“Alright, if you’re all good, I’m gonna jet,” Viper says. “Got shit to take care of.”

  A soft smile pulls at my lips, and despite not needing him to check up on me, I appreciate the thought and the time he’s taken out of his day to stop by. He goes to push off the table when I find myself reaching out toward him. “Before you go,” I say, my brows furrowing, unsure why I’m even asking this of him. “You wouldn’t happen to know anyone in security, would you?”

  Viper immediately steps closer to me, his body going stiff. “Why the fuck do you need someone in security?” he demands, his gaze quickly scanning the street before flicking toward the back of the shop. “Did something happen?”

  “No. Shit. Calm down. Everything’s okay,” I say, resisting the urge to laugh, because honestly, in his line of work, I suppose looking over your shoulder is just a part of the job description. “I was just thinking about getting some security cameras installed in my apartment. I think one of my neighbors is screwing with me so I figured, why not?”

  Viper holds my stare a moment longer than necessary, and it’s clear he knows I’m lying, that there’s another reason I want to get security cameras installed, but it’ll be a cold day in hell when I actually tell him that I think I have a stalker sneaking into my apartment every night, somehow unlocking my window from outside. If he knew, he’d never leave my side, and in the blink of an eye, I’d have his men stationed outside my door while he slept sitting in the armchair across from my bed. Hell, that’s assuming he doesn’t go complete caveman and just kidnap me instead, insisting I move into his home like some kind of twisted romance novel.

  “I know a guy,” Viper finally says. “He’ll have it installed by the time you’re home tonight.”

  “Huh?”

  “You heard me,” Viper says. “Keys.”

  My brows furrow, and he holds his hand out toward me. “I’m not going to ask again. Keys, Kyah,” Viper growls, that familiar anger flashing in his deadly eyes.

  Shit.

  Hastily scrambling for my bag, I fish my keys out and drop them into his hand, and as he turns away, I call after him. “Wait. How much is it gonna cost? I’ve got some cash saved up.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Ky. It’s on me. The fucker owes me a favor anyway.” And with that, Viper is gone, leaving me gaping after him while kinda terrified of the thought of having him and his henchmen alone in my apartment.

  It’s dark by the time I start for home, walking through the waning crowd in the streets of Brooklyn. Exhaustion clouds my mind as I continue thinking about the design I created this morning. Hell, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all day. It really is terrifyingly beautiful, and it speaks a dark truth about the man I’m not sure I really knew at all. It’s every fear and tormenting thought in my mind displayed before me on paper.

  Maybe Big Jim is right. Maybe I should use the design to complete my sleeve. I’d have to make a few alterations to make it fit the space available, but I could make it work, and there’s no denying it would be beautiful. Plus, it’s also a bonus that I know Big Jim would do an incredible job with it.

  My phone dings in my back pocket, and my brows furrow. Maybe it's Alex checking in. I’m usually home by now, but it was a long day. Even though I had a week off work, the rent is still due, so I’ll be doing some longer hours to make up for the missed work, otherwise, I’ll find myself not only down a friend, but down an apartment too. Though if it were to come to that, I’m sure Nat would take me in, but it wouldn’t last long. There’s only so much of each other we can handle before needing a break.

  Glancing down at my phone, I prepare myself for whatever ridiculous message Alex has sent, a thrill already pulsing through me, only as I unlock my screen, I realize the message isn’t from Alex at all. It’s an unknown number.

  Curiosity gets the best of me, and I open the text and quickly scan over it while doing my best not to run headfirst into the people on the street.

  Unknown - Yo, this Kyah? Crew’s funeral is Thursday, downtown. He’d want you there.

  What in the ever-loving fuck? Who the hell is this? If anyone was going to organize a funeral for him, it’d be me and Big Jim, and we decided that some big fancy funeral is the last thing Crew would have wanted. He would have just preferred we all get wicked drunk and talk about how much we loved him.

  Kyah - Who’s this?

  Unknown - Crew’s brother. You coming or what?

  Okay. Now I know I didn’t read that right because as far as I was aware, Crew didn’t have a brother. He was an only child, and as for his parents, I don’t think he even mentioned them once.

  Kyah - Crew didn’t have a brother.

  Unknown - Shit. Is that what he told ya? Fuck me.

  Not wanting to respond anymore, I lock my phone and keep it clutched tightly in my hand, my head spinning with the possibility that Crew might have a brother out there somewhere. But yet, the more the idea circles my mind, the more I think this guy is lying. I mean, I know Crew certainly had secrets. That much has been made painfully clear, but surely the fact that he had a brother would have come up at some point.

  Reaching my apartment, I take note of the six Harley Davidsons parked outside my building, and as I crane my head toward the sky, I realize the light is still on in my apartment and let out a heavy sigh. The last thing I want is to have to deal with Viper and his men tonight, but at the same time, Viper still has my keys, and I’d really prefer not to spend the night sleeping in the hall outside my door. Though something tells me that Alex might just be kind enough to offer me his couch, and if I’m lucky, he might even welcome me into his bed. Just to sleep though. He wouldn’t dare risk losing our little challenge, especially now we’ve been putting so much effort into resisting each other. Alex doesn’t strike me as the losing type.

  Making my way up to my apartment, I push through the door to find Viper and his men just finishing up with the cameras scattered throughout my apartment.

  Spider hovers in my kitchen and the second he sees me, a smirk cuts across his face. “Nice decor,” he murmurs, glancing above my head to my new favorite art piece that stands proud and tall, and so damn thick, for the world to see.

  I go to respond, but before I get a chance, Viper is standing before me, his hand out expectantly. “Phone,” he snaps.

  Not wanting a repeat of what happened in the shop, I quickly hand it over before kicking the door closed behind me and watching as Viper unlocks my screen. He scrolls through the multiple pages of stupid apps I don’t even use before finally finding my app store, and I watch as he downloads some kind of security app.

  “Hey, did you know Crew had a brother?” I ask as the app starts its download.

  Viper’s icy gaze cuts to mine, and it sends a chill sailing down my spine. “Who told you that?”

  “The brother did,” I say, pointing toward my phone. “I just got a text from him, inviting me to Crew’s funeral.”

  Viper immediately goes into my texts, clearly not having any issues breaching my privacy, and he takes a screenshot of the text exchange along with the unknown number at the top. “Crew’s family had a private wake for him three days ago,” Viper tells me, that icy gaze returning back to mine. “There is no funeral, Kyah. The bastard’s trying to lure you out.”

  My brows furrow. “What do you mean he’s trying to lure me out? Who the hell is he?”

  “A fucking dead man,” Viper tells me. “You hear me, Kyah. You’re not to involve yourself with this asshole. Is that understood?”

  I arch my brow, not liking the audacity pouring out of him, assuming he has any say in who I involve myself with, but judging from the deadly look in his eyes, it’s not something I’m willing to push right now. “Yeah, got it,” I say, watching as Viper blocks and deletes the number from my phone before checking on the progress of the app download.

  A few minutes pass and before I know it, Viper has me set up with an account for my new cameras and shows me exactly how to work it. “There’s a panic button,” he says, showing me how to find it on the home screen. “But in a real emergency, if someone is trying to break into your apartment, you call me directly, and I’ll be here. No matter what.”

  I nod, knowing exactly when to play along with his demanding nature.

  He goes over my alarm, showing me how to enable it each night and explains that the security company will receive a notification when it's tripped. Then after practically giving me a pop quiz, Viper and his men are gone, and before I get a chance to even set the alarm for the night, I fall face-first onto my bed and crash, the exhaustion of the day, knocking me out cold.

  19

  REID

  “What a clever girl,” I murmur to myself, watching as the Grim Reapers fly down the street after spending the last few hours installing Kyah’s new security cameras, their bikes rumbling like a thunderstorm through the night.

  I knew she was starting to sense me there, starting to feel that something was off, and installing security cameras was the perfect confirmation. She’s finally starting to play my game, and I’ve never been so excited.

  Oh, the fun we’re about to have.

  A heavy rush pulses through my veins as I cross the road and make my way toward the front door of the apartment complex. It’s not the first time one of my girls has had security cameras and alarms installed, and from experience, it only makes it better.

  I’m going to have to be careful from here on out, but first, I need to get inside her apartment and figure out what I’m dealing with.

  After hashing in the code at the main door of the building, I slip inside before making my way up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, and as I creep toward her door, I shift my gaze up and down the long hall, making sure I’m not about to get caught. Each passing second brings us a little closer to midnight, and from what I can tell about watching the people who occupy this building, midnight is my golden hour. Most of the time. I’m not going to lie, I’ve had a few close calls over the past few weeks, but nothing I can’t shrug off as a one-night stand.

  Pulling out the burner phone cloned from Kyah’s phone, I quickly search it to find a new app staring back at me, and a grin tears across my face. Fuck, my sweet little Kyah makes it too easy.

  Opening the app, I shake my head, realizing that on day one, she already forgot to set her alarm, giving me perfect access to her apartment, not that something as menial as an alarm was going to stop me. Then looking at the camera feed, I’m able to determine exactly where her new cameras are and just how many have been installed. I have to give it to Viper, he did a thorough job making sure there were no blind spots, but unfortunately for him, the lack of blind spots won't be an issue for me.

  Going into the settings of the app, I record a loop, and considering she’s already passed out in bed and there’s no other movement inside her apartment, I don’t need to record for long. Then after hacking into the app’s mainframe, I set the video to play on a loop for the next two hours before disabling her cameras. And with that, I slide the copy of her front door key into her door and walk straight in.

  A grin lingers on my lips, and the second I close the door behind me, I inhale deeply, loving the way her scent wraps around me. She’s so fucking intoxicating. Everything about her just does it for me.

  It’s been challenging trying to see her this past week, but I’ve done what I can to make it work. I don’t understand it though. She took the death of that asshole really hard, but it shouldn't have broken her this way. I was doing her a favor, giving her what she needed. Doesn’t she see how wrong he was for her? But it’s fine, sometimes these things happen, and handling human emotions isn’t always as easy as we hope it’s going to be. Sometimes we just break, even when it’s not warranted, and I’m not going to hold that against her. Instead, I just laid with her through the night, holding her close as she cried in her sleep, and as much as I want to do that again, I can’t risk it. Instead, I’ve played with her in other ways.

  The thought sends my gaze straight toward her living room window and a smirk lingers on my lips. God, it’s been fun playing this little game with her this week. I like to think that it’s given her something to look forward to each morning. Only now she’s started locking it, and that shit doesn’t sit well with me. I’d usually come in through her window to avoid the risk of exposure when having to go straight through her front door, but these past few days, it’s been necessary.

  Making my way through her apartment, I head toward her bedroom door, making a mental note of all of her new cameras as I go. Seeing them through the app was enough to tell me exactly where they were, but there’s something comforting about seeing them with my own eyes.

  I love that she’s playing along, doing all of this just for me.

  It’s going to be the best fun we’ve ever had.

  Stepping through to her bedroom, I find Kyah sprawled out on her bed, her blanket down around her waist, and as I walk over to her, I take the blanket and pull it up to her shoulders, knowing that’s how she prefers to sleep. Then crouching down beside her, my gaze trails over her beautiful face, and I gently brush her hair back behind her ear, obsessed with the soft moan that slips from between her lips.

  God, I need to hear it again.

  Leaning into her, I press my lips to her soft cheek. “I hope you’re ready for me, sweet Kyah,” I whisper into the darkened room before pulling back. There’s so much more I want to say to her, so many wicked promises that I know will have her clenching those pretty thighs, but it needs to wait. She’s not quite ready, but she will be soon. Every day, I feel her inching closer to me, preparing for what’s to come, and I can’t fucking wait.

  Then turning around, I pull the lipstick I took from her bathroom before quickly uncapping the lid. Facing the wall, I raise my arm, and with a twisted smirk stretching across my lips, I get to work.

  20

  KYAH

  Fear blasts through my veins like a bullet, rendering me breathless as I stare at my bedroom wall. The early morning sun streams through my window and shines upon the message scrawled across the drywall like a spotlight.

  But fuck. It more than has my attention.

  I swallow hard, my hands shaking as I grasp my blanket, holding it to my chest as though it could somehow offer me protection as I scan over the words for the millionth time.

  PRETTY, PRETTY, KYAH.

  ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?

  What in the ever-loving fuck is that?

  I was right. Someone is coming into my apartment each night, but more than that, this asshole was in my room while I slept.

  Chills sweep down my spine, my blood turning ice cold as my heart pounds a million miles an hour. I knew something was happening. I was starting to come to terms with the possibility of someone sneaking into my apartment, and not just some crazy neighbor fucking with me, but this? FUCK.

  This asshole is escalating. It’s not just sneaking into my apartment now. He’s leaving me messages, asking me if I’m ready to play. What the hell does this mean? Is this guy dangerous? And what does he mean by play? Is he going to try and fuck with me? Play mind games? Or is it something much worse?

  I swallow over the lump in my throat and get to my feet, my knees shaking wildly beneath me.

  This guy knows my name. This is more than just some random guy sneaking into my apartment. He knows who I am, and from the looks of it, he’s only just getting started.

  How long has this been going on? I started noticing the open window last week, but has it been longer than that? That day I came home with Crew before heading out to the bar, my window was open and there was the smell of a man’s cologne. I assumed it was my upstairs neighbor, but what if it wasn’t? Could this have started back then? And what about last Sunday when I’d gotten home to find my door kicked in? I’d assumed it was Crew because of his message that went along with it, demanding to know where I was, but is it possible the door wasn’t Crew at all? Did I get in his face and accuse him of something he didn’t do?

  Shit.

  My chest heaves, barely able to take in a proper breath, and despite it being way too early to get to work, I haul ass, not wanting to be here a minute longer than necessary. I hurry toward the bathroom, my gaze bouncing around my apartment, trying to take in every last corner, when I notice the wide-open window.

  I come to an abrupt stop, my heart pounding so damn hard I feel it will send me to an early grave. Shit. What if that’s what this asshole is trying to achieve?

  Oh God. I can’t handle this.

  I’m not exactly a good girl and don’t entirely lead the kind of lifestyle that would please a man’s mother, but I draw the line at psychopathic stalkers who sneak into women’s bedrooms at night and leave messages on their fucking walls. Like what the hell is that even about?

  Wait. That was lipstick, right? Not blood? Ahh shit.

  I’m not cut out for this.

  After darting across the room and hastily closing and locking the window once again, I make my way into the bathroom, only I find myself pausing before taking a step back toward the living room. My gaze lifts toward the ceiling, spying the camera above my head.

  If someone was in my apartment last night, then it’d be caught on camera, right? So why the hell didn’t my alarm go off when it caught movement?

  My brows furrow, and I find myself hurrying back into my bedroom, finding my phone on my bedside table, and yanking it so hard I pull the charger out of the wall outlet. I drop down on my bed, and as I go to search through the endless pages of apps I have loaded on my phone, a vision of a hand snaking out from under my bed and clutching my ankle plays on repeat in my mind, and I find myself pulling my legs up under me.