3. Loren

3

LOREN

We have houses everywhere. When I was younger, Voss and I would randomly point to a place on the globe and see if Van Doren Estates had property there. Almost always, there was something within fifty miles. It was rare when there wasn't.

Rainforest and deserts… those made sense. I didn't ask when that was the case. Who wanted or even could survive in those environments? But then again, there were more times than not when we were surprised to find something close to one of the remote, inhospitable places.

When we asked Dad, he said that they might not be suitable for the long term, but almost anything is perfect for a few days.

Sometimes, I live by that thought.

Imry and I sit in a café close to the campus Daniel is hunting on. From what Imry says, he frequents this particular shop because there are always Eastern State students here.

We've been here for a while, attempting to blend in with the population. Imry has a young face, so I think he does easily enough. I don't always have that kind of luck. Technically speaking, I'm just over two years younger than the triplets. I am the baby of the family. Even my uncles don't have kids.

Our father is fourteen years older than his next oldest sibling. Then there are three more boys after that in quick succession. It's really amusing since Myro is only three years younger than our dad's youngest brother.

That's part of the reason I'm still the youngest in our immediate family. All my uncles are in their early- to mid-thirties. To my knowledge, no one even has a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Or hell, even a partner. Maybe we're just a family of men who only want fuck buddies.

Except for Avory and Ellory, but I don't really count them in this party since they can't get pregnant and change the fact that I'm the youngest Van Doren. I kind of like that I'm the youngest.

That's not to say that we don't have a large extended family. Granddad Van Doren has five sisters and two brothers, so we know that there are extended family members. Many even work for VDT—Van Doren Technologies.

As I muse on being the youngest and holding that title for as long as I can, my gaze continues to scan our surroundings. I glance down at what I'm wearing and decide that at least as far as aesthetics, I blend in. I usually keep my sunglasses on, even indoors, because it hides the unhinged look that apparently makes people uneasy.

"Eat," Imry says.

I glance at him and then at my plate. I've taken a single bite out of my bagel. Not because it's not good, but… I've been focused on waiting for Daniel to step inside.

We're still in the early stages of tracking his movement again. Because he moved to a college city and hangs out in the places where the student body congregates, we know that it's only a matter of time before he'll choose his victims.

There's only a single suspect, but Daniel has taken notes from our previous encounter and is being more… covert in choosing his victims. Almost as if he knows he's being watched.

I take another bite of my bagel as I scan the café. There's a lot of noise, but it's mostly from the machines whirring behind the counter. Chatter is quiet. The shuffling of feet and scraping of chairs is quiet. Dulled. As if the patrons haven't woken up yet.

Another bite and the door opens. I pause, mid chew, but it's not Daniel. I'm finished with the first half of my bagel by the time Daniel steps inside.

He's dressed in a combination of looking like a college kid and a rich kid. His clothes are designer knockoffs, but to an untrained eye, they look like more expensive fabrics and cuts. His hair is neatly combed to the side, and I can see a scar I gave him just below his right ear when he turns.

I wait for him to spot me, but he doesn't. Pity. I want to see him piss his pants.

The thing is, I don't think he's a good-looking man. Granted, I don't claim to be an expert in judging what makes a man attractive, but I feel like I'm fairly confident that even on a conventional standard, he's not all that impressive to look at.

He's kind of dumpy. I'm not even sure what that means, but I stand by that judgment. His hair is far too neat, his eyes are too close together. His smile is slimy. He's not tall or short, so he just kind of blends in.

Maybe he's got a big dick. Is that what guys are into?

I glance at Imry and wonder if he likes big dick. Is there a tell?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Imry asks.

"Just wondering if there's a tell for whether a man likes big dicks or not," I answer.

He raises a brow. "What?"

I shrug. "He's not impressive. I was trying to understand how he always finds multiple victims."

Imry laughs quietly and I turn my attention back to Daniel. He's at the counter now, ordering.

"From what I've uncovered, he preys on the vulnerable. Those who are closeted or those who feel insecure about their appearance or their body or something else. He's probably pretty charming and knows how to flirt."

Frowning, I study him at the counter. He's talking to the man that's preparing the coffee and sure enough, he has his attention. Daniel has caught his interest.

"That's his next victim, isn't it?" I ask.

"I don't think so. He's got too much confidence."

"Then why bother?"

"Two reasons. To prove that he could," he says as he nods in Daniel's direction. I track his movement as he crosses the café with his cup and chooses a table to sit at. Like us, he's scanning the area. "And two, that person can say ‘yeah, he's been here. He was super nice.'"

"He's calculating," I muse. Honestly, I don't worry too much about the details when I'm handed a target's information. I don't need to know. Someone has already done the clearance and secured a means to collect payment after the fact. My only concern is where my target is and how to take him out.

"Very. He knows when someone is out of his league and he knows when he can manipulate someone to their breaking point and leave him with complete control. He also knows when to walk away when one of his victims isn't bending the way he wants them to."

Given this information, I watch those around the café, paying particular attention to new patrons walking in. Will this guy be his next victim?

He seems to be watching two different men as he sips his coffee, not giving any attention to anyone new as they come in. I'm almost enjoying internally debating which one he's going to choose. Breaking them down and attempting to identify the qualities Imry says Daniel looks for.

I turn my attention to the door, but turn back to Daniel when a woman walks in. They aren't his target. Although I'm kind of curious to know whether he could seduce a woman too.

I think about the women I've dated and then nearly laugh. Okay, I don't actually date anyone. I show them just enough attention and interest until they agree to fuck. Then I'm done. I'm upfront about what I'm interested in them for, at least. There's no manipulation or anything. That's really more energy than I'm willing to expend for an orgasm. There are far simpler ways.

But would they have bought Daniel's act? Which leads me to the next question—what is this man like when he's not acting? What's driven him to this point? Is it just the thrill of succeeding?

My attention lazily moves to the door when I hear the bell again, but this time, I'm riveted. He looks soft and sweet, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. His hair is blond, haphazardly held back with an elastic, with loose strands framing his face.

His eye color almost matches his hair color. At this distance, that's exactly what it looks like. He has a very loud backpack. It's blue with bright green lettering. I swear, you could see it from space.

But other than his bright backpack, he's quiet. His presence is muted.

He steps up to the line and doesn't look around much, for which I'm both thankful and frustrated. I want to see into his eyes. You can tell a lot about a person by his eyes. The little glimpse I caught was just quiet.

"Looks like he's found his next victim," Imry murmurs.

It's a struggle, but I tear my attention from the man in line to look at Daniel again. Imry's right. He's definitely found his target. However, I'm absolutely livid that it seems his target is this long-haired beauty.

"No," I say, my hands gripping my chair. I'm not sure whether it's to keep myself there or so I don't slam them on the table.

Imry looks at me and while I'd really love to meet his eyes right now, I can't look away from Daniel as he stares at this guy. My guy.

My brother chuckles, but I barely hear it. Daniel has definitely chosen his next target. I can almost see his calculations for how he's going to introduce himself. How he's going to dig his claws in.

Hairs stand up all over my body. I swear, I'm ready to attack.

Daniel takes the last sip of his drink and when he gets up, I'm tracking him like he has a homing beacon on him. My anger rises as he gets closer to my guy. They meet at the prep counter where my guy is adding sugar to his coffee.

I see the moment Daniel speaks to him, how my guy looks at him with wide, surprised eyes. A blushing, return smile. He brushes strands of his hair behind his ear and meets Daniel's gaze again.

Fucking hell, he's exactly the kind of sweet man that this fucker would prey on.

Imry's hand grips my arm, pushing me back into my chair. I hadn't realized I was getting to my feet until he stopped me. "No," Imry insists. "Stay here."

"I can't," I say but he doesn't let me go.

"You need to. We're in public."

"But—" Words fail me as I try to explain why I can't let him get near that man. My man! He's mine.

I'll examine this later, but right now, I need to keep Daniel away from him. "Im, I realize you're going to have an issue with this, but I'm not letting him leave here with that guy. I don't care if we are in public."

"Don't make me tie you to this chair, Loren," he says warily.

"Imry—"

"You will let him leave here. Our job right now is to track his movements. Besides, all he's doing is talking to someone."

While I want to scowl at my brother, I can't take my eyes away from Daniel and my guy. Everything inside me is rolling. I need to get my hands on him. I need to get him away from Daniel.

"I don't really care about the job right now."

"What's gotten into you?" Imry questions. When I don't answer, he grips my hair and forces my eyes to his. "I mean it, Loren. What's the problem here?"

How do I make him understand when the only thing I know is that man belongs to me? I'm not a fucking dog. I don't just bond like that. But the way my chest feels tight and my possessive anger feels like a living thing right now truly feels like I have an animal living inside me.

"Loren," he says with a frown. "Do you need to go home? Myro can finish?—"

"I'm not leaving," I snap, my eyes shifting to make sure they haven't left the building yet. Both fortunately and unfortunately, they're sitting at a table together talking. My guy is smiling shyly. Nodding at something Daniel says.

I see what Imry meant, Daniel must be charming. I would never have guessed that. I would have thought that there still needed to be some attraction there. All I see is a snake.

I watch, gritting my teeth, as they exchange phone numbers. However, when they get up to leave together, that's as much as I can take. Pulling myself from Imry's hold, I jerk to my feet and follow them out the door.

"Fucking Christ, Loren," Imry mutters just as I'm pushing open the door. They're only a dozen feet ahead and while I'm mindful to keep my distance, I follow them down the road toward campus. I've only followed them a dozen feet when Imry catches up. "I'm going to put you on a leash," he hisses.

I don't answer. He can put me on a leash all he wants. I'll be dragging his ass behind me.

We pause when they stop at a corner. I'm fuming when Daniel leans in to kiss my guy on the cheek before taking a right and continuing down the road.

Imry has to forcefully push me to follow. I'd rather be following my man and making sure he knows he's mine. That needs to happen.

"Loren, if you don't fucking get your head in the game, I'm going to call Dad," Imry threatens.

I glare at him just as he pulls me into a door. We're inside a bookshop, the quiet bell overhead announcing our arrival.

"What's gotten into you?" he hisses.

Staring out the window, I strain to try to see him through the crowd. The cars. The buildings. Obviously, I can't.

Taking a breath, I shake my head. "I need to know who that guy is," I insist.

"Yes, I always identify the victims too," he says. "It's easier to keep them safe and track Alabaster's movements. But that doesn't answer my question. What's gotten into you?"

"He's mine," I answer, feeling a little wild. "I will not let Daniel touch him."

Imry's eyes widen as he stares at me. Then he's laughing. "Fuck, Loren. There's not a day that goes by when you don't surprise me."

I have no idea what he's talking about.