《They Know What She Wants》全部章節：第 331 章 - 第 340 章

RILEY°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･I think I’m being followed.I wiped down the sticky table in the corner booth for the third time, the rag smelling like old grease and cheap lemon cleaner. The dinner rush had finally died down, leaving the diner half-empty and quiet except for the low hum of the lights and the occasional clatter from the kitchen. My feet ached in my cheap sneakers, and the tips in my apron pocket were pathetic as usual. Same old shit, different night.Except it wasn’t.I felt his eyes on me again before I even turned around.He sat in the booth by the window like any regular customer, a half-drunk cup of coffee in front of him and a newspaper he hadn’t turned the page on in twenty minutes. Seraphina’s goddamn bodyguard and driver.I’d spotted him the day after I followed Saraphina with my fake “lost and found” excuse. First at the grocery store two blocks from my apartment. Then outside the school. Yesterday he was parked across the street from my building for three hours. And now h

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best idea.I spun on my heel and bolted, bag slamming against my hip, sneakers slapping against the cracked pavement as I aimed for the edge of the parking lot and the street beyond. My heart was a wild, panicked drumbeat in my chest. Stupid. So fucking stupid. Bluffing about a bounty I didn’t even understand had just painted a target on my back.I didn’t make it ten feet.A strong hand clamped around my upper arm like a vice, yanking me backward so hard my feet almost left the ground. I stumbled, twisting, a scream building in my throat that never quite made it out. He was fast—too fast for a man his size—and before I could wrench free he had me pinned against the side of the building, one forearm braced across my chest to hold me in place.But my free hand was already fumbling in my bag. I always carried pepper spray for late shifts at the diner. My fingers closed around the canister just as he started to drag me toward the black SUV.I didn’t hesit

He stopped right in front of me and raised the knife, pointing the tip lazily at my face, close enough that I could feel the cold air coming off the steel. My breath hitched behind the tape.“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” he informed me. “No matter how loud you scream, no one’s coming to save you. So don’t waste your breath.”He didn’t wait for a reaction. With one quick, almost casual flick of his wrist, he sliced through the duct tape over my mouth. The tape peeled away with a sharp sting, taking a few fine hairs with it. I gasped, sucking in a full breath for the first time since he’d gagged me in the parking lot. My lips burned where the adhesive had been.I worked my jaw, tasting blood from where I’d bitten the inside of my cheek during the drive. “You’re… you’re making a mistake,” I rasped. He cut me off with a soft and quiet laugh, the knife still hovering near my face like he hadn’t quite decided whether to use it or not.“A mistake?” he repeated, eyes narrowing. “I don

To break the moment, I changed the topic.“I’m looking for Mr. James,” I said quickly, taking a small step back. “He didn’t show up this morning. I tried calling him, but he’s not answering. I thought… maybe you’d know where he is.”He ran a hand through his messy hair and sat up straighter, the sheets pooling around his waist. “He’s handling something for me,” he finally let out after what felt like forever, his tone clipped. “He’ll be back soon. You don’t need to worry about it.”I frowned. “But I need to go to school,” I told him, glancing toward the door. “I’m already getting late as it is.”Noah studied me for a second, then he asked, almost casually, “Can you drive?”I blinked, surprised by the question. “Yeah… I can drive. I just didn’t bring a car with me when I moved here. I didn’t think I’d need one.”He nodded once, like that settled something in his mind. Without another word, he reached over to the nightstand, grabbed a set of keys, and held them out to me.“Take mine,” he

I rolled my eyes, my hand pausing on the doorknob as I shot him one last glare over my shoulder. Then I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind me a little harder than necessary. With that I headed downstairs. But even as I stepped outside and climbed into his car, keys still warm from his hand, I couldn’t stop replaying his words in my head. You Can Do Better Than Him. I started the engine and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary. The problem was… I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Exhaling softly, I sat there for a moment, letting the engine idle, the low hum filling the silence. My eyes scanned around the interior. This wasn’t the first time I’d been in his car, but the last time it was late so I could barely make anything of it. But now in the bright morning light, I noticed how much the car felt like him. Dark leather seats that smelled faintly of his cologne, the dashboard clean but lived-in and a single black hoodie tossed in the back seat like he’d forg