Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse Duet Book 1)

My little mouse decided to get a change of scenery today. Maybe she wanted to get away from the house that I seem to keep popping up in.

As if sitting outside of a bar and grill is going to keep her safe from me.

I’m just walking down 5th street, passing a lawyer’s office, when Mark comes barreling out of the door. We both stop short, inches from colliding with each other.

“Oh, Zack! Didn’t see you there. Were you just coming in…” he asks, trailing off and looking behind him at the door to the lawyer’s office.

“No, I was on my way back to my car,” I lie smoothly, resuming my walk. My car is in the opposite direction, but I will sit in a random ass car if it means keeping Mark away from Bailey’s.

“Let me walk with you,” Mark smiles, inviting himself on what would’ve been a pleasant and peaceful stroll to spy on my girl.

Now I have to deal with this fucktwit.

Mark walks alongside me, prattling on about this and that—nothing that I deem important. He must not have many friends. He’s a fucking chatterbox and enjoys the sound of his own voice. I bet money he’s one of those guys who stand in front of a mirror and give themselves daily pep talks about how he’s still got it goin’ on.

Bailey’s is straight ahead. Right as we come up to the intersection right before the bar and grill, I veer left, deciding to cross the road so we’re on the opposite side of the restaurant. But when I go to press the button to signal for the lights to change, Mark stops me.

“Hey, Bailey’s is a good place to get drinks. It’s been a little while since I’ve been here.”

I keep from gritting my teeth, though all I really want to do right now is grind them to dust. The main reason I don’t is because I would no longer be able to bite Addie’s clit.

And I really enjoy doing that.

“It’s pretty crowded in there. You sure you don’t want to go somewhere else? I know a perfect place a few blocks from here.”

Mark waves a hand, already walking across the road towards Bailey’s.

Fuck.

I follow after him, opening my mouth and readying to find another reason to opt-out of the restaurant, but he’s turning back to me.

“I actually really enjoy the drinks and food here. I come here every so often, and I usually get in no problem. The hostess loves me,” he says, ending his statement with a wink.

Yeah, and how many times did you ask her, “Do you know who I am” before she found an empty table?

My guess is at least four times.

Sighing internally, I force a grin as Mark approaches Bailey’s restaurant, walking in and right up to the hostess.

And just like when an ex walks in unexpectedly, the hostess’ smile drops an inch before forcing the most strained smile known to mankind.

“Hi, Mark. Table for two this time?”

“It would appear so,” Mark responds with a smartass chuckle. I keep my face blank and pleasant, even as she sighs and leads us to a table out on the patio.

Right where Addie is.

Thankfully, she doesn’t notice us when we arrive, even though we’re seated only five tables down. Our table is perpendicular to her, providing the perfect view of her heart-shaped face, abused bottom lip, and the long lashes fanning her cheeks.

She’s writing on her laptop, wholly focused on her task and not the world around her. Her bottom lip rolls between her straight teeth. I have the fiercest urge to walk over and take that bottom lip between my own.

Despite my obsession with my little mouse, I keep my eyes off of her. In fact, I make a point to never look in her direction in front of Mark. I got a single look walking in while Mark was ahead of me, and that’s the only privilege I gave myself.

If he sees me looking at her, she’ll be targeted. And the last thing I want is Addie on any of these shitheads’ radars.

As Mark drones on about some bill he doesn’t want to pass, a couple and their kid walk past us, the little girl talking animatedly. She looks to be about five years old—cute girl with a ponytail, big doe eyes, and dimples.

I see the sly look on Mark’s face before he even registers what he’s doing, and it takes physical restraint not to reach across the table, point his butter knife upright and slam his head down on it.

Instead, I make a split-second decision. The family is walking past Mark, beyond his view. When his head swivels back to me, I lean to the side and pretend to check out the little girl. I look just to the right of her at a plate of food—I’d rather slit my own throat than look at a child in a sexual manner—but it looks authentic to Mark.

I let the predatory look linger on those chicken tenders for a few seconds before I’m straightening and feigning innocence. But I feel Mark’s gaze burning into me.

As much as it sickens me, I need him to think I have an interest in the depraved things he does.

An hour passes while I continue to pretend to show interest in underage girls, looking right above their heads, at their food or whatever else that’s close enough to feed the illusion. Nothing too obvious, and I don’t do it every time as not to be suspicious. Just subtle glances here and there.

During the hour, Mark continues to grow more inebriated. At the gentlemen’s club, I noticed that he sucks down whiskey like it’s life support.

I’m sensing alcoholism alongside his sadism.

And of course, that’s when the fucker decides to really look around and catch notice of a still-working Addie, tucked in her little corner and typing away like her life depends on it. I’ve kept an eye on her from my peripheral, and whatever she’s writing, she’s invested.

“Now, that’s a beauty,” Mark says, staring straight at Addie. Her mouth is wrapped around her straw as she finishes off a margarita. I watch her from the corner of my eye, but I don’t slide my gaze over right away. I have two seconds to make a decision. Act like I don’t know her or claim her.

Before I can open my mouth, Mark slides out his phone and snaps a picture of her, his thumbs moving quickly as he goes to send it to someone.

Fucking ballsy to do that shit in front of me. I’m not sure if it was leering at children together or the alcohol, but it was far bolder than I would’ve expected.

My hand lands over his phone, halting his progress.

He looks up at me, his eyes wide and cheeks flushed.

“Whatever you’re about to do, stop it. That’s my girl.”

Somehow, Mark’s eyes get even wider.

“That girl over there? She’s yours?”

I nod my head once.

“She likes to be left alone when she works, and I respect her space.”

Mark’s white, bushy brows plunge down.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Introduce us at least?”

“I was planning to after she finished with her work.”

Mark’s eyes thin, confusion swirling in his blue eyes. He’s an older man, with sagging skin, liver spots, and knee problems from how he groans every time he stands up. But he’s also an astute man for his age, and his mind is still sharp.

“You were going to pass the restaurant without saying hi to her?” he interrogates, referring to my lie about walking to my car. “And go to a different restaurant?”

I stare him dead in the eye, making sure he can see just how unconcerned I am with his questioning.

“My girl lives in a peaceful little bubble when she writes her books. She doesn’t like to be bothered when working, and I respect her space. Especially because it allows me the freedom to do whatever I please without her worrying about what I’m doing.”

Add a sprinkle of adulterous implications in there, and Mark immediately relates. He laughs, his yellowed teeth on full display.

“I knew I liked you,” he chuckles, his crow’s feet deepening.

I squeeze his phone, the device still trapped between both of our hands.

“Delete the picture, Mark.”

Mark’s eyes bug. “Oh, of course! I’m terribly sorry, Zack. I didn’t mean to offend. I had no idea,” he says hurriedly, trying to laugh off the fact that he was looking to kidnap my mouse. He hastily deletes the picture from his gallery.

 I’ll be hacking into his phone later to confirm it has been permanently deleted. Asshole thinks I’m dense and don’t know what a Cloud is, or that you can access your trash and reload the picture.

I’ll also be ensuring that he didn’t actually send the picture to anyone.

“S’all good,” I say calmly, sitting back in my chair and appearing casual.

I’m anything but.

The need to slice him open from ear to ear is vibrating through my tense muscles. Beneath the table, I flex my hand, fighting the urge not to drive it down Mark’s throat.

I want to kill him.

Scratch that.

I’m going to kill him.

Slowly.

“Let me go introduce myself then. She’s been hard at work for an hour. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

Before I can tell the old fart to sit his ass down, he’s up and heading towards Addie.

Fuck. Me.

I hurry after him. Sensing the incoming danger—whether it’s from Mark or me, I’m not sure—she looks up and her gaze clashes with mine.

Instantly, her eyes widen into caramel marbles, and her face pales about five shades lighter. I’m ready to squirt some spray tan lotion on her if it means she doesn’t make it so damn obvious that she’s not happy to see me.

With Mark ahead of me, I quickly give her a severe warning look. Her brows plunge, but she doesn’t have time to react before Mark sticks his hand in her face.

“Young lady! What a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry, Zack here didn’t tell me your name. But I’m Mark Williams. I just had the pleasure of meeting your boyfriend here not too long ago, and he’s quite the catch, but I must say, you’re much more impressive.”

Addie opens her mouth, but nothing escapes, her equilibrium thrown off from the sudden intrusion, alongside Mark calling me Zack and claiming her as my girlfriend.

“Addie,” I say. Both eyes snap to me. “Her name is Addie. Sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to intrude. I told you about Mark here already, he’s the guy I met at work.” I side-eye Mark, letting him think I told Addie we met under different circumstances than we did. He smiles wider at that.

Gentlemen’s clubs aren’t necessarily a secret, but they’re definitely not a place you go to visit when you have a beautiful wife or girlfriend waiting for you at home. At least if you’re not a narcissistic prick.

“Oh, uh, hi Mark. Pleasure to meet you,” she finally says, clasping Mark’s hand in her own.

I feel so many things right now.

Namely, the urge to fucking kiss her for going along with something she doesn’t understand.

She’s definitely getting rewarded later.

But I also feel the possessive beast rise. Not only to claim Addie as my own, but to protect her from the real monster. The moment Mark registers Addie’s beautiful smoky voice, his eyes droop. And if I see his khakis start to tent, I will kill him here and now.

She glances at their entwined hands with a hint of trepidation, but she smooths her face out quickly. Mark doesn’t notice her subtly wiping her hand on her jeans when he lets it go, but I do.

“The pleasure is mine. You have a beautiful name. What is it short for?”

She clears her throat, throwing me another what the fuck glance. “Adeline.”

Mark’s face is animated as he marvels over her response. “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

A red blush stains her cheeks prettily. She pretends to act bashful, but I can feel the nervous energy emanating from her in waves. My little mouse doesn’t do well in social situations, especially when she’s thrown in one unprepared.

“Alright, Mark. Let’s leave my girl to get back to work.”

Her eyes narrow into slits briefly when I say my girl. I subtly quirk a brow, daring her to defy me. She knows I’m not saying it for Mark’s benefit. She’s going to hear me call her my girl for a long fucking time.

Next, we’ll graduate to my wife and then the mother of my children.

One day she’ll get it in her head that she’s mine.

“Nonsense!” he bellows, attracting a few curious eyes. “You don’t mind, do you, Addie?”

For the first time, my face slips, and I let loose a snarl. Mark doesn’t notice, but Addie does. If anything, my anger relaxes her by an inch. The knowledge that I’m not liking this situation must bring her some sort of comfort, compared to her thinking I’m purposely involving her in something dangerous.

Addie shakes her head, closing her laptop gently and sliding it into the case at her feet.

“Please, go ahead,” she says, a single note in her tone wobbly. I sit next to her and wrap an arm around her tense shoulders, hoping that my presence will bring her some semblance of safety and comfort.

“Please, tell me how you two love birds met,” Mark says, settling in his new seat. He waves to the waiter for another drink, and internally, I groan.

“At a book signing,” I respond. “Super amazing author was there signing books. I saw her and instantly fell in love. I sought her out afterwards, asked her on a date and the rest was history.”

She smiles, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah, he’s a persistent one,” she says with an awkward laugh.

“Fascinating!” Mark says, his eyes pinballing between us. His phone vibrates and when he slips it out of his pocket, his face drops.

Clearing his throat, he looks up at us with a sheepish grin. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to head to the restroom and take this call. Addie, please order yourself another margarita. It’s on me.”

Mark gets up and walks away without a backward glance, his stagger uneven from the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed and his gaze pinned to his phone.

Addie starts packing her belongings frantically within a millisecond, hands shaking as she throws the rest of her stuff in her bag.

“If you think you’re leaving, you’re sadly mistaken.”

She freezes, glancing back at me before she resumes. Keeping my movements calm and fluid as not to raise any alarm from bystanders, I slide my hand to her neck.

She pauses again when she feels my touch, and then whimpers when I squeeze tight.

“Look at me. Now.”

Her eyes pinch shut for a moment before they open, and those pretty caramel eyes glide to mine. They’re full of fear, and I’m almost surprised.

In the dark, she comes alive with fire. As if it’s the night that feeds her flames and not oxygen. And in daylight, she’s timid and scared. She becomes her moniker—a meek little mouse.

“If you’ve never taken me seriously before, then do it now, Adeline.” Her eyes widen at the severity of my tone. “You’re going to sit there like a good little girl and play along until I can convince Mark to leave. Then and only then, you can pack up your shit and go home. Do you understand?”

There it is.

The fire sparks and ignites.

“Fine. At least tell me what the fuck is happening, Zade. Or Zack. Which is your real name? You know what, I don’t care. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but after this, you need to leave me out of it.”

I lean forward and give her a warning look. She snaps her mouth shut, but the flames never dull.

“I. Tried,” I bite out. “I will try to leave with Mark as soon as I can, but until then, do as I fucking say. We’re super in love and you’re my doting little girlfriend. That’s all you need to know right now.”

Her eyes widen gradually until she’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. What she doesn’t realize is I did lose my fucking mind the second I laid eyes on her, and I haven’t gotten it back yet.

“What is this, Zade?” she asks quietly. “Is Mark dangerous? Why are you lying to him?”

I sigh. “Yes,” I concede. “He is dangerous, and he set his sights on you.”

Before she can question me further, Mark returns, a jolly smile on his flushed face.

“No drink?” he questions, sauntering up to the table with his arms outstretched.

“My fault. I got a little carried away with my hello kiss,” I lie, grinning a cheesy smile. The thought of me making out with my girl in public clearly gets him hot and bothered by the flash of heat in his eyes, but he covers it well enough with a hearty laugh.

Addie clears her throat, elbowing me hard in the side and offering an embarrassed smile.

“What is it you were working on, Adeline dear?” Mark asks, settling back into the chair and gulping down a large swallow of his bourbon.

“Uh, a few things. I was researching a cold case from the ‘40s,” she answers.

Mark cocks a brow. “Really? Why’s that?”

The red in her cheeks brightens. “Uh, well it’s my great-grandmother’s actually. Genevieve Parsons.”

“Oh, I know that case!” Mark exclaims. ‘My father was a detective during that time, though he wasn’t allowed to work the case.”

By the way her brows raise, her interest has been piqued. ‘He wasn’t allowed to? How come?’

‘Conflict of interest. He and John Parsons were best friends for twenty years, and Gigi was a good friend of his. His sergeant said it’d be too personal, so he had to stand by and watch them butcher the case.’ He shrugs. ‘Dad always thought John was the one who did it.’

Addie leans forward, hanging on Mark’s every word. “Your father was Frank?”

Mark quirks a brow. “Yes, he was.”

Addie clears her throat. “My Nana mentioned Frank a time or two.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, we played together when we were younger.”

“So, why did your father think John did it?”

Mark shrugs a shoulder. “Not sure, to be honest, but I do remember that Gigi and John were fighting a lot. He was real adamant, but there wasn’t any evidence to prove it. I was pretty young back then, so my memory might be a little sparse. But there were a few nights he would drink an entire bottle of Jack, always muttering under his breath about making ‘him’ pay for what happened.” He finger quotes the word him. “I know their friendship fell apart after her murder. John was a raging alcoholic, and my dad was devastated that he lost two good friends.’

Addie’s eyes are wide with excitement. Clearly, she cares. Solving Gigi’s murder means a lot to her. But I know she’s only trying to prove something to herself.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she has her own stalker, I don’t know if Addie would’ve even bothered figuring out who murdered her great-grandmother.

It’s not about finding who did it, it’s about proving that it was Gigi’s stalker and no one else. I get the feeling that if she can one hundred percent prove it, then it’ll cement the fact that all stalkers are murderous psychos, and she can finally hate me and shut me out for good.

And all that tells me is I’m getting through the diamond-encrusted fortress surrounding her heart.

She wants something concrete to believe in because her morals and fundamental beliefs are being challenged.

Mark’s phone rings, cutting off any further questions Addie was gearing up to ask. Mark glances at his phone and silences it, but from the way his face has turned serious, I know something is calling him away.

“That was my associate. I gotta head out for some business,” he starts, swallowing down the rest of his drink and standing. “But listen, I’m hosting a charity event at my house next weekend. It would be my absolute honor if you both could attend.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Addie says, the discomfort renewed. Last thing she wants is to pretend to be my girlfriend any longer than she has to.

Wonder what she’s going to do when we’re married, and her belly is swollen with my child.

Quite the predicament she’ll be in there.

“Please, I would be insulted if you didn’t show. Zack here has been a wonderful friend, and I would be heartbroken not to see you two there.” Noting the trepidation in her eyes, he tacks on, “If you’d like, we can talk further about your great-grandmother’s case. With my father being so close to your family, I was around John and Gigi quite a bit growing up. In fact, Sera and I played together all the time. I’m sure there’s some potential information rattling around in my head.”

Fucker.

He’s manipulating her, and that’s a big no-no. No one manipulates my girl but me.

“I have a few business meetings that weekend,” I cut in, keeping my face controlled but growing a tad angry by the reluctant interest in Addie’s eyes. She wants that information and Mark damn well knows it.

Mark places a hand over his chest. “Not possible to reschedule?”

“I’ll get back to you tomorrow,” I promise. He acquiesces, satisfied with that answer. Dickhead is confident I’ll say yes, and I’m not even sure if he’s wrong anymore now that he’s fucking hooked Addie.

He slaps a hundred-dollar bill to cover the tab, says his goodbyes, and heads off. With his presence gone, it feels like the air opens up again and I can breathe. He sure has a way of sucking everything good out of the world when he’s around.

I look to Addie, and she’s already staring at me. She doesn’t say anything, waiting for me to explain myself.

Sighing, I push out of my chair and hold out my hand, prompting her to grab it. Unsurprisingly, she ignores it. Grabbing her laptop case, she stands and follows me.

I walk her to her car in silence, and she doesn’t push.

“I’m not letting you within ten feet of that place. Him even knowing about you was never supposed to happen,” I say firmly. We arrive at her SUV. She unlocks the door but doesn’t move to get in it yet.

“I don’t want to get involved, either,” she snaps. She looks away, contemplating something as she chews her bottom lip. The urge to suck it between my own teeth reemerges. “I don’t know what the hell you’re involved in, Zade, clearly something I probably don’t want to know about, but I think keeping me away from it is a bit too late.” She sighs, gearing herself up for whatever she’s going to say next.

“You already got dangerous men on my ass, so what’s one more, right? I’ll go with you this one time. I’ll get the information I need, and you get whatever you need from him.”

I never told her I needed anything from him, but I think she can sense I’m involved with this man for a reason.

“Afterwards, we can pretend to break up. You can actually get out of my life while you’re at it, maybe take Max and them with you, and that will be the end of it.”

I cock a brow, and her eyes latch onto the movement.

It’s not that simple when it comes to the underbelly of society. When you’re dealing with seriously evil people, you don’t just get out. Mark has his eyes on Addie, whether she realizes it or not. And if we “break up”—which would never fucking happen—she’s free game.

Instead of saying all that, I just nod. “You’ll come with me just this once. You’ll be safe and protected. And afterwards, I promise that Mark will never see you again.”

Because I’m going to kill him.

I just need to ride this out a bit longer until I can get the information I need.

“And the rest?” she pushes, thinning her eyes.

“If you’re expecting me to say that we’re going to break up, you’re more delusional than you believe me to be. There will never be an end to me and you. But I can assure you Max is not going to be a problem any longer. He and I had a nice little talk, and he’s promised to be a good boy.”

Her eyes round. “Did you threaten him?”

“Well, what else would I do, baby? Ask him nicely and say pretty please?”

Her lip curls. “You probably just made him angrier.”

“If he miraculously develops a pair that are bigger than the ping pong balls he’s got swinging between his legs and tries to hurt you, he’ll be taken care of.”

She wrinkles her nose, and I don’t think she can decide if she wants to question how I know what size his balls are. I’d rather not relive that nightmare.

“Taken care of how? You’re going to murder him too?”

“Of course I am. Slowly, too. Start with snipping the Achille’s heel so he can’t run, and then—”

“That’s fucked up, you’re going to jail,” she cuts in, disgust curling her lip. “Actually, I hope you go to prison and are sentenced to death.”

She turns with a snarl, but she doesn’t make it a step before my hand snaps out, capturing her arm and whipping her back around, directly into my chest.

Addie inhales sharply, her eyes dilating as I seize the back of her neck with one hand and grab her delectable ass with the other, lifting her up against my body.

‘Will you be my last meal, baby?”

Her mouth parts and her breathing hitches. Those light brown eyes are wide and swollen with emotion. Shock. Awe.

Desire.

I lean in close, my mouth hovering a mere inch from hers.

“You taste like heaven. I could feast on that sweet little pussy for hours and still die a starving man. It’ll be the closest I will ever get to God before they inject me with that needle, don’t you agree?”

She’s speechless, so I take advantage and capture those sweet lips with my own. She tenses beneath my hold but doesn’t pull away. The taste of fruit from her margarita blooms on my tongue, and I can’t help but groan.

“You taste like fucking nirvana,” I rasp, before sucking her bottom lip into my mouth. The faintest little moan slips free, and it’s enough to drive me wild with hunger. I’m ravenous and only the depths of her body will feed the monster.

Addie’s hands clench the front of my hoodie as I devour her. The hand cupping her plump ass slides lower until my fingers are brushing across her jean-clad pussy. Cupping her from behind, I lift her higher, grinding my rock-hard cock into her.

Her next moan is free of restraint, ringing loud and clear as it vibrates across my tongue.

“Mommy, are they having sex?”

The loud voice of a little girl breaks the shroud of lust. Addie jerks violently and scrambles back, bumping into her car to get away from me.

“Penny, get in the car,” the mother snaps from somewhere behind me. Addie’s rounded eyes drift over my shoulder, and whatever she sees has her face reddening to a concerning color. She’s panting heavily and flushed from both embarrassment and desire.

I turn my head to the side, glimpsing over my shoulder to see a blonde woman ushering her small child into the car. Her own face is red. She catches me looking and shoots me a scornful glare. I just smirk and turn back to my trembling little mouse.

She clears her throat, embarrassed and soaking wet by the flush of her cheeks and clenched thighs. She looks around, burning from the harsh wake-up call that we’re in a parking lot in broad daylight.

“That was inappropriate, don’t… don’t do that again. Just text me the details, okay?” she snaps, stuttering over her words. She goes to turn but stops. “Oh, and can you just text me from a normal fucking number? I know it’s you now. Quit trying to be cute.”

And with that, she gets in her car with an irritated huff and slams the door behind her.

Despite the clusterfuck we’ve just found ourselves in, I laugh, biting my swollen bottom lip between my teeth. She does a double-take through the window, her eyes locking on my mouth.

Then she seems to shake herself, start her car, and speed off, tires squealing from the urgency to get away from me.

I fucking love it when she runs.