Behind Your Back by Chelsea M. Cameron Page B

under me. Or up against the wall. Or bent over in the bathroom. I’m not picky about location.
    Other than that, I’m lukewarm. If I wasn’t working, I’d probably still take her out back and pummel her against the wall. Sometimes you just need a woman wrapped around you.
    But I am working, and I need to find Saige. I pull my eyes away from the girl, whose hand has moved down my chest and is going south.
    “Will you excuse me?” I say, pretending I’m headed for the bathroom. The woman pulls her hand back and heads to the next available guy.
    I do two more sweeps of the room and I’m starting to get agitated. This isn’t the end of the world, but it’s just fucking frustrating. Nearly two hours wasted and I’ve had it.
    After texting Cash and Row, I go back out the front and head for the car. After one last scan of the sidewalk, I’m in the car and sinking back into the leather.
    This is the third time I’ve tried to find her. Seems like I’m going to have to resort to stalking to get ahold of this girl.
    Making a sound of frustration, I pull away from the curb and head back to the garage where I keep my car. But at the last second, I make a U turn and head the opposite direction. Out of the city and toward the country.
    I send Cash and Row another message that I’m going for a drive to clear my head. While I’ve got the car out, I might as well use it.
    As soon as I’m out of the city, I exhale and hit the gas. The car roars in approval, as if it’s been waiting for me to let it go. Like a wild horse.
    I pass car after car and my mind starts to wander. I turn on the radio and flip through the stations. A strange song comes on and it captures my attention. Something about a hanging tree. I don’t know the song, but I listen as I drive and think about nothing. It’s not often that I get a break like this. My head is always full of names and numbers and aliases and wondering if that guy who’s looking at me too hard knows who I am and what I do. I didn’t realize when I started how lonely a life this is. Most of the time I’m fine being alone. But every now and then it gnaws at me. Grabs ahold of me and drops me into a dark pit.
    Sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if I had gone to college and gotten an above-board job. Became a lawyer or chef or a teacher. I never really knew what I wanted to do in school. And then things happened and those normal jobs just weren’t an option anymore.
    I shouldn’t be thinking about this.
    The further I drive, the more deserted the road becomes. I turn off the highway and start heading down country roads. Long and winding and perfect for stretching this car’s muscles.
    I roll down the window and the air blasts over me, making my eyes water.
    Saige Beaumont is proving to be somewhat of a challenge, but she’s no match for me.
    I’ll get her.

 
     
    Seven
     
    I track her phone for the next week and a half and smile to myself when I see her on campus of the college she’s attending. She also goes to the library, probably to study.
    I never went to college, but I envy those who do. All of my knowledge is self-taught and gained from real world experience. Still, maybe one day when all this is over I’ll be able to go back. If I’m alive.
    Finally, I see her at a coffee shop and decide to check out what I’m dealing with.
    I do surveillance outside and I’m shocked to see that she’s wearing a disguise. A brown wig and even brown contacts to mask her green eyes. I have no idea why she’s trying to blend in, but I’m interested. I watch her for a while before I go in and order a drink and sit down, giving her another glance. She’s pretending to be occupied with her phone, but something tells me she’s wearing this disguise for a reason, and not just for a bit of fun. This girl is something else.
    Scrapping my plans to just walk up to her table and talk to her, I take a less-direct approach. The barista calls my name and I fetch my coffee