She doesn’t understand, but she’s also right. I can’t and won’t put her first, no matter how much I want her. Leaving her work, and heading to my office to see Cherry, I notice Harlin is there, sitting on Cherry’s desk, speaking to her. She smirks when she sees me and jumps off.

How does she not break her ankle in those shoes she wears?

“Don’t fucking start.” My voice is hard as I walk past her and into my office.

“I was good. I’ve been good. I like her. Does that count?”

“Fuck off, Harlin. Now.”

“Whatever.” She gives me the finger as she walks off. As she opens the door, Derrick walks in, barging past Harlin, who’s not impressed at all. She stops with her hands on her hips, and I know she’s going to cause more trouble than good if she doesn’t keep on walking.

“Stay away from her, Connick. I fucking mean it.”

Taking a deep breath, I walk up close to Derrick. He’s the same height as me but I’m a larger build than he is. “Milanka?” I ask, noticing Harlin smirking behind him. She never damn well listens.

“You were meant to follow her for me. You were supposed to scare her for me. Yet, you fucking fuck her like she’s yours.”

I crack my knuckles and pray I don’t knock him out on my office floor, the same floor that was once my father’s.

He was a brat. That’s how I’d always seen him, nothing more. Ever since we were kids, he’d gotten what he wanted, when he wanted it, without any fight. His mother was a bitch and he was her pride and joy. He was standing outside my office, waiting for me to leave. He knew when I left because I had other businesses to attend to. His hands were in his pockets, and the minute I saw him I knew he was up to something. I hadn’t seen him in over a year. Our father’s birthday was the last time and this year I couldn’t make it.

“Connick,” his voice was too nice and it instantly put me on guard.

“Derrick.” He looked around keeping his hands in his pockets, then came back to me.

“I need you to do something… I need you to keep it discreet.” Baffled at his request, I laughed at him. “I know things, Connick, I know what you used to do before you took all this over.” He waved his hand at the building behind us, the same one my father built up to one day give us both, but it only went to me because Derrick didn’t want to work, he just wanted the money.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My driver pulled up, and just as I stepped up to the door, his voice came close behind me. “I know of the man… the one you killed.”

Turning to face him, he was smiling, and I wanted to wipe that smile from his face. This was a game. I’d kill him too if I could.

“You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? His body was found, wasn’t it? In the creek? They still haven’t found the killer, have they?”

I wanted to kill him right then and possibly land him in that same creek.

What I did back then was not who I was now. I was young and found a liking for doing the wrong thing with the wrong crowd. Though, in saying that, that crowd is still to this day my biggest ally.

I had killed four men in my life, each one chipped away a little at my soul. Each kill changed you more so than the last. It wasn’t something I was proud of, and it wasn’t something I planned to do again. So, for him to bring it up, made me mad, because it made me want to kill him, instead of having my people do it for me. I couldn’t afford to get my hands dirty again, with who I was now.

“What the fuck do you want, Derrick? Spit it out, now.”

He pulled out a photograph and handed it to me. It was a picture of the same girl I saw with him when we were young. She was a looker then, and she was even more so now.

“Watch her. Scare her for me.”

“Why?”

He shrugged his shoulders, poking his hands back in his pockets. “Just do it. And don’t fuck her. I mean it, Connick. Do not fuck her. She is mine.”

While pocketing the photo, I looked back to him. “I won’t tell Father if you do it. I’ll keep your secret.” Derrick walked away leaving me standing there.

A head popped out from the car, and Harlin clucked her tongue while shaking her head. “Don’t do it. Don’t do whatever that snake wants.” She hated who I disliked, and I didn’t even know why.

“Quiet, Harlin.” She gave me the finger in her usual style as she sat back in the car while I climbed in.

“Just let me do it. Let me kill him.”

“Not yet.”

She clapped her hands. “Finally, more of an answer than no. You know Derrick’s only using you for his own purposes. He’s a snake. You’re a lion. He just hasn’t realized that yet.” She shut up, opening her cell, then started tapping away on it. Pulling out the photo, I saw a girl who clearly didn’t know her photograph was being taken.

Stopping at the club Harlin helped me run, I didn’t get out when she did. Instead, I told the driver to keep going once Harlin left the car.

We drove for a good hour until I spotted Milanka. She was finishing work at some dingy bar. It actually looked unsafe, and even I wouldn’t drink there. She walked to a beat-up car, opened the door and climbed in. Her hair was up high, and I wanted to see her with it down because it looked long and full.

My driver followed Milanka as she drove to a small house not far from where she worked. She didn’t even lock her car as she got out and ran up the steps, opening her door, and not looking back. After watching her like a stalker, we finally left, but I knew I’d be back tomorrow.

* * *

Watching Milanka had become my new favorite thing to do. She was quiet and primarily stuck to herself. Until today. Today she bumped into a man while she was walking to the store. She stopped and leaned down to pick up his items she had knocked over. When they both stood back up he smiled at her, and I knew why. Because she was beautiful. He looked her over when her head dropped to look down. She smirked at him, and before I knew what was happening she was following him. I followed behind because I couldn’t help myself.

They stopped at an apartment. He showed her inside and she went straight in. Walking to the side, I looked through the window. She was undressing, and soon she was completely naked, standing in front of him. He didn’t waste any time as he pulled his own clothes free and pushed her onto the bed.

I should have walked away, but I was fascinated by her. The way she moved so he could touch her, but she didn’t give him her mouth. The way she got on top, not once looking at him as she rode him. It seemed to be something she needed to do, instead of what she wanted to do.

The moment she met her climax, she dressed fast and walked out the door, not even giving the guy a chance to catch up with her. Walking from the side and back to the front, I bumped into her, but she didn’t even look up. She was too focused on the ground, and the jacket in her hand.

A simple, “Sorry,” left her mouth, then she kept on walking without looking up.

I followed her on foot all the way back to her apartment. She never looked at anyone as she walked home, or even when she arrived back at her house.

My cell started ringing, and she paused at her door, then went to look back. I thought she was about to look at me, but she looked past me, then turned back around, shutting the door behind her.

“Have you started?” His voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

“These things take time.”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

I hung up on him because I didn’t need to hear his shit. Not today nor ever again. Stupid fucker. It rang again, not helping my temper one bit.

“What?” My voice was hostile as I spoke into my cell.

“I found the information you were looking for. Sending you through the most recent text messages that have been exchanged.” His voice cut off, and straight away my cell started beeping. Only one number illuminated that she’d exchanged texts with. Her cell information was easy to get a hold of. The history came in the next email, of all the details of the person she talked to.

A woman named Marina—a doctor.

Searching for Marina’s number, I decided to make an appointment with her.