Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
My time will come with Siren, but I’ve never been one to rush into shit like this. I need to learn more about her, figure out who she is and what drives her. I need to know her moves, how she strikes, and what her limits are. There’s a reason she’s known as one of the best in the business, and I won’t make a move until I figure out exactly who I’m dealing with.
After making my way back to my car, I drive through the deserted streets of Blue Springs, and it quickly becomes apparent that after eight at night, the town’s people tuck themselves into bed and don’t emerge until business hours the following day. I’m sure Friday and Saturday nights will differ, but whether there are witnesses or not, it doesn’t change a thing for me. I’ll still be capable of doing everything I need to do during these games.
Pulling to a stop outside one of the only hotels in town, I pocket my keys before making my way inside, keeping my head down as I pass by one of the only cameras that actually work in the building. It isn’t exactly the most logical type of accommodation for a competition like War Games. It doesn’t boast easy escapes and there are more staff than actual guests, but for tonight, it will do. Though at some point, I need to find somewhere a little more . . . homey. Somewhere I don’t have to be quite so discreet.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the benefits of room service with a whole staff at my beck and call, but I also prefer the privacy a real home can offer. Besides, it won’t be long before the hotel maids start ignoring the Do Not Disturb sign hanging on my door, and once that happens, people are going to start dropping like flies. I can’t risk people snooping through my room because the large array of weapons hidden beneath the bed will only bring questions I’m not willing to answer.
Making my way through the hotel lobby, I pass the bar and cast my gaze over the adjoining room. A few people linger in the bar, but for the most part, it’s dead. It’s late and I’m sure the bar staff are counting down the minutes until they get to close. I could really use a drink, but truth be told, I think I need a cold shower more. Siren has left me wound up, and I don’t fucking like it.
I live by a code. It’s me, myself, and I. Women aren’t a problem for me. I take what I want and leave. I have no family. No friends. Nobody to miss me. But for the first time in my life, I can’t seem to let go of the idea that I should keep Siren around. I’ve never cared to spare someone’s life before, and yet I’ve now walked away from her twice. That’s not in my nature, and it’s starting to fuck with my head. Perhaps it’s all just sexual, and after I take her, whatever is forcing me to have a moral compass will finally disappear.
Frustration burns through me, and as I continue past the hotel bar, someone at a private table catches my eye, pulling me up short.
Graves.
What are the fucking chances? Last I checked, he was staying in a rundown motel, and yet, here he is just waiting to be caught.
A grin pulls at the corner of my lips. This is going to be too fucking easy.
As if sensing my stare, Graves lifts his gaze, his brows furrowed until he spots me at the entrance. His back stiffens, and I watch the color drain from his face. He discreetly stands, not wanting to draw attention before walking further into the bar and slipping out the side exit, taking him deeper into the hotel and further away from any type of surveillance or witnesses.
Decisions. Decisions.
I could go after him, or I could walk away and let him be someone else’s problem.
Shit.
While I know tonight’s theme seems to be missed opportunity, I can’t seem to let this one go, and unlike Siren, I don’t have the overwhelming need to fuck this guy. I watched him murder both Slasher and Crimson Rain last night, and while I have absolutely no issues with how he went after Slasher, the way he so brutally beat Crimson Rain didn’t sit well with me. Don’t get me wrong, my morals would never be applauded, but when going after a woman, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it, and Graves sure as fuck didn’t get that memo. He deserves to be brutally murdered, and I’m more than happy to give him exactly what he asked for.
Making the decision to go for it, I cut through the bar and slip out the same side exit that Graves just took, and despite knowing he would have broken into a sprint the second he left the bar, I take my time. There’s no need to rush. I’m a hunter by nature. Whether it takes a few seconds or all night, I’ll find him, and when I do, he better hope he’s made peace with his maker.