Page 18 of No Longer Mine (Rags & Riches #2)
Chapter Sixteen
Scarlett
My phone sailed through the air, and I barely caught it before it smacked me in the face.
Cleo strolled into the apartment like she didn’t have a single care in the world, her wig clutched under her arm, bare feet padding across the floor. Her signature red lipstick smeared down her chin, the color smudged over her jaw like a brand. Her eyes were bright, lips swollen, and dress askew.
I raised a brow, dragging myself up from the lumpy couch I’d passed out on. “Looks like you had an eventful night.”
Cleo grinned, but her sharp gaze scanned me, the humor flickering into something more observant and far more suspicious.
“You’re one to talk,” she shot back, tossing her wig onto the counter before yanking the fridge open. “Vivi said she saw you running through the halls like a bat out of hell, knocking over tables. No one was even chasing you.”
The memory of cold, unrelenting hands pinning me to that bathroom wall sent a shiver down my spine.
I rolled my sore shoulders, my muscles still tight with tension.
“Dimitri Cristof was in attendance tonight.”
The sound of a water bottle twisting open was punctuated by a sharp whistle.
“Fuck. Are you serious?”
I let my head fall back against the couch, staring at the ceiling like it had all the answers. “I was running for my life, Cleo.”
She froze, her expression unreadable as she slowly brought the water bottle to her lips. “And let me guess—” she took a calculated sip before leveling me with a knowing look “—he caught you.”
Of course, he fucking caught me.
Dimitri Cristof wasn’t just big, he was quick too. Predatory grace wrapped up in a gorgeous package.
The worst part of all of it? He’d enjoyed it.
A spark ignited in his gaze when I stabbed him with my heel, like I’d given him exactly what he wanted.
“He almost killed me. He would have killed me.” Would he really have? I wasn’t so sure I wanted to find out. On a good night, I could hold my own, but tipsy and light-headed? I got lucky.
Her lips curled. “You’re such a bitch,” she mused, tilting her head. “You love the chase, the adrenaline, the danger. It’s why you don’t quit. But now?” Her grin widened. “Now, he’s finally matched you, step for step, and it’s driving you insane.”
I scowled. “And?”
Cleo leaned in, eyes glinting with mischief. “So make it a game.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And how the hell do I win?”
She took another slow sip of water before shrugging, oh-so-casually. “Simple. Break into his house again. Put the ball back into your court. Get him out of your system.”
I choked on air as my body launched upright. “Excuse me?”
Cleo smirked. “Oh, come on. You want to.”
I did. That was the worst part.
I’d spent years robbing billionaires blind, slipping in and out of mansions without a trace.
But Dimitri? He was different. The thought of him made my heart rate pick up.
He wasn’t just a pretty boy with daddy’s money.
No, there was a brain in that beautiful head of his and he didn’t miss a thing.
Maybe I was sloppy with this one, but I had a feeling that was not the chase.
He noticed things others didn’t care about. He noticed things others missed.
“Oliver would kill you for suggesting this,” I muttered, running a hand through my tangled hair.
Cleo tossed her empty water bottle into the trash with a loud crack.
“Leave Oliver to me. He owes me a favor.”
I watched her cautiously as she grabbed a towel from the drawer, running it under the faucet before dabbing at the smeared lipstick on her chin.
“What are we doing?” I asked, suspicion creeping into my tone.
Cleo’s reflection in the mirror met mine. “You’re missing your spark, Red.
You steal for everyone else. You take jobs for a check. But what’s the last thing you did for you?”
I hesitated for too long.
Cleo smirked, victorious.
“Exactly. So whether you take him down for corruption or you take him down to your bed, I don’t care. I just want to see you alive again.” She grabbed her phone off the counter, wiggling it in the air. “Or I can just call him and tell him where to find you.”
My blood ran cold.
“You wouldn’t.”
Her eyes gleamed wickedly. “Wouldn’t I?”
I glared, but my heart was pounding.
Cleo wasn’t wrong. I had more money than I’d ever need. I had everything, and yet… I felt like I had nothing.
“You do realize I was running for my life a few hours ago, right? Why would I want to take him to my bed?”
She simply rolled her eyes. “As if. Do you even have eyes?”
“He’s psychotic, we know this.”
“Aren’t those the best in bed?”
I wouldn’t know.
“This is playing with fire,” I whispered, mostly to myself.
Cleo’s laugh rang out as she walked toward the bathroom, throwing one final glance over her shoulder.
“Sometimes getting burned is the best part.”
She disappeared behind the door. I let out a long breath, dragging my hands over my face.
“I stabbed him with my shoe!” I yelled after her.
Her cackle echoed through the apartment. “And the psychopath probably loved it.”
I groaned, throwing myself back onto the couch.
Why the hell did I want to poke the beast?
Maybe Cleo had a point. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I was the one doing the chasing.
Because the last time we met, I was running. I wasn’t going to be caught off guard the next time we saw each other. I was going to be in control. I was going to win.