Page 6

5

THE STALKER

P arking a safe distance away, I wait until the sun begins its descent, twilight settling upon the land. Taking a final drag from my cigarette, I put it out, then throw it in the container I use as an ashtray.

I don’t throw my cigarette butts on the ground. Not just because I don’t like to litter. But I don’t want my DNA readily available for people to grab.

Turning, I slip down a dark alley before weaving through the woods that end at the edge of the Ice Queen’s house. Pausing, I survey the area, ensuring no one is outside, before slipping through the yard, heading toward the rosebush on the property. I’ve nearly reached it when something stops me in my tracks.

Turning, I cock my head, staring at the second-floor window. I swear I feel Madison inside that room.

And I’m extremely concerned about her.

What the fuck, Jagger. This isn’t you. You are a cold-blooded killer, and now you’re acting soft toward a woman you barely know? Worse yet, it’s your fucking enemy’s daughter!

Clenching my hands into fists, I stalk toward the rosebush, hitting it so hard with my hand I rip a few pieces of the bush off. The thorns cut me, pain mixing with my anger. Good. It makes it easier for me to pull my shit together and get my head back in the game. Pain is something I’m used to. I thrive on it.

Squatting down, I have a perfect vantage point of that window. The feeling that Madison is in that room grows. Squinting, I focus on it, feeling the air around me shift when I see a shadow move.

The last of the summer rays shine directly into that window like a light, illuminating her golden strands as she freezes, her attention turning to the window. Her movements are hesitant and guarded as she draws closer to the window. Her face presses against the glass, offering me a clear view of her. Frantic honey-brown gaze combs the backyard, searching for me .

Only she has no idea who I am. Not yet.

I’m laser-focused, studying every micro-expression she makes.

Disappointment twists her lips into a grimace, and she gives a frustrated shake of her head before she turns away.

Elation fills me as I move around the house carefully, sticking to the shadows and the trees. I know which room is Madison’s childhood bedroom, and I suspect she’s heading there.

The sadness and longing cloaked her, and I’d be fucking lying if I didn’t acknowledge that it pains me to see her alone and hurting like that, especially when she’s surrounded by people who are supposed to love her.

The large maple tree is close enough that it offers me a vantage point to her bedroom window while obscuring me from anyone who might stumble outside.

Plus, my trusty knife is in my sheath at my waist, so I'll handle it if it becomes problematic.

The hallway light spills into her room when she opens the door. She looks around the room slowly, then stops. She spots something and heads toward it, disappearing from view.

I wait, but she doesn’t reappear.

Turning to the maple tree, I study it, then check to ensure no one is around. Reaching up, I grab onto a branch and place my boot against the trunk, hoisting myself up.

I continue climbing, and finally, I’m at a level where I can see her lying in her bed. She’s curled around a stuffed animal, eyes closed, breathing steadily. She looks so peaceful.

Cocking my head, I study her, taking in her long lashes resting on her cheek, her silky blonde hair spread around her on the pillow. Her full, pink lips are parted slightly. Her arms are tightly locked around the stuffed animal, and her body, still clad in the dress she wore to the funeral, is curled around it. She’s a fucking vision as she sleeps.

My brow furrows, and my spine snaps straight. Vision? Really? What the fuck, Jagger? She is the enemy’s daughter! Get your damned shit together.

Lowering my head, I sigh, disappointed in myself. I’ve inflicted unimaginable torment on others, manipulating them to get the information I needed. I’ve tortured, maimed, and killed countless men in my quest for vengeance. I’m ruthless, cold-blooded, and cold-hearted.

Yet here I am, acting like a damned softie.

A light goes on in Madison’s room, drawing my attention. Ben and Chloe enter her room, then stop when they see her lying on the bed. Ben turns to Chloe, pressing his fingers to his lips in a shushing motion, then circles around the bed so that he’s facing Maddie. Gripping the branch, I lean forward, waiting to see what the asshole does.

He leans over Madison’s sleeping form, studying her. Reaching out, he gently strokes her hair, a sinister smile on his lips.

My brows furrow as I watch him, my gut churning. Not only do I hate him fucking touching her, but the expression on his face has me curious.

What game are you playing, Benny boy?

He removes his hand and looks over at Chloe. He heads to her, whispering something in her ear. She nods, and they turn, quietly exiting the room and shutting the door behind them.

I’m curious about their plans, so I climb down from the tree and stealthily move around the house. I spot them talking to the Ice Queen, and then Ben turns to Chloe. I read his lips as he says, “Ready?” Chloe nods, and they begin moving through the house, heading in the direction of the front door.

Are they seriously leaving Maddie behind?

I hurry toward a group of pine trees that provide me a view of the front of the house, perching behind them to ensure I have a view of the door and the sidewalk that leads to the driveway. My heart pounds from excitement. Abandoning her the night of her father’s funeral isn’t going to go over well.

A few minutes later, Ben and Chloe walk out the front door.

A wry smile pulls up my lips. Dumb fuckers.

Once they back out of the driveway and his car heads down the road, I stealthily slip from my hiding place and move back to the tree near Madison’s window. Lifting my head, I stare at her window, my thoughts in turmoil.

The room is dark since Ben and Chloe shut the door, so even if I climb the tree, I won’t be able to see much.

I stand outside her childhood home in the darkness, shoving my hands inside my pockets, debating.

I can be patient.

Watching and waiting, the mourners steadily leave the Ice Queen’s house until only Maddie and her mother remain inside. I watch as the Ice Queen cleans up, then heads into her bedroom, shutting and locking her door.

My smile is wide as I emerge from the shadows, slipping beneath the cover of darkness to the tree outside Maddie’s window. Climbing it again, I crawl onto the thick branch that juts out to her bedroom window.

My hands grasp the sash, silently lifting it, expecting it to be locked. A victorious smile spreads across my face as my gaze remains fixed on Maddie’s form huddled beneath the blankets.

Tsk, tsk, baby girl. Don’t you know danger lurks in the darkness?

Once it’s raised, I stealthily climb inside, my heart pounding frantically inside my chest. My boots sink into the plush bedroom carpet, soundless as I move toward the woman I’ve been obsessively watching for months. Her face is relaxed, long lashes fanning over her cheek, breathing steady and even.

My pulse hammers in my neck as I lean over her, so close my head spins dizzily from inhaling her vanilla and honey scent, infiltrating my lungs. Closing my eyes, I relish in it, desperate to touch her, yet wanting to prolong every second of this most sacred meeting.

Opening my eyes, a smug smile curls my lips. She’s unaware of the danger in her bedroom as she blissfully sleeps. As I calculate how best to manipulate this situation, the power coursing through me is heady and treacherous. I could kidnap her from her mother’s house, and no one would know who did it. Plus, that would really piss off the Ice Queen.

Swallowing hard, I exhale slowly, gaining control of my emotions. No, you can’t. That’s not the course of action you decided on. You’re already acting irrationally. Sneaking through her bedroom window is not part of the plan.

She whimpers, the sound reminding me of an injured animal. Her lashes flutter but don’t open, eyes rapidly moving beneath her closed lids. “No, Daddy.” Her voice reminds me of a child breaking from the pain and trauma of the loss of the most important person in her world. “Please, don’t leave me.”

Fuck. My chest is so damned tight I can barely suck in a breath. When I do, it’s painful and thick, burning and choking me as my heart squeezes.

Maddie’s body writhes on the bed, a sob breaking free. “Daddy… No.”

“Shhhh.” My voice is low as I place a finger gently on her arm, lightly stroking the soft material of the dress she wore to her father’s funeral. “It’s okay, Maddie. I’m here. You’re safe.”

She stills, breasts straining against her clothing from her breaths rasping in and out of her lungs.

My hand slides higher, over the rounded curve of her shoulder, then gently over the bare skin of her neck. Fuck, she feels like satin. Her skin is damp from sweat, reminding me of dew-covered rose petals. God, I want to run my lips and tongue over her salty skin, tasting her.

Control yourself. You’ll wake her if you do something so foolish.

My finger trails higher, tracing over the curves of her beautiful face. A soft, content sigh parts her lips, the sound going straight to my cock, which thickens inside my jeans. But my focus isn’t on my dick right now. It’s on the way Maddie’s body relaxes into my touch, her mewl music to my ears.

“Don’t leave me.” Her whisper is so faint that had I not been hovering so close to her prone body lying with the covers beneath her breasts, I wouldn’t have heard it.

“Never.” My voice wavers slightly, shocked at the words that left my mouth. My jaw clenches, the monster’s eyes glowing red inside of me, pissed at my promise to her. But I shove him deeper inside of me, ignoring his condemning expression.

Swallowing hard, my gravelly tone makes a pledge to her sleeping form in the darkness of her childhood bedroom. “I’ll never leave you, Maddie.” My hand strokes her golden strands spread behind her on the pillow.

She rolls, moving closer to me. Her hand stretches out, searching for something. When she touches my hand, a smile curves her lips as she wraps her fingers around mine. Blowing out a wistful sigh, she says two words that have me in a chokehold. “I’m safe.”

Then she blissfully drifts off to sleep as I hover over her, my back aching from this awkward position, not wanting to move for fear of waking her.

Maddie’s even more beautiful in her sleep, her angelic lips still curved in that dreamy smile. My gaze moves to her ample bust, cleavage visible from her writhing motions that caused the fabric of her dress to slip lower. God, I want to lick the valley between her tits, squeezing them in my hands, feeling her nipples harden into tight buds. My wayward thoughts consume me, imagining the feel of her tight pussy as my head settles between her legs, my tongue running through her soaked folds. My hands shake, desperate to touch her.

Fuck, Jagger. Stop this. Your shaking hands will wake her.

The feel of her hand around mine caused electric shocks to shoot through my body like tiny lightning bolts. I’m entranced, having never felt anything remotely like this, as I inhale her warm scent.

This is dangerous , my monster screams. You’re playing with fire.

Then let it fucking burn me alive. I can’t leave her. I won’t . Everyone else has abandoned her, but not me.

Leaning forward, I press my lips against her forehead, featherlight against her porcelain skin, whispering words from the depths of my blackened heart. “I won’t ever leave you, Maddie. You’re mine. You just don’t know it yet, baby girl.”

I stay in her room, hovering over her, my body screaming from the pain. I slowly straighten when she finally rolls onto her back, releasing my hand. Still captivated by her, I’m unable to avert my eyes.

Then I sink onto the bed beside her, careful not to disturb her. I can’t resist touching her, my tingling fingers grazing over her face and through her silky blonde locks, then down her throat. Swallowing hard, my heart pounding frantically as my gaze is laser-focused on her cleavage that swells from her black dress. Running a finger lightly from her neck to the valley between her breasts, a smirk curls my lips at the goosebumps left in the wake of my gentle caress. Her lips part, a low moan breaking free as she arches against my fingertips, begging for more.

And fuck , how I ache to give her so much more. To give her pleasure like she’d never experienced before, her body needy and frenzied, begging for me not to stop. When she can’t take anymore, I’d slide deep inside her tight, wet pussy, losing myself in her until I fill her with so much come it drips from her for days.

Oh, Maddie. You have no idea what I want to do to you, baby girl. I could be your everything until that final, perfect moment is upon us. With regret heavy in my heart, I’d slit your beautiful throat, staring into those honey-brown orbs, the last thing you’ll ever see.

And it would be the last thing the Ice Queen would ever see as I rip her entire world from beneath her fucking feet, taking from her as she took from me. I’d be vindicated, finally getting the vengeance I’ve craved for years .

My head lifts, moving to her window. A long sigh leaves my lips as I get to my feet, knowing I need to leave before the skies lighten. I can’t risk being seen.

My gaze drops to her sleeping form. It’s unfortunate Maddie is the Ice Queen’s daughter . From all that I’ve learned about her and continue to learn, she could be the perfect woman for me.

But that’s not our destiny.

I stealthily climb out her window onto the tree branch, closing it behind me. I allow myself one final glance before climbing down the tree.

Once my feet are on the ground, I tilt my head to her window again. Don’t worry, baby girl. I’ll be back.

Turning, I head toward the woods to get to my truck.