10. Nicholas

10

NICHOLAS

I smirked as she shot past the semi and sped off down the highway. She was smart, but I was smarter. I pulled over at a gas station and filled up my tank. While I was waiting, I opened the app on my phone and watched as she took a right and then zig-zagged around the countryside, probably trying to lose me.

Of course, she didn't know that I'd slipped multiple trackers on her car at the diner. I'd spied her organizing the condiments at the table, completely ignoring what I was doing in the parking lot. And when I brought the napkin to her table, I slipped another tracker into her purse. There was no way she was losing me.

But I'd let her think she was.

She drove for hours, only stopping once night had fallen. I pulled into the motel about a half hour after the tracker stopped moving. It wasn't what I would consider a luxury motel, but then again, I had slept in worse places.

Most of the time with Fox.

I sat in the car, waiting for her to turn out the lights. I couldn't pinpoint what I was so fascinated with. By all accounts, she was a gorgeous woman. Any man would be attracted to her. But how many men would follow her to her home and then chase her across the country?

Not many.

There had to be something wrong with me. It was all because of Fox. I wasn't normally this guy, but something about being around him set off something inside me. His personality fueled my darker side.

It started with my wife. It was an obsession, really. When she told me she wanted a divorce, I just had to know why. Was it just because she was screwing someone else? Was she really that unhappy with me? I couldn't rest until I understood the situation. And even then, I couldn't walk away. I couldn't stop watching her.

It became like a drug to me. The need to know what she was doing and why was a habit that took me a long time to shake. It was only when I joined the department that I finally cut all ties with her. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but I couldn't enforce the law while stalking my ex.

Besides, the man she was screwing behind my back was a lawyer.

The pretentious prick loved to sue people. It was a game to him, and I didn't want to be caught up in any of his tricks. I forced myself to stay away from her for a week. Every day that passed became a little easier to tolerate until eventually, I didn't need to see her. I walked away and felt the relief of knowing she was no longer my problem.

And that worked out great for me.

Until I saw those green eyes.

After the light had been out for a half hour, I made my move. The motel had cheap locks and flimsy door frames. I could kick the door in, but that would defeat the purpose of my mission. I quickly picked the lock and gently opened the door a scant inch. As I suspected, she'd put the chain lock on the door. I pulled out a tool I'd crafted a long time ago, slipping it between the door and the frame, up to the chain. When I felt the little hands click around the slider, I pulled the door shut as far as I could, then released the slider from the door.

Gently, I lowered the chain until it dangled silently from the wall. Now that I was in, I stepped through the doorway and silently closed the door, slipping off my gloves. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I searched the bed for her frame.

There she was, sleeping peacefully in a room that had no business keeping her. I shook off that thought and crept closer for a better look. She laid on her side with one hand tucked under her head. Long eyelashes shifted ever-so-slightly as her eyes moved as she slept.

Part of me hoped she would wake up and show me those beautiful green eyes. Yes, I would be caught, but it would be worth it to see those beauties again. I took a seat at the table by the window, watching her carefully, taking in everything from her long, slender fingers that rested on the bed right in front of her to the curve of her hip.

Sitting back, I shook my head. I was fucking losing it. I'd really followed her all fucking day just to get a glimpse of her. I'd stuck trackers on her car and snuck into her room. I raised my phone, keeping the flash off, and snapped a photo. I sent a message to Fox.

Me: This is what hanging out with you does to me.

His response was immediate.

Fox: You're with her. That's awesome.

Me: I'm not with her. She's in the bed. I'm in a dark room watching her.

Fox: So…you're with her.

Me: I'm fucking stalking her.

Fox: I knew you had it in you.

I could practically hear the laughter in his voice. He saw this as the inevitable…a chance for me to chase her and fill some deep-seated urge that could only be satiated when I was in her company.

Maybe that was true.

But the point was, I had allowed the darkness to take over and control me. It had to stop. Obsessions like this weren't healthy. I couldn't spend the next ten years of my life like Fox—following this woman whenever I felt the urge.

Of course, I wasn't exactly like Fox. If I stayed away, the feelings would eventually go away. I didn't have the same darkness as Fox. I didn't need a woman to bring a sense of calm to my life.

And in some ways, that made this whole thing so much fucking worse.

He had an excuse. He was already fucked in the head. I was just following her out of some twisted desire. I didn't even have a dark, tragic past. What the hell was wrong with me?

I was about to get up and leave when her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She shifted slightly, but didn't immediately move. I only had a second to make a decision. I dropped to the ground and rolled under the bed just as I heard her fumble with her phone.

"Yeah?" Her tired voice filled the air, calming something inside me. I closed my eyes, pissed that I allowed myself to get in this position. I had fought these desires for far too long, only to let it all fall apart after having Fox back in my life for a short time.

I heard her shuffle in her bed, then her feet fell to the floor. "Hold on," she muttered, her voice filled with sleep. Her phone crackled as she put it on speakerphone and yawned loudly. "Who is this?"

"Snatch."

I was surprised when I heard his voice come over the phone. Why had she put it on speaker?

"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"It's the middle of the night," she grumbled. "And we're hardly friends."

"Since when do you go to sleep at eleven o'clock?"

"Since I was driving all day and I was tired," she mumbled. "Is there a point to this call, or can I go back to sleep?"

"I've got a job for you."

"Why would I want to do another job with you?"

"For old times' sake."

I heard a heavy sigh leave her body. "What's the job?"

"Simple snatch job. Just like me."

"What's the take?"

"Fifty million. Half that is yours when the job is over."

"You mean, when the job is over and we sell the item," she corrected.

"Of course. It won't take long. I already have a buyer lined up."

"And the fence?"

"Curtis."

There was a pause. "He's good. What's his cut?"

"Twenty percent."

"That's a little steep."

"You'll understand when you see what we're stealing."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"And have you steal it out from under me and keep the profits? No thank you."

She paused again. "Tell me where."

"New York."

"I need two days."

"I can work with that. But the job has to go down by the end of the week. We don't have a lot of time to plan."

"I'll be there."

She hung up the phone and yawned loudly. Now that she was off the phone, I zeroed in on her toes. They were long and slender with just the perfect amount of toenail. And she even had them painted.

What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you seriously developing a foot fetish?

She stood from the bed and walked toward the window. My eyes flicked to the door where the chain was dangling off the hook. If she noticed that, I was fucked.

But she turned and headed for the bathroom. As soon as the door shut, I slid out from under her bed and looked at where she slept one last time. I bent over, inhaling her perfect scent, then turned to leave. At the last second, I grabbed the watch from the nightstand and tucked it into my pocket.

After slipping out the door, I used my device to reattach the chain. Just as I was slipping it back into place, I heard the toilet flush. I pulled the door shut, then re-engaged the lock.

Glancing around the darkness, I made my way to my car to sleep off the disturbing thoughts rolling through my head. It didn't matter if she left while I was asleep. I had the trackers and I knew where she was headed.

There was no way she was losing me.