Page 34 of Stalk (Assassin’s Kiss Duet #1)

After I take a few more breaths, I strip down and take my holster and gun off my ankle. I unzip my backpack and shove the gun as far down as I can, underneath the fake brochures etc. Then, I move the hidden syringe into the small, front pocket of the backpack for easier access.

The swim trunks look fucking ridiculous on me. They’re a bit loose, but they’ll do. I don’t feel comfortable and I feel exposed, and orange is most definitely not my color, but oh well. At least since they’re a little large, they aren’t that short on me.

I splash some cold water on my face and take an extra minute to breathe. My reflection in the mirror looks normal. Confident in a way. On the inside, though—now that I’m here—well, I’m starting to lose that no fucks given feeling I had when I first arrived. I knew it was a bit too good to be true.

Once I’ve stalled long enough, I exit the bathroom and return to Anthony by the bar.

He smirks at me. “Those don’t look half bad on you. Ready?” I nod. “Great. Follow me.”

Anthony slides open the door to the back patio, then picks up our refreshed drinks and goes outside. I cling onto my backpack as I follow.

The backyard is more of an oasis than I’d expected.

I guess you have more land out here in Alexandria than in D.C.

The patio itself is about five times as big as mine back home, with a nice outdoor couch set up to the left and the hot tub to the right, surrounded by twinkle lights on the side of the house and interwoven between the privacy hedges.

In the middle of the patio is a walkway to the rest of the yard.

It’s a bit hard to see what’s in the yard with the sun almost fully down now, but I’m sure it’s nice.

“Well, make yourself at home,” Anthony says. He places our drinks on a small table beside the hot tub, then slides in.

“Okay.” I relinquish my backpack, setting it close to the little table for easier access.

“You can leave your bag inside if you want. Sorry, I should’ve offered before.” He laughs as he stretches his arms out behind his head. “I’m not the best host.”

I fake a laugh and brush him off. “No, no. It’s fine here.

I’ve got my phone in there and I want to keep it close by in case my dad needs anything.

” I don’t know where that lie came from.

Anthony quirks an eyebrow, so I’m forced to elaborate.

“He’s, uh, got cancer. I help him out when I can, and sometimes he needs extra help at night.

” I slide into the hot tub beside Anthony.

“He should be okay tonight, though. His nurse is with him.”

I don’t know what to expect in response to that, but Anthony’s hand finds mine in the water. I want to rip my hand away from him, but force myself to be still. “I’m sorry to hear that, Leo.”

“Thanks. It’s okay. He’s tough.”

We sit in silence for a minute or two, listening to the jets in the water and the faint song of a bird nearby. Anthony eventually reaches for his drink and motions for me to do the same, so I do.

“Cheers to new acquaintances,” he says.

“Cheers.”

We clink our glasses together, and Anthony takes a hearty sip from his cup.

As I bring the drink up to my mouth, I pretend to take a small sip and swallow nothing, hoping he won’t notice the contents in my cup remain the same.

He doesn’t notice. He’s too focused on raking his eyes up and down my chest, which makes my skin itch and burn simultaneously.

“You must be in college, right?” he asks.

“Uh, no. I—” I need to lie quickly, but the hot water has increased my heart rate and my tongue suddenly feels heavy inside my mouth. “I got my AA, but that was right after my dad was diagnosed, so I’ve been working and helping him out since then.”

“Well, there’s always time to go back later in life. Then again, some of us aren’t cut out for college.”

I swallow roughly. “You didn’t go to college?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. Well, I tried it out for a semester and pretty much aced all of my classes, but it was just so boring . I felt like my time could be useful elsewhere.”

I nod, as if I understand, even though I really don’t. All I’ve ever wanted is to go back to college.

I absolutely loved my time there. “So, what do you do now?” I ask innocently.

“A bit of everything. Construction, real estate…” Anthony shrugs. “I prefer to have several projects going at once, rather than doing one thing day in and day out.”

His lie is so convincing, if I didn’t already know the truth I’m certain I’d believe him. “That’s awesome,” I say. Then, I motion around us. “Well, you’ve obviously done well for yourself. You’ve got a great place here.”

“Thank you, Leo, I appreciate it.” Suddenly, Anthony’s hand finds my thigh under the water. I stop breathing. But then he abruptly pulls away. “You know what? I forgot to get us some towels for later. I’ll be right back. Don’t move, okay?”

“I won’t move an inch,” I purr, kind of impressed with how flirty I’m capable of being. Maybe I have some game after all.

Anthony hops out of the tub, drenched from his pecs down to his feet. He wrings out as much water from his trunks as he can, then heads inside.

Now, I have to move quickly. I turn around in my seat and reach for my backpack, keeping my eyes locked on the door. In seconds, the syringe is in my hand. I squirt the poison into his drink, stir it around with the tip, then shove the syringe back into my bag.

About ten seconds later, Anthony is back, and I let out a small huff of relief.

He sets a towel near his side of the tub, then hands one out to me but almost drops it.

We both fumble to catch the towel—and that’s when Anthony’s glass gets knocked over.

The rum and Coke and all the glorious poison mixed within spills to the floor, leaving shards of crystal from the glass everywhere.

My body breaks out in goosebumps. I stare at the liquid on the ground with my mouth gaping open and my heartbeat in my throat.

“Oh, shit!” Anthony yells. He sighs and runs a hand through his shoulder length hair. “No worries, man. Let me go and get a broom and then we can relax.”

“O-okay.”

He’s gone again. I don’t know what to do. What the fuck do I do? What the fuck do I do?

I can only think of one thing, and the thought alone makes my stomach flip.

I hoist myself up against the tub so that I can better reach the floor, reach an arm out, and pick up the largest shard of glass I see.

It’s about as long as a credit card. It almost cuts me as I sit back down and loosely wrap my fingers around it, which is a good sign.

Holding the piece of glass lightly under the water with my left hand, I focus on the bubbles surrounding me.

Breathe in.

Out.

Breathe in.

Out.

I almost don’t notice when Anthony is back. He starts to sweep the glass up. When he’s done, he lays down another towel he must have brought back outside along with the broom.

“I’ll clean up the rest later,” Anthony says. He slides back into the tub. “Sorry I’m so clumsy. Where were we?”

“I’m sorry about the glass?—”

“Psh. Not your fault, dude. Let’s relax now, yeah?”

I need to relax, but unfortunately, that’s the one thing I can’t fake. “Yeah. You’re right,” I agree. My teeth clamp together, tightening my jaw. The total opposite of relaxed.

Anthony inches closer to me. His hand finds that spot on my thigh again. “Hmm. You sure are handsome, Leo. Handsome and beautiful. You’d be prettier if you let loose a little.” He runs his fingers along my jaw, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Let me help you relax.”

I’m almost certain I’m about to pass out from the temperature of the tub and the promise of Anthony’s words. I have a feeling he isn’t the type of person who gets turned down. I also have a feeling that he’ll do anything to get his way.

And as a virgin? Yeah. Now I’m terrified he’s going to fuck me against my will and then murder me.

Play along, Ren. Keep it together.

The thoughts in my head sound like Mattia. I wish he was here. He would know what to do. He always does. I can’t believe I’ve been avoiding him. I can’t believe I may never see him again.

Anthony’s lips make contact with the flesh right above my collarbone, then they move up, kissing my neck and across my jaw until his mouth is an inch away from my own.

Just pretend. Pretend he is Mattia.

So I do. In a moment of bravery, I kiss Anthony first, imagining that his lips are Mattia’s.

But it’s not as easy as I’d hoped, because I don’t think Mattia would be so eager right off the bat.

I think Mattia is more of the type to savor his lover.

That’s the thing, though. Anthony isn’t Mattia, and he isn’t a lover.

He’s a dickhead drug lord who wants to get off and then discard me.

So I have trouble reciprocating when his tongue thrusts into my mouth. I lick him back a little, but it makes me want to squirm. His hand trails down my abs, and I feel sick. Then, I remember the shard of glass in my hand.

Now. Do it now while he’s preoccupied.

Fuck .

I tighten my grip on the shard of glass, cutting the meaty part of my fingers in the process.

Be swift. Don’t miss.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I raise my hand to be level with the water. Anthony’s tongue moves against mine and it’s too wet. Too hot.

One… two… three…

My arm shoots out of the water, making a small wave.

With as much force as I can muster, I stab Anthony in the side of his neck, aiming for the carotid artery.

My hands are restrained in a flash, and I lose the shard of glass almost instantly.

Anthony is no longer kissing or licking me.

Instead, he takes my lower lip between his teeth and bites until my tongue is layered with coppery blood.

Then, I am being forced down, underneath the rolling water. Anthony’s hands are strong as he pushes me by the top of my head and my shoulder.

Down, down, down.

I guess it’s safe to say I didn’t hit the carotid artery.

Defeated, I surrender immediately to the hot water.