Big Bad Wolf (A Miss Hyde Novella Book 3) Read online

  Emmett moved into me, his chest grazing my bare arm as he inhaled slightly. His breath was sweet like the white wine he had undoubtedly been drinking before deciding to switch to red while speaking to me.

  “I’d bet you’re not as boring as you think you are. You don’t look like the boring type,” he said as I turned my head just slightly to look into his eyes.

  “Looks can be deceiving,” I replied. I took a hesitant step back, this situation feeling more intimate than I was comfortable with in such a public setting. What was it about Emmett Adler that had my heart hammering away in my chest like it was trying to break out of prison? “Do you really think this is the right place to have this kind of conversation?”

  “Oh, and a ball buster I see,” he joked as he took a step backward. The laughter reached his eyes, making them sparkle with it. He took a large swig of the wine in his hand and winked at me.

  “Mr. Adler, are you hitting on me?”

  “No. I just want you to come over and take a look at my paintings. That’s all. I swear.”

  “Uh-huh. Why don’t I believe you?”

  “It’s my irresistible wit and charm.”

  “Well, you do have that in spades.”

  Emmett took another step towards me, and I felt myself flush. Yes, I had had a few drinks. Yes, I was nearly so buzzed my body couldn’t help but react to him without my permission. Yes. I was attracted to him, and his sense of humor only helped that along. My gut clenched again, and warmth began to spread outward from there, moving to a place the man hadn’t even touched.

  “I have more paintings where that last one came from,” he whispered.

  My knees quivered slightly at the mere mention of the painting of me in such a way he had never seen before. To be honest, he probably would sometime soon if he kept this up.

  “Oh?” The word came out in a soft, barely audible exhale.

  “Yes.”

  I felt his answer slither up my spine, ricocheting back down to my legs and turning them into unset Jell-O. Or was that the wine? Then I felt eyes on me, someone watching me besides the gorgeous man in front of me. I turned to find Lauren, Hannah, and Cyra watching us with large grins on their faces like creepy versions of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. They averted their eyes as quickly as they could once the realized I had spotted them, causing me to roll my own in response. They had apparently planned this entire thing and whether Emmett knew it or not was a mystery I didn’t care to solve. All I knew was how my body and Hyde reacted to him. My body was wide awake like an exposed nerve ending while Hyde was absent. I had to admit it was an odd sensation. The complete and utter absence of her was nerve racking, causing my anxiety to peak. I weakly smiled at Emmett and took another sip of wine.

  “Do you send inappropriate paintings like that to the workplace of every girl you like?” Another swallow.

  He shook his head and looked down at the ground, the smile still plain on his face but a little more sheepish now than it had been.

  “No,” he answered, looking back up to me. “Just the ones that I feel are worth the trouble.” An awkward and tension-filled silence took over before he felt the need to fill it. “Which one of these is your favorite?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you that I love them all?” I asked.

  “I would.”

  I tried as best as I could to ignore the clenching happening in places I didn’t even know existed, the heat rising in my face from that and the wine. It was now my third glass of the stuff, and I knew that I would continue to drink as long as people kept handing glasses to me. I promised myself this would be the last one.

  “Which is your favorite?” I repeated the question to him. I didn’t ask because he had shown an interest in me. I was genuinely curious. A person’s favorite piece of art said a lot about them as a person and I wanted to know so much more about him.

  “Subjectively or objectively?”

  I pondered that for a second. “Subjectively. I want your opinion.”

  He grinned broadly and looked around the room, taking a drink from the glass in his hand as he inspected each painting from afar. I could hear the gears turning inside of his head as he thought carefully about his choice. He brought his fist up to his mouth, holding it there while he pondered. Then it was like a light bulb turned on, and he turned to point to a painting I didn’t think he’d like at all. I wasn’t sure why I believed that, but I did. I shouldn’t have even been surprised it was the largest painting in the entire gallery, nearly taking up an entire wall.

  “This one,” he said, taking some wine into his mouth and swishing it around slightly as he stared at it. “Did you model for these? The resemblance is uncanny.”

  I shook my head and said, “No. I’m not a model. Not by any means.”

  I stared at the painting and could understand why he would think that. Why anyone would. The model was the same as in the first painting of Cyra’s I had seen. And just like all the others. The subject was a woman with red hair, one green eye and one brown, human heart in hand, but she was facing the viewer. She was close-up, holding the heart out to us with blood-coated lips and crimson running down the front of her white shirt. I hadn’t even taken a good look at this one, but it made me breathless.

  “Oh, wow,” I breathed, staring into the eyes of the woman on the canvas.

  “I know,” he whispered in my ear. “Come see my work this weekend. Any time. You’re always welcome. Hopefully, we can work something out.”

  Then he walked away, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gigantic piece of art in front of me. There was no need to ask where he lived. I remembered perfectly. I would see him this weekend. No matter what.

  Chapter 3

  The exhibition was another raving success, each painting selling for exactly what we asked for. If not more. Cyra was going to be jubilant to hear this news, but it would have to wait until morning. I was not able to give into Hyde’s need tonight, but she was still relatively silent after being around Emmett Adler for the short time that I was. There was something about him that I couldn’t place. Something different. Something off. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but I was more than ready to. He was smart, talented, and sexy. I had nearly drooled all over him as we sipped wine and made small talk. Now I was rushing down the stairs of the Agora Gallery to meet Lauren at the door. We were going to walk off the alcohol. She would go home first, and I’d walk the three blocks between places. We lived close enough to the gallery that the walk wasn’t a big deal. We both walked here every morning and walked home every night.

  “Blythe, come on,” Lauren squealed from the door. “I can practically hear my bed calling my name from here.”

  “I know, I know, I’m coming,” I yelled in return while sprinting to the door. She was bouncing impatiently waiting for the few seconds it would take me to get there now that I was finally down the stairs. “It’s an empty bed, right?”

  Lauren rolled her eyes and took her phone out of her purse, checking for any missed text messages or calls.

  “If you must know. Yes, it’s an empty bed. It’ll only be me in it when I get home. Then I can finally get out of these heels. Every time I say I won’t wear six-inch heels ever again I do.”

  “Well, that’s your own damn fault.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” She looked up from her phone, her brown eyes meeting mine as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “You ready to go?”

  “Yup, let’s go. I’m ready to get out of this dress.”

  “I’m sure you are. Emmett Adler seemed to like it a lot, and you do look gorgeous. Makes me jealous.”

  “Nothing to be jealous over. You get laid more than I do.”

  “Not by anyone nearly as hot as Emmett.” She swung the door open and stepped outside into the cool night air of New York City.

  “And who says I’ll be having sex with him at all?”

  I followed her out the door, the air doing nothing for the heat in my che
eks Lauren’s words were causing. I was attracted to Emmett, and he seemed attracted to me if his painting and our conversation were any indication whatsoever. Well, not so much the conversation. His tone said enough without having to really say anything.

  Lauren turned to me while still walking. She was talented when it came to walking backward. Me, not so much. I would’ve fallen already.

  “Oh, you know you will be. The look on his face while he was talking to you said it all. He was practically drooling all over you. And how can anyone blame him in that dress?” She made a gesture with her fingers, sliding it up bare thigh and giggling. “If I were a man I’d do you too.”

  “Thanks for the compliment. If I were anymore drunk, I’d take you up on it.”

  Lauren laughed and said, “You’re as straight as they come, darling. As am I. Now, let’s get home before my bed starts to worry about me. We’re almost there already.”

  “I have to say that was a quick two blocks.”

  ‘Time flies when you’re having fun, baby doll.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “Guess? I’m always right. Always.” She pranced towards the door of her apartment building and opened it wide, the glass showing my exhausted reflection on its surface.

  “Talk to you in the morning?”

  “You bet. I’ll call you to make sure you’re up. You had more to drink than I did.”

  “Always looking out for me, Lauren. You’re the best,” I praised her.

  “Thank you. So are you. Now, get home and get some sleep. You need it.”

  “Absolutely,” I said as I saluted her.

  “And please be careful. That whack job out there took another girl just the other day, and they found her body this morning. I don’t want you to be next.”

  “You know me. I’m always careful.” I smiled at her and waved a silent goodbye, and she repeated the gesture.

  She walked inside and left me alone on the sidewalk, and I had three blocks to go. I began the short trek home, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. Lauren was right. A killer had been marking a bloody path through New York City and wasn’t being careful about it in the slightest. It was like he wanted people to see his handiwork. And we were only assuming it was a man. According to the FBI profile, he was a white male, between ages twenty-five to thirty, and suffers from extreme mental instability. But what made them say that? Was it the symbol he carved into their foreheads? The Chinese symbol of the duality and unity of every human being, they said. It was the tree that represents these traits in all of us. Both I knew about that all too well. They weren’t sure why he did this, but they knew it had to mean something to him.

  What didn’t help either was the fact that each woman’s ribs were splayed wide open with their hearts missing. I had thought to begin with that this was similar to how Hyde did things, but I shook the thought away. There was no way. My parents had never told me how many of us there were or even if there were more like me, but I had to hold onto the thought that I was unique. Not just for my sanity, but for everyone else’s safety. I already couldn’t stomach the fact that I was a danger to everyone I knew or came across. I couldn’t imagine another person like me walking around out there, maiming and killing people who had done nothing to them to deserve such a fate. The only person I had killed that deserved it because he had tried to hurt me was Kyle. Dax and all other men before him hadn’t. A shiver crept up my spine as an image of Dax’s frightened eyes flashed through my mind. I shook the image away.

  I removed my cell phone from my purse to look at the time. The screen of the HTC read nearly midnight. I sighed and picked up the pace as well as I could in my heels, trying to get home to at least get a couple of hours of sleep before I had to wake up and do this all over again. Insomnia had been a constant struggle for the last couple weeks, and I needed as much sleep as my busied brain could get. A loud whistle and a few cat-calls alerted me to three burly men tucked away in the mouth of a dark alleyway, which I was intent on avoiding if I could. My building was now only half a block away. The best thing to do was to ignore them. That was what I had always been taught growing up.

  “Hey baby, where you headed so late at night?” one man said as he stepped out of the alleyway. He was large and muscular with a slightly bushy brown beard and haunting eyes.

  I avoided looking into his eyes, or at his face even. There was already a killer on the loose, and now I had to worry about these guys? I was having a very miserable night. This man wasn’t dressed like the kind of person who would normally be waiting in dark alleys waiting for an unsuspecting victim. He was actually pretty well dressed. Anxiety sprouted in me, giving Hyde the small nudge she needed. It was like she had been sleeping since we met with Emmett. Or she had been pushed back into a dark corner within my consciousness that I didn’t know existed. It wasn’t just Emmett. It was my job. It was Cyra. It was the bartender at The Marquee. It was everything. I lowered my gaze to the ground, huddled into myself, and kept moving. His two friends came out of the darkness as I walked hurriedly past them.

  “Hey, I’m talking to you!” he yelled from behind me.

  It just went to show that it didn’t matter how well off someone was. An asshole is an asshole. Hyde woke up just a little bit more, but only enough to scare them off. Not sufficient to do anything about what was happening. Even her usual tactic wasn’t an option. A strong, rough hand closed around my upper arm, gripping almost to the point of pain.

  I turned, staring at the hand that was holding it. My eyes flitted up, and as soon as they met his I felt a change take over inside of them. I knew they had to have flashed that brilliant green Hyde possessed. Not only because of the sensation but because the man’s own dark brown eyes widened, his elegant jaw clenching underneath the tasteful beard. The fear penetrated his eyes just enough to make me smile, evil and devilish as I stared at him, both of us frozen to the spot. His fingers tightened on my arm.

  “You sure you want to do that?”

  Sinister intent slithered into my voice as I spoke, letting the man and his friends know I meant business. My gaze flitted to his buddies. Both men were dressed well enough, just like the one holding onto me. They were usually the kind Hyde went for, and their intentions would’ve made it so much easier for Hyde to enact her sadistic plans. Just like when Kyle had drugged me. Us. The man in front of me still had not released my arm, angering me even further. There was no trace of fear in me. Only rage. And it was growing.

  “Come on, man. Let’s go,” his blonde friend said as he came further out of the shadows. “She’s not worth it.”

  His blue eyes flicked to me before he could think better of it, inciting a nearly violent reaction inside of me that I choked down, fighting the animal instinct to strike out. It wasn’t the time. Not out in the open like this. Possibly not ever and that was okay. This man and his friends would survive to live another day.

  “You might want to listen to your friend,” I growled.

  His gaze never left mine, even as he let go of my arm and backed away, folding back into the shadows of the alley with his buddies. I could barely hear their whispers, each male voice deeper than the next talking about how scary that was and calling me a freak. My smile widened, and Hyde curled back into her dark corner of my subconscious.

  “Yes, little pigs. Run.”

  Chapter 4

  The elevator doors opened with a metallic yawn, opening up to the floor where my spacious apartment was located. It housed everything I held dear. It held my art, my clothes, my shoes, and my sanctuary. The lights in the hallway were dim as usual, not doing anything to dampen the sensual feel of the crimson passion on the walls. It exuded sex, which was what I was striving so hard to keep mine and Hyde’s mind off of.

  Hyde and I were not of separate mind. We occupied the same mind, sharing the same thoughts and feelings except when she killed. I had to admit I didn’t know as much as I wanted to about her and what we truly were, but I didn’t have the resources. I
decided, in that instant, that I would do what I could to search for the answers even if I didn’t like what I found. My search would start tomorrow. Now I was more worried about getting the makeup off of my face, the shoes off my feet, and sliding into bed alone. All I needed to do now was get inside the apartment.

  I exited the elevator and walked the twenty feet to the solid wood door, placing my key in the lock once I dug it from my purse, the large golden ‘B’ keychain clinking against the others and glinting in the dim lighting. Lauren had given it to me years ago and I never once lost the keys or the chain or even thought about getting rid of it. I would never. When I entered the apartment, everything was as I had left it. Clean, sanitary, and perfect. I had a slight tendency towards Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which helped me keep things in an orderly fashion. This was the only reason I knew something felt off, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Everything was quiet just as I preferred, but I had a sinking feeling in my gut that told me I wasn’t alone. Granted, I was never alone with Hyde hanging around all the time, but this felt different. Felt antithetic. And Hyde was still way too quiet, not even bothering to wake enough in my aroused state. What the Hell was it about Emmett Adler?

  I placed my purse on the small table beside the door, throwing my keys next to it and checked every room of the apartment that I could readily see. Nothing. All that was left was my bedroom and master bath. I walked down the hall and stopped at the open door of my bedroom, which had been closed when I left. Shit! I had a top of the line security system. How the fuck did someone get in? And were they still there? I decided I didn’t care to find out. I would leave and call the police and stay at Lauren's until this was taken care of. I would’ve normally taken care of intruders myself if it weren’t for Hyde deciding for this to be the perfect moment for a cat nap. I just had to get out of the apartment. That was the first hurdle.

  I attempted to keep my heavy breathing quiet as anxiety bloomed in my gut, forming a solid pit there. I took a step backward away from the door, one foot behind the other as carefully as I could manage considering I was still wearing the ridiculously high heeled Louboutins. My fingers lightly traced the wall to help me keep my balance as I backed away down the hall, the rectangular table in the hallway coming to be beside me holding a vase full of crimson red amaryllis. I hadn’t even made it halfway when my back met something hard, muscled. Alive. I froze, not even moving a muscle to breathe.