BAIT
365 Words
The night air was cool against her skin as she stepped out of the speakeasy, the fight still echoing in her bones.
The city smelled like exhaust fumes, wet pavement, and danger — exactly how she liked it.
She didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know she was being followed. The sound was too deliberate — steady, controlled. Whoever it was knew how to tail someone without spooking them.
Which meant it wasn’t a street thug.
Adrian Cole sent you, didn’t he?
Her lips curved, the faintest shadow of a smile. Perfect. She slowed her pace, letting her footsteps echo against the brick alleyway. The follower matched her, keeping just enough distance.
She turned right — into a dead-end alley.
The follower hesitated. She could feel it, that moment of calculation. Then footsteps quickened.
She waited until the shadow stretched toward her before moving. One sharp pivot, her hand catching the man’s wrist, twisting hard. His grunt of pain was swallowed by her knee slamming into his stomach.
“You can tell your boss,” she said softly, shoving him back into the wall, “that if he wants to talk to me, he can use his own damn legs.”
The man straightened, trying to mask his pain. “You’ve got his attention. That’s not always a good thing.”
She leaned closer, her hood falling back just enough for him to see her eyes. Calm. Cold.
“Good. I’m counting on it.”
From somewhere at the mouth of the alley, slow applause broke the tension.
Adrian stepped into the dim light, his gold watch glinting. “You know,” he said, his voice edged with amusement, “most people try not to assault my men when they first meet me twice in one night.”
She stepped back, keeping her hands loose at her sides. “Most men don’t send dogs to sniff after me.”
He chuckled, low and dangerous. “I had to know if you were worth the curiosity.”
“And?”
Adrian’s smile was the kind that promised trouble. “I think you’re going to be the most interesting problem I’ve had in years.”
- Writer
