“Deal.”
Amala leaves, but Rich is still in the kitchen. I check the feed from the other camera I’ve hidden there. He’s washing dishes, whistling to himself as though he couldn’t be more fucking pleased.
“Leave that,” Karolina insists. “I’ll take care of it in the morning.”
“I’ve already started.” He refuses to acknowledge her request.
“I need to get some sleep.”
Another kind dismissal that he chooses to ignore.
The urge to storm out of my flat above hers, race down the stairs, and drag him out of her space is almost overwhelming.
Rich dries his hands on the dish towel and then steps toward her. His hands brace on the counter, bracketing her hips. He leans in, seeking a sloppy kiss.
She turns her face away before I slip into madness. I’m clinging to my control by my fingernails.
“You need to leave,” she asserts, cold and firm.
“Come on,” he cajoles. “Just one kiss.”
“No. Seriously, Rich. Leave.”
He leans in again, smashing his mouth down on hers. She tries to recoil, but he gasps her skull and holds her in place to steal the disgusting kiss.
She shoves him away sharply. In his drunken state, he stumbles back, barely catching himself on the sink before he falls to the floor.
He shakes his head and rights himself, eyes narrowing.
“What the fuck, Lena?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” she seethes. “I asked you to leave. Now I’m telling you to get the fuck out.”
I’m already on my feet when he whirls and stalks toward the exit.
The cool night air hits my heated skin, the contrast heightening my senses. I’m keenly aware of the sounds of drunken students at a different party in the building, the dull shine of streetlights on the rain-dampened cobblestones, and the distant scent of the murky River Ouse.
The river.
An excellent place to dispose of a body.
I pull my hood up to conceal my face and prowl after Rich. He’s weaving slightly as he walks through town. It’s late enough that there aren’t many people on the streets, so he doesn’t bump into anyone when he stumbles on some uneven paving stones.
No one’s concerned about the drunk boy lurching his way home.
And he’s too inebriated to notice that I’m tailing him.
Even if he were more alert, I’ve spent years hunting men from the shadows. I’ve taken on far more dangerous targets than lanky, oblivious Rich.
He forced a kiss on my Karolina. If she were a more passive woman, he might be taking advantage of her right now.
But even when she shoved him away, she didn’t hurt more than his fragile ego.
The urge to drag him somewhere private where I can make him scream tenses my muscles. I flex my fists briefly to release the vicious impulse.
I’ll keep this quick and clean. I don’t intend to risk my freedom for this bastard.
We reach Lendal Bridge, and I quicken my pace to close the distance between us. The sound of an inebriated crowd bellowing along to live music at a nearby Irish bar covers the sound of my encroaching footsteps. Rich joins in, humming under his breath as though he doesn’t have a care in the world.