trust people.
I know this because she has no friends, not a single person she confides in. The mystery around her makes her even more alluring. I want to peel off her outer shell like a clementine, biting into the cool sweetness inside and letting it dribble down my chin.
Messy, fragrant, and sugary-sweet. That’s how imagine her to be once I’m inside.
The door to her apartment is plain, not decorated with anything to indicate that a person lives here. She has this way of standing out but remaining in the background, just like me.
I lurk. I don’t make an appearance until I’m ready to pull a trigger or buy something that most people couldn’t even begin to dream of affording.
But in this case, money can’t buy Valerie. Sure, I could make her disappear, flying her out to one of my houses in Italy and keeping her as my prisoner, but that would defeat the purpose of having her. I want her love, as a wife and as a mother to our future children. She might not understand it now, but I’ve chosen her.
She’s perfect, and I’m going to do everything in my power to claim her.
I pause in front of her door, listening closely for signs of movement inside. There’s no light seeping out from under the door, nothing at all to tell me that someone is even home, but I know she hasn’t left. Every door has been watched since I discovered her existence six months ago.
I’ve been patient, but even the most patient man won’t wait forever.
I pull out a master key, one that’s able to unlock every door in this building. It slides into her lock like it was made to fit there and nowhere else. I hold my breath as I turn the handle, knowing that if she’s armed and aware of my presence, I could be moments away from death.
It’s worth the risk.
My blood freezes for a moment as I hear a creak, but I realize it’s only the spring in the door handle. I let go of it slowly, easing the door back shut so that the light from the hallway doesn’t wake Valerie.
I’ve seen this room before. I know the layout of the apartment complex and every unit in it, but this one is especially easy for me to navigate because it’s a studio. Valerie hasn’t done much with it aside from putting a dresser and a bed inside. Otherwise, it’s quite empty.
My eyes take only a few moments to adjust to the darkness. I’m used to it. I was born into darkness and through darkness I will leave this world. It’s as comforting to me as loneliness is comforting to Valerie.
I glide toward her bed, my heart thumping in my chest harder when I see the delicate rise and fall of her chest under a thick white comforter. There she is, my precious Valerie.
I stand a few feet away from her now, my hands clasped together behind my back as I watch her sleep. Her face is relaxed and peaceful, a far cry from her expression when I asked for her number at the party.
She was afraid of me, and rightfully so, but it saddened me, nonetheless. I can’t help that I’m a monster. No amount of love and care can repair me after what I’ve been through, so I don’t bother trying anymore. That’s just who I am now.
Valerie, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Her face is angelic, soft, and feminine. She’s still wearing her makeup from the party, the thick black mascara smudged around her eyes like a raccoon.
The beast in me wonders how beautiful her tears would be, dripping down her face like black blood.
Her lips are different, though. They’re soft and pillowy, tempting me to kiss her and bring her back to life like Snow White.
